La Story (Les Echos) Commentary: The French César Cannon—Its Great Success in the Ukraine War, the Postponement of the KNDS IPO, and the Story of an Invention That Almost Never Was
▶ Original episode: https://shows.acast.com/la-story/episodes/canon-caesar-pourquoi-cette-arme-francaise-tres-utilisee-en
July 15, 2026
Overview
This article provides a commentary on the July 15, 2026, episode of "La Story," the daily podcast from the French business newspaper Les Echos. It covers the French-made 155mm self-propelled howitzer, the César, which has become a "star of the battlefield" in the Ukraine war, and the developments surrounding its manufacturer, KNDS. In the episode, Les Echos journalist Anne Vidalie discusses the secret history of the César's creation and the reasons for its success, based on research for her book.
120 César units have been supplied to the Ukrainian military, where they serve as the backbone of the country's battlefield artillery. This self-propelled howitzer, which mounts a 155mm gun on a truck, has earned high praise for being inexpensive, robust, highly mobile, and difficult to destroy, making it one of the biggest bestsellers in French arms exports. Ironically, the Ukraine war itself is functioning as the "best salesman" for KNDS.
However, the core of the program lies in the fact that this successful weapon "almost died before it was born." In the post-Cold War era of the 1990s, amidst the headwinds of disarmament, an idea conceived by a single engineer was rejected multiple times within the company and was once buried following a live-fire accident. The program recounts how it was revived by involving local politicians and the Minister of Defense, eventually growing into a product adopted by the armies of 14 countries worldwide.
What is the César—The reason it is called the "Omnivorous Gun"
The César is a 155mm self-propelled howitzer manufactured by France's KNDS, and it is nicknamed the "Omnivorous Gun" by the Ukrainian military. This gun can load any 155mm caliber shell, and with the push of a button, it can fire at targets up to 40 kilometers away. Furthermore, Vidalie explains that its accuracy is at an astonishing level, hitting within the area of half a soccer field, or the center circle if using guided munitions.
Vidalie herself, while noting that she is not a military expert, says she was fascinated by the history of this gun. She mentions that, like many French people, she had never heard of the César before the Ukraine war began, but she describes the story of its invention and practical application as "magnificent."
Reasons for its battlefield reputation—Inexpensive, robust, and lightweight
The César has several strengths. First, because of its "somewhat simple" design that is not packed with electronic equipment, it is easy to repair on the battlefield. Also, because it requires fewer shells and less fuel, the vehicle is lighter, consumes less fuel, and does not need to be refueled frequently. Shells can be easily reloaded from pre-positioned ammunition (prépositionnées).
Tanks and self-propelled howitzers are essentially "walking bombs" loaded with shells and fuel, and if hit, they can cause massive explosions and severe damage. In this respect, the César has a low profile and is said to have a significantly lower destruction rate in Ukraine. According to the latest figures, while tracked equipment has a destruction rate of nearly 50%, the César remains at 15%. Its high mobility, capable of traveling at 80 kilometers per hour, is also a reason why it is loved by Ukrainian artillerymen.
The price is 5 million euros per unit, which is by no means cheap, but Vidalie points out that it is two and a half times cheaper than its German competitor, the RCH 155.
The "advertisement" of the Ukraine war and the capabilities of KNDS
The success of the César has been accelerated by the Ukraine war. France has supplied 120 units to the country, which accounts for the majority of its battlefield artillery. The Ukrainian side is even manufacturing a copy of the César called the "Bohdana," which means "God's gift." It is loved enough to be copied.
However, the César was successful even before the war. Since it began operation in the French military in 2008, 800 units have already been ordered, making it the most exported artillery system in the world. The manufacturer, KNDS, is a company born from the merger of the German defense industry firm Krauss-Maffei and the French firm Nexter. In 2025, it recorded 33 billion euros in orders, and its sales are estimated at 4.4 billion euros, an increase of approximately 16% from the previous year. KNDS also manufactures the Leclerc tank, various armored vehicles, and ammunition.
Postponement of the KNDS IPO
Against the backdrop of strong orders, KNDS had planned an initial public offering (IPO). However, in early July 2026, KNDS made the decision to postpone the listing. The reason cited was the poor performance of the defense sector in the stock market. Germany's Rheinmetall has lost more than a third of its value on the Frankfurt market since the beginning of the year, and this environment is said to have pushed down the expected valuation.
The Bode-Wegmann family, which holds half of KNDS's capital, had expected a valuation exceeding 12.5 billion euros, but chose to wait for a more favorable time, reports Corentin Chaperon of Les Echos.
An invention that almost never was—The vision of engineer Philippe Girard
At the heart of the program is the story of how the César 'almost died before it was born.' This cannon was conceived in the mind of Philippe Girard, an engineer at the company then known as Giat Industries.
