Having just purchased 19 long-range Caesar guns from France, Denmark decided to deliver all of them to Ukraine to support kyiv in its conflict with Russia. Copenhagen had ordered 15 guns from the French group Nexter in 2017, then four more in 2019.
Denmark has decided to give Ukraine all of its 19 French-made Caesar long-range guns, some of which have not yet been delivered, the government announced on Thursday. The government, backed by parliament, “has decided to donate all 19 French-made Caesar artillery pieces to the army in Ukraine,” Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said in a statement. when the West multiplies the announcements of donations of heavy weapons to Ukraine.
Deliveries are late
“This is a very important and significant donation,” said the Danish minister. Denmark had ordered 15 guns from the French group Nexter in 2017, then four more in 2019. But deliveries have been delayed and only a few copies have already been delivered. “The guns are still being integrated into the Danish army. There are a series of technical problems with the system, which need to be managed with the manufacturer and Ukraine,” the ministry said.
“Ukraine claimed the artillery despite these problems,” according to Copenhagen. France, for its part, announced in October that it was working on new deliveries of Caesar to Ukraine, but taken from the Danish order. The 19 guns ultimately not going to the Danish army, “the government is looking at the possibilities of quickly acquiring new capacities in parallel with the donation”, specifies the Danish ministry. Unlike the models of the French army, the Danish Caesars have eight wheels instead of six, a payload capacity of 36 shells (against 18), and are equipped with an armored cabin.