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Croatia will order 18 Caesar howitzers from France for 320 million euros as part of a modernization program for its armed forces, the Croatian Ministry of Defense told AFP today.
The order, approved by the Croatian Parliament’s Defense Committee, is expected to be officially signed in December, following formal government approval, the ministry said.
Financing will be provided from the European Union’s Defense Loan Program, announced in spring 2025.
These loans are intended to help finance projects in sectors defined as priority, such as ammunition, drones, air defense systems, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.
These projects must also include at least 65 percent of components manufactured in the EU, Ukraine or certain other European countries such as Norway.
The Croatian order is divided into two parts – the first relates to the guns themselves, and the second includes surveillance equipment, communications vehicles and armored vehicles, as well as off-road trucks for transporting combat ammunition, according to the Ministry.
Delivery of the guns is scheduled for 2029.
Caesar is a 155-millimeter, truck-mounted gun capable of firing six projectiles up to a distance of 40 kilometers in less than a minute.
It has been in service with the French army since 2008 and has proven its worth on the Ukrainian battlefield against Russia.
Croatia, which recently approved a 1,9 billion euro investment plan to modernize its defense, also plans to acquire 44 German-made Leopard 2A8 tanks, 420 Czech-made Tatra trucks, and anti-drone systems.
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