The formidable 155 mm Caesar cannon, produced on the Roanne site of the Franco-German group Nexter, is capable of firing six shells 40 kilometers in less than a minute (AFP/OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE)
Aligned in a production hall at the Nexter factory in Roanne (Loire), six brand new Caesar cannons were produced in record time to replace those sold to Ukraine, an illustration displayed by the Minister of the Armed Forces of the transition to ” war economy.
The order placed by France dates back to July 2022. Fifteen months later, trucks carrying the formidable 155 mm cannon capable of firing six shells 40 kilometers in less than a minute begin to leave the production lines.
All of the 30 Caesars which are to replace those ceded by France or sold to Kiev since Russia’s invasion of the country – six others were ordered by Ukraine at the end of September – will arrive in the French forces “before the end of the year”, according to the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Pierre Schill.
For this, Nexter, a company of the Franco-German group KNDS, has put itself in battle order to respond to the need to produce more and faster, demanded by President Emmanuel Macron in order to be able to cope with the deterioration of the situation. international and the war in Ukraine.
“We were forced to reinvent ourselves, to shake up our ways of thinking, our ways of action, to innovate, to be bold,” relates Nicolas Chamussy, CEO of Nexter, during a visit of the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
“Our ability to achieve a war economy was not just a slogan”, congratulates Sébastien Lecornu alongside him, recalling that “the war in Ukraine had shaken up the model”.
Production of the Caesar went from 30 to 15 months and the rate from two per month to six monthly, with the possibility of producing eight monthly “depending on orders”.
The company had purchased 300 million euros worth of raw materials in advance in order to avoid possible supply disruptions and launched the production of more than ten Caesars with its own funds, without waiting for orders.
– Methods inspired by the automobile –
In its historic factory in Roanne, the heart of the production of armored vehicles in France, Nexter has invested 62 million euros since 2018. The workforce has increased from 830 to 1,485 employees to produce the new generation of French armored vehicles from the Scorpion program (300 Jaguar, 1,818 Griffon and 2,038 Serval to be delivered by 2,035).
In its historic factory in Roanne, the heart of armored vehicle production in France, Nexter has invested 62 million euros since 2018 and the workforce has increased from 830 to 1,485 employees to produce the new generation of French armored vehicles from the Scorpion program (AFP /OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE)
Production has been rethought on the model of the automobile industry: rather than being assembled at a single station, the armored vehicle passes from one station to another, with very specific tasks at each stage. From 300 vehicles per year, production must increase to 450 in 2025.
This rise in power also benefits Caesar. On its dedicated production line, a system is being assembled at each of the four stations: installation of the hydraulic tank on the chassis produced by Arquus, installation of the gun carriage, then integration of the 8 meter long tube and the ammunition crate before the final stage of static testing.
On the other side of the aisle, another line in parallel takes care of assembling the gun carriage.
Promoted in Ukraine, the self-propelled gun is selling well: more than 350 copies in nine countries, including Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic and Indonesia. And it may not be over yet.
“I am in the process of discussing with other countries who are asking us the question of price, but also of delivery time,” confides Sébastien Lecornu.
For Caesar’s munitions as well, Nexter is striving to transition to a war economy: annual production of 60,000 shells must increase by 50% next year and double in 2025.
This allowed France “to triple the rate of ammunition delivery to Ukraine, going from 1,000 155 mm shells per month at the start of the year to 3,000 at the start of 2024,” Sébastien Lecornu confided in a newspaper interview. of the Ebra group.
© 2023 AFP
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