France has promised to accelerate the delivery of the next generation of Caesar Mark II self-propelled wheeled howitzers to Lithuania, the Defence Ministry says.
The howitzer matter was on Thursday discussed in Brussels by Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu.
“By acquiring French Caesar howitzers, we are significantly strengthening our military’s capabilities, which is particularly important now that we have made the decision to develop a national division,” Anušauskas was quoted in the ministry’s statement.
Lithuania joined the Caesar Mark II development program under a bilateral agreement in late 2022 and will add 18 self-propelled 155 mm wheeled howitzers to its defence capabilities.
The howitzers are scheduled to be delivered to the Lithuanian armed forces by 2027.
The Defence Ministry plans to spend around 110-150 million euros on the entire Caesar Mark II artillery systems development and acquisition project. These funds will be used both for the development and acquisition of the systems and for their introduction within the military.
The Caesar artillery system is currently in use or is to be acquired by several other NATO allies, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and France.
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