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Euromaidanpress
Euromaidan Press
22 Apr 2025
Yuri Zoria


Le Monde: 90% of Caesar cannon barrels produced by KNDS are being sent to Ukraine

KNDS France, the manufacturer of the Caesar self-propelled gun, plans to ramp up production to twelve units per month by late 2025.
le monde 90% caesar cannon barrels produced knds being sent ukraine news ukrainian reports
Caesar gun barrels stored at the Franco-German defense manufacturer KNDS site in Bourges, France. 21 March 2025. Photo: Jean-François Monier/AFP
Le Monde: 90% of Caesar cannon barrels produced by KNDS are being sent to Ukraine

90% of cannon barrels for Caesar, the wheeled self-propelled howitzer produced by Franco-German defense group KNDS, are currently being delivered to Ukraine, Le Monde reports. The Caesar is among the primary artillery systems used by the Ukrainian military. The rise in output reflects a major shift in French defense manufacturing, especially in the Bourges region in central France.

This comes as Russia’s full-scale invasion has entered its fourth year, with Moscow still holding an artillery advantage over Ukraine. While allies continue supplying various artillery systems and ammunition, Ukraine has increased domestic production of the Bohdana self-propelled howitzer to at least 20 units per month.

Bourges reindustrialized after long-term decline. Bourges lost nearly 3,000 industrial jobs between 1991 and 2001 due to site closures by GIAT, KNDS’s predecessor. Local officials such as Mayor Yann Galut and Bourges Plus president Irène Félix acknowledged the dramatic shift in fortunes. “We are living through an extraordinary turning point,” Galut told Le Monde.

Caesar self-propelled howitzers in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Caesar self-propelled howitzers in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Credit: Ukraine’s General Staff

Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, KNDS produced just two Caesar units per month, according to Le Monde. That number has since tripled to six, with a goal of reaching twelve monthly by the end of 2025. Additionally, KNDS has doubled production of 155 mm artillery shells at its La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin facility, targeting 100,000 units per year.

Additionally, Bourges-based facilities of another arms producer, MBDA, have significantly accelerated its output of Mistral and Aster anti-air missiles, which are also supplied to Ukraine.

Beyond MBDA and KNDS, major defense firms like Thales, Safran, Mecachrome, and Michelin have ramped up operations, supported by over 100 subcontractors across the region.