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On June 19, the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement noting that official Baku’s reaction to the Armenia-France military and technical cooperation is puzzling. It is the sovereign right of any country to have a combat-capable army equipped with modern military assets.
“Azerbaijan’s practice of predicting regional escalations at every opportunity is alarming and comes to prove the analyses made by a number of centers that Azerbaijan will do everything to disrupt the process of concluding a peace agreement with Armenia in order to launch a new aggression against the Republic of Armenia after the COP29 summit in Baku in November 2024.
We draw the attention of the international community to this, as well as to the fact that official Yerevan’s proposal to conclude a peace agreement within 1 month remained without response by official Baku,” the statement reads.
Referring to the new arms deal between Armenia and France, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced that the rearming of Armenia by France is political irresponsibility and a path to a new war.
“Despite the warning from the Azerbaijani side, France is supplying Armenia with deadly and offensive artillery and other weapons, which is another proof of France’s provocative actions in the South Caucasus region,” said the statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.
Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, stated that the arming of Armenia by France is a threat to the acievements and peace in the Caucasus.
“This is a blow to the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said Hajiyev.
On June 18, French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu posted on his X page about the signing of a new contract between France and Armenia, noting that France continues to strengthen defense relations with Armenia.
“We continue to strengthen our defense relations with Armenia. A new important event is the signing of the contract for the purchase of CAESAR howitzers,” Lecornu wrote.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia announced that within the framework of the working visit of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Armenia Suren Papikyan to France on June 17, a military and technical cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia and the French military-industrial company KNDS.
French CAESAR artillery system
The CAESAR artillery system was developed in the 1990s by the French state-owned company GIAT Industries in collaboration with Lohr Industrie. It was first presented to the public in 1994. Four years later, the initial production model was tested in the French army. In peacetime, Nexter’s productivity was 10 CAESAR systems per year. The Russian-Ukrainian war that started in 2022 increased the demand.
The CAESAR is a 155 mm howitzer mounted on a Renault Sherpa 10 truck chassis with an armored compartment. The self-propelled artillery is equipped with a 155 mm TR F1 cannon with a SIGMA 30 fire-control system. The control system includes a radar, a built-in ballistic control unit. The system can be adapted to any C4I system (fully integrated with ATLAS FCS). CAESAR can develop a speed of up to 100 km/h, and 50 km/h in off-road conditions.
The CAESAR 6×6 Mark I holds 18 rounds and is normally manned by a crew of five, although the CAESAR can be manned by a crew of three if necessary. It can be transported by C-130 or A400M aircraft. Equipped with an inertial navigation system and a ballistic system, CAESAR can accurately hit targets at a distance of more than 40 kilometers. With the use of the most modern projectiles, the range can reach 55 kilometers. CAESAR deploys quickly. It takes the crew about 60 seconds to prepare to fire and 40 seconds to leave after firing. It can fire six shots per minute.
The CAESAR 8×8 uses a modified Tatra 817 8×8 chassis that allows for a higher degree of mobility. It holds 36 rounds. It works with a 410 hp diesel engine.
In February 2022, Nexter was awarded a €600 million preliminary contract by French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) for the development and procurement of the CAESAR 6×6 Mark II next-generation artillery system. The contract provides for an initial four-year development and accreditation phase, after which the CAESAR 6X6 Mark II will enter production. The new generation CAESAR 6×6 will retain the current configuration of the artillery system. The main improvements will concern personnel protection and mobility. The CAESAR 6X6 Mark II will be equipped with a new engine (460 hp instead of the previous 215 hp), a new automatic transmission and a new chassis. CAESAR 6×6 Mark II will be equipped with the latest version of fire control software.
Armenian-French military cooperation
Talks about the provision of arms by France to Armenia began in October 2022, when the French Embassy in Armenia informed about the visit of the delegation of the French Ministry of Armed Forces to Yerevan, discussions on strengthening military cooperation and the appointment of a French military attaché.
On October 3, 2023, at the press conference following the meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced that France has agreed to sign an agreement with Armenia, which will enable Armenia to provide military equipment so that Armenia can ensure its defense.
On October 22, 2023, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that Paris and Yerevan are preparing agreements on the supply of French weapons, particularly in the field of air defense.
On October 23, 2023, the press service of the RA Ministry of Defense reported that the Minister of Defense of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, and the Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sébastien Lecornu, signed documents on bilateral cooperation. On the same day, Reuters reported that the defense ministers of the two countries signed an agreement on the sale of three Thales GM 200 radars to Armenia, as well as a memorandum of understanding on the prospective supply of the French Mistral short-range anti-air missiles.
At the end of last year, the information about the supply of “Bastion” armored vehicles appeared in the defense budget section of the website of the French Senate.
It was mentioned that 24 armored vehicles are already being delivered to Armenia, 26 more will be delivered later, since they are currently in the production stage. The document also stated that Armenia has recently signed an order to purchase GM 200 radars and negotiations are underway for the supply of MISTRAL 3 missile systems.
“We must promptly respond to all requests of the Armenian authorities, especially regarding the need to replenish their artillery assets,” stated the rapporteurs’ document, which also recommended “exploring the supply of CAESAR artillery systems as soon as possible, taking into account their effectiveness.”
Later, on February 22, 2024, the French Le Figaro wrote that not only the Minister of Defense of France, but also “French ammunition” – 3 radars that detect aircraft at a distance of up to 250 km, as well as night vision equipment – are traveling to Armenia. At a joint press conference with Papikyan in Armenia, Lecornu stated that Armenia has already received the first batch of defense equipment. “Yesterday evening, you already received the first batch. There will also be a batch of “Bastion” armored vehicles. I will not go into too much detail about what equipment will arrive, but all of them are defensive equipment, because the priority in this region is the protection of both the population and the borders,” said the French official, stressing that no one can criticize the Armenian army for enhancing its defense capacity. Referring to air defense systems, the minister said that if Armenia needs it, air defense missiles will also be provided.
On the same day, RA Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and French Minister of Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu also signed a number of agreements.
On June 18, Lecornu announced that Armenia signed an agreement with France for the acquisition of the CAESAR artillery system.
Military expert Leonid Nersisyan, senior researcher at “APRI Armenia” analytical center, considers the acquisition of CAESAR systems as a matter of both military and political importance.
“Almost top 3, if not the best, howitzer in the world, one of the most effective in the war in Ukraine. If we compare, for example, with the Soviet platforms that we use, the 152-millimeter, the range of fire is almost 2 times greater. In the case of the newest Russian howitzer, which, for example, Azerbaijan has, the range of fire is 27 km. Politically, it is also very significant. If France agrees to sell CAESAR systems to Armenia, it means that Armenia can acquire any type of weapon it wants from France – defensive, offensive weapons. That topic is not that important either,ʺ Nersisyan told Azatutyun radio station.
Syuzanna Hambardzumyan