Girard was a young weapons engineer and École Polytechnique graduate who joined Giat Industries in 1990. It was a time when the liberalization of Eastern Bloc countries and the fall of the Iron Curtain had reduced conflicts, leading to a sharp decline in demand for weaponry. Giat, a giant of French land armaments, was also facing financial difficulties. As the head of the artillery division, Girard came up with the idea of 'mounting a cannon on a truck' while talking to soldiers returning from the Gulf War.
While this idea seems obvious today, it was not self-evident at the time. France had cannons towed by trucks (towed artillery) and tracked tank guns, but truck-mounted versions did not exist. When Girard proposed this idea to Giat Industries, it was rejected on the grounds that 'no truck could be found that was sturdy enough to support a heavy cannon.'
The solution was provided by LOHR, an Alsatian company specializing in transport systems. They proposed a reinforced platform based on the Mercedes Unimog, which made it possible to support the weight of the cannon.
Unveiling at Eurosatory and the setback caused by a live-fire accident
Despite their doubts, the company exhibited a prototype at the 1994 defense and security trade show, Eurosatory. According to Girard, whom Vidalie met for an interview, it was by no means a sure bet.
The name César itself is an acronym in French for 'Camion Équipé d'un Système d'ARtillerie' (Truck Equipped with an Artillery System). The cannon was received with surprise at Eurosatory, and field tests in Saudi Arabia went well. However, a live-fire accident occurred in Qatar, and the entire project was shelved.
Most experts today do not view this accident as a truly fatal technical flaw, but rather analyze it as Giat wanting to terminate the program in the first place. At the end of the 20th century, the Cold War was a thing of the past, and it was an era of the 'peace dividend,' leaving the César on the verge of being scrapped.
Resurrection through politics: A local politician who moved the Minister of Defense
However, a helping hand was extended to the César. First, another weapons engineer, Pierre-André Moreau, took over the project, handled its commercial development, and built a second prototype.
This prototype captivated Jean Sandrier, a Communist Party member and representative for the Cher department. Sandrier was a former Giat employee and was well-versed in the situation. He succeeded in persuading the then-Minister of Defense, Alain Richard, in 2000. Richard decided to include several César units in the national budget—specifically, the Ministry of Defense budget.
Admittedly, the César had not captured anyone's heart at the Army Staff or the General Directorate of Armaments. It was mocked as 'the truck Alain Richard bought on a whim,' and bad jokes even circulated about it being 'the product of an unnatural mating between a cannon and a truck.'
Evaluations from the field and export success
What changed the tide were the artillerymen in the field who actually received the César. When the units ordered by Richard were first deployed to the battlefield, the artillerymen evaluated the weapon as one that met their needs and requirements. It was exactly as the advertising slogan said: 'Once you try it, you'll want to adopt it.'
On July 14, 2009, the César paraded down the Champs-Élysées for the first time. Shortly thereafter, it was deployed to overseas theaters of operation, experiencing every combat zone from Afghanistan and Lebanon to Operation Serval in Mali and Iraq.
Exports have also been strong. Since the first order from Saudi Arabia in 2008, KNDS has recorded orders for 800 units, with 400 delivered as of the time of writing. It has been adopted by the armies of 14 countries, from Saudi Arabia to Croatia, Denmark, Indonesia, and Morocco. In 2013, a 'César Club' was even established for user nations to exchange information on tactics and maintenance.
Currently, clones like Ukraine's Bohdana and Israel's Atmos have not threatened the César's position. There is talk of the U.S. Pentagon potentially ordering 400 units in October 2026, which the head of KNDS France says is because they saw and evaluated the real thing in Iraq.
Manufacturing bases and a surge in production capacity
The César is entirely French-made. The 8-meter barrel is manufactured in Bourges and sent to Roanne to be mounted on the chassis. The chassis itself is manufactured in Limoges by Arquus, formerly Renault Trucks Défense.
Bourges is the base due to its long history, as the origins of KNDS lie in the French land armaments arsenals. The first weapons factory was established in the 17th century, and they were integrated as GIAT (Groupement Industriel des Armements Terrestres) in 1971. It became the public limited company GIAT Industries in 1990, was renamed Nexter in 2006, and merged with Germany's Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in 2015 to become the current KNDS.
The war in Ukraine has drastically changed production rates. Before 2022, only two cannons (two barrels) were shipped per month from the Bourges factory, but now it has reached 10 per month, and preparations are in place to increase this to 15 per month once all orders are confirmed. Furthermore, because the barrels used at maximum range in Ukraine wear out quickly, a new market for barrel replacement has opened up.
The relationship between weapons and 'propaganda'—The precedent of the Exocet
The program also touches on the rarity of the phenomenon where weapons receive so much attention and become objects of praise. In the past, songs were written about the Turkish-made Bayraktar drone, which was feared by the Russian