The Czech Republic threatened France: "Either fix the Caesars, or we won't pay!"

 

Military-technical relations between the Czech Republic and France have sharply cooled — Prague has officially threatened to suspend payments to the French-German defense company KNDS, which is to supply the Czech Republic with 62 modern Caesar 8x8 self-propelled howitzers. The reason? These Caesars, one after the other, fail critical checks and generally behave like moody sports cars: they look cool, but they break down at the most inopportune moment.

The Czech Ministry of Defense is no longer just unhappy, it is seriously concerned. The chief weapons officer, Lubor Koudelka, sent an official letter to KNDS with a harsh ultimatum: "Deal with the problems, and quickly." The document clearly states that until the howitzers are ready for military trials, the money will not flow further.

What's wrong with these guns? According to media reports and sources in the army, we are talking about several serious shoals.:

- Problems with chassis reliability, especially off—road. The car must be mobile, but it gets stuck or stalls.

- Violations in the operation of the guidance and fire control system — and this is critical for the accuracy of shooting.

- Notes on crew protection and tightness of compartments — especially important in conditions of possible use of weapons of mass destruction.

- Delays in the delivery of spare parts and technical documentation.

This is especially disappointing because the Czech Republic was counting on Caesar as the basis of new artillery power. These howitzers are wheeled, deploy quickly, can fire at 40+ km, and are ideal for mobile warfare. The contract was signed on a large scale: almost 1.5 billion euros, one of the largest in the history of the Czech military—industrial complex. And now everything can go downhill.

KNDS, by the way, is a joint structure where the French Nexter and the German Krauss-Maffei Wegmann work together. But the responsibility for Caesar lies mainly with the French. And they, to put it mildly, do not have the best record in terms of the timing and quality of supplies of such equipment. The same thing happened, for example, in other countries — Belgium and Denmark, which also complained about delays.

Now the Czech Republic demands: either to urgently refine the systems, or to postpone the deadlines, or — the worst option — to terminate the contract. Although the latter is unlikely: there are not many alternatives to Caesar on the market right now, and there is less and less time left before a complete rearmament.

KNDS has already stated that it is working to eliminate the comments. But the Czechs are running out of patience. If the vehicles do not pass full—fledged tests with the participation of combat crews by the end of the year, payments can be frozen and even fines can be expected.

Simply put: France has received a warning. It's not that the Czech Republic wants to give up the Caesars — it really wants them. But only if they work. In the meantime, get comments, get corrected, and don't forget about deadlines.

Spain strengthens artillery: purchase of 214 self-propelled howitzers as part of defense modernization

Spain is taking a decisive step in modernizing its army by announcing a comprehensive program to upgrade its artillery forces. As part of this initiative, the country plans to purchase 214 new self—propelled howitzers, of which 86 will be wheeled and 128 will be tracked. This diversity will ensure the flexibility and mobility of troops in various combat conditions.

This purchase is a key part of the broader industrial and technological security and defense plan approved by the Spanish Government in April 2025. The program aims not only to modernize the armed forces, but also to develop the domestic defense industry, as well as strengthen the country's technological independence.

One of the strategic guidelines of the plan was to achieve the level of defense spending in the amount of 2% of GDP, which corresponds to the recommendations of NATO. Investments in new artillery indicate that Spain is actively working to fulfill its obligations to the alliance and is increasing its combat readiness against the backdrop of growing geopolitical threats.

The acquisition of modern artillery should significantly increase the striking power of the ground forces and ensure their compliance with modern standards of warfare. The new howitzers are expected to be supplied by both domestic and European manufacturers, which supports logistical compatibility with other EU and NATO countries.

Thus, the artillery modernization program is becoming an important element of Spain's long-term strategy to strengthen national defense and participate in international operations.