Belgium has made the choice to purchase a new weapon system in its field artillery line, which is to become the first exporter of the CAESAR 6X6 Mark II Next Generation (NG). On 13 May 2022, the Belgian and French defense ministries signed a €62 million contract to acquire nine 155mm 6×6 CAESAR NG self-propelled howitzers.
The CAESAR NG is a modernized version of the early generation CAESAR 6×6 (as used by the Armed TNI AD) produced by the French company Nexter Systems.
Quoted from armyrecognition.com (14/5/2022), the contract includes the procurement of a Communication and Information System (CIS) system, the equipment and software needed to integrate the artillery howitzer into an interconnected network, equipment, documentation, and training materials, such as ammunition programming, additional independent hardware, and software to control firing equipment.
The CAESAR NG is an improved variant of the previous CAESAR version, but uses the same 155 mm/52 caliber gun mounted on the rear of the truck chassis. The CAESAR howitzer has a maximum firing range of 40 km with standard ammunition.
In February 2022, Nexter was awarded a contract to develop the CAESAR 6X6 NG artillery system for the French Army.
Production of the CAESAR NG ordered by Belgium will be carried out in parallel with the CAESAR NG produced for the French military, namely to maintain interoperability and cooperation with the French and Belgian armies. According to the schedule, the first CAESAR NG units will be received by Belgium in 2027.
The CAESAR NG 6X6 design will have the same configuration as the previous version, but have new improvements in terms of protection and mobility. CAESAR NG is supported by a new powerful engine that produces 460 hp instead of 260 hp as in the previous version.
The CAESAR NG will also be equipped with a new automatic transmission and a new chassis produced by the French company ARQUUS.
The CAESAR NG truck cab protection layer has been upgraded to offer more protection against small arms fire and IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) explosion effects. Improvements to the CAESAR NG also include new fire control software, the CONTACT radio communication system and the communication jamming system BARAGE manufactured by Thales.
Follow Daily Post on Google News to update information quickly. Thank you for visiting our website..!! Don't forget to share any information to help develop our website..