Lithuania signs contract with France to acquire 18 CAESAR NG 155mm self-propelled howitzers.

Lithuania signed a contract with France to acquire 18 Nexter CAESAR NG (New Generation) 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers following a letter of intent that was signed in June 2022 during the International Defense Exhibition Eurosatory in Paris, France.
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Artist drawing of Nexter CAESAR NG New Generation 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source Nexter)

Lithuania is the third country after France and Belgium to acquire the New Generation (NG) version of the CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers.

France has already donated to Ukraine 18 155mm CAESAR 6x6 self-propelled howitzers which have shown very high combat effectiveness against the Russian forces, and thanks to the use of guided artillery munitions, the CAESAR was able to destroy targets like vehicles or tanks with very high precision.

The CAESAR NG is an improved variant of the previous version of the CAESAR but uses the same 155 mm/52 caliber cannon mounted at the rear of the truck chassis. The gun has a maximum firing range of 40 km with standard ammunition.

The design of the new 6X6 CAESAR NG will have the same configuration as the previous versions with a crew cabin at the front and the 155mm cannon mounted at the rear of the truck chassis, but it features new improvements in terms of protection and mobility. The CAESAR NG is motorized with a new powerful engine developing 460 hp instead of 260 hp on the previous version. It will be also equipped with a new automatic transmission and a new chassis produced by the French company ARQUUS.

The armor of the CAESAR NG truck cabin has been increased to offer more protection against the firing of small arms and blasts of IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).

The new improvements of the CAESAR NG also include a new firing control software, radio communication system CONTACT as well as a communication jamming system BARAGE produced by the French company Thales.