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Estonia buys more artillery from France
Tallinn is purchasing additional CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and renewing defence cooperation with France. By the end of the year the Estonian army is expected to field 24 artillery systems, while Paris strengthens its position as a key arms supplier in the Baltic states.
CAESAR (Camion Équipé d’un Système d’Artillerie) is a French wheeled self-propelled howitzer produced by KNDS Nexter (formerly Nexter Group). It can be mounted on various truck chassis in 6x6 or 8x8 configurations depending on customer requirements. The most commonly used carriers are the Renault Sherpa 5 and Mercedes-Benz Unimog (both 6x6) as well as the Tatra 815-7 (8x8). CAESAR is armed with a 155 mm L/52 gun (barrel length approx. 8 metres) with a maximum range exceeding 40 km when firing base-bleed high-explosive shells. It uses a wide range of JBMoU-compatible ammunition, including standard high-explosive rounds, BONUS anti-armour munitions and the newer Katana 155 mm guided shells.
Estonia had previously received 12 CAESAR Mk1 155 mm howitzers and has now signed a contract for another 12 units, which are to be delivered within the year. Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur confirmed that France is one of Estonia’s key defence partners and that the two countries will renew strategic military cooperation.
At the same time a 20-year support and maintenance agreement was concluded, valued at up to approximately €100 million. Within the Estonian army the CAESAR has been assigned to the 3rd Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion.
The decision to acquire a further 12 French howitzers is significant because Estonia is already introducing South Korean K9 howitzers, bringing in HIMARS, and now expanding its wheeled artillery component. This amounts to the creation of a layered long-range fires system. It is also worth noting that Estonian crews were trained in France and that operating the system takes only a few weeks to master, accelerating combat readiness.
For France, the CAESAR has become an instrument of foreign policy. The system is already used by Ukraine, and in Europe it is also entering service in Denmark, the Czech Republic, Belgium and Lithuania. As a result, through arms sales Paris is developing bilateral cooperation. In the Baltic region this means a lasting presence of the French defence industry and a further increase of political-military influence on NATO’s eastern flank.
