Danish armed forces (Forsvaret) future CEASAR self-propelled Howitzer is to be donated to Ukraine. The government has consulted with the Danish Parliament about this at today’s meeting of the Foreign Policy Council. The government has chosen to donate all of Defence’s 19 French-produced Caesar artillery pieces to Ukraine. Ukraine has requested the artillery despite these challenges. The donation will be accompanied by a training and education package for the Ukrainians.
On 14 March 2017 the CAESAR 8×8 was chosen to become the new artillery system of the Royal Danish Army. 19 howitzers were purchased and installed on Tatra 815 trucks. 15 were delivered in 2021, with the last 4 planned to be delivered in 2023. The actual delivery of all 19 systems was delayed until first half of 2023. The 1st Brigade, numbering 4,000 men, was to be the “Danish donation” for NATO special operations. Therefore, the government is now looking at the possibilities of launching a rapid acquisition of new capabilities in parallel with the donation.
“This is a very large and significant donation. We have been in continuous contact with the Ukrainians about Caesar artillery in particular and I am happy that we have now received broad support from the Danish Parliament to donate it to Ukraine’s freedom struggle. There is no doubt that it is needed, even if there are still technical issues with the system,” says Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen.
The CAESAR (CAmion Équipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie, Truck equipped with an artillery system) or is a French 155 mm, 52-calibre self-propelled howitzer installed on a 6×6 or 8×8 truck chassis that can fire all 39/52 caliber NATO-standard shells. On 16 September 2015 at DSEI 2015, Nexter unveiled the CAESAR 8×8 which features a high level of mobility ensured by a modified Tatra 815 8×8 chassis. The 8×8 CAESAR is fitted as standard with an unarmoured forward control four-person cab, but one of the options is a fully armour protected cab. Gross vehicle weight would depend on the level of armour protection, but is about 30 tonnes. It is powered by a 410 hp diesel engine. It holds 36 rounds.
