The Czech Republic plans to halt advance payments for 62 Caesar 8×8 self-propelled howitzers from KNDS France, citing repeated failures by the contractor to meet procurement terms.
This was outlined in a letter from Czech Armaments Director Lubor Koudelka, who warned that Prague would stop settling agreed costs this year unless the company begins fulfilling contract terms and prepares the weapons for military testing.
The country’s defense agency has already sent 7 billion korunas ($332.4 million) to KNDS and allocated another 1 billion korunas ($47.5 million) for later this year, according to local media outlet Novinky.
Program Update
KNDS said earlier this year that domestic serial production of the Caesar howitzers will begin in the Czech Republic in June, with prototyping slated for the summer and deliveries expected in 2026.
About 40 percent of the order will be assembled in the country as part of Prague’s agreement with the firm.
In July, Czech Defense Minister Jana Černochová said the program faced “serious problems,” particularly with the two testbed vehicles evaluated this year that failed to meet military benchmarks.
“The problem is in the range and the effectiveness of the fire,” the official explained.
“But I still believe that it will be solved. But it is possible that it will not be solved, because the army cannot retreat from these conditions.”
Issue With Cannons, Shells
A source familiar with the development told Novinky that the setback lies with the Caesar’s cannons, which failed to meet the military’s required 40-kilometer (25-mile) range in Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact mode.
Another concern is unclear technical data on the weapon’s interoperability with its ammunition, which could cause malfunctions in the Caesar’s fire control system — an issue the manufacturer has also acknowledged.
“Without this data, the guns cannot be integrated and it is not clear whether they meet NATO standards,” the source said. “Moreover, it threatens the integration of Czech ammunition.”
The country has already ordered over 65,000 artillery shells from Polička-based STV Group to complement the incoming howitzer fleet. However, special projects director of STV, Pavel Beran, said that they “are not aware of any problems with the guns.”
“We are preparing the certification of the ammunition in accordance with the contract,” he said.
