Nexter submitted its final bid for Indian Artillery to pitch its Trajan and Caesar howitzers 32403166.

“We submitted our final offer Feb. 15,” Mayer told the National Assembly defense committee on March 2. The competition, worth €1 billion and the largest for land weapons, will yield “the contract of the century for artillery,” he said.

Indian authorities have set final selection between the two bidders by the end of the year, to allow for exclusive negotiations, he said.

Nexter has teamed with local partner Larsen & Toubro to pitch its Trajan 155mm/52 caliber gun against Elbit Systems, partnered with Bharat Forge.

The TRAJAN combines two well-known Nexter’s systems, the 155 mm/39 calibre TR Towed Gun System and the 155 mm/52 calibre CAESAR truck-mounted artillery (deployed in Afghanistan and in Lebanon).

TRAJAN integrates the fire power of CAESAR into a modern and very efficient towed artillery gun for all firing missions from direct support firing to in-depth action.

Thanks to embedded electronics as INU (Inertial Navigation Unit), Automatic Laying and Relaying System, TRAJAN is a formidable, efficient, and very accurate system. The 155 mm/52 calibre artillery (Joint Ballistic MoU) is compatible with all NATO standard ammunition, but also ERFB shells with smart ammunition (BONUS, SPACIDO, etc.). The maximum range is similar to CAESAR, up to 42 km with an ERFB and even 55 km through the use of rocket-assisted projectile. Day and night sight devices can engage a target in direct firing at up to 2000 m.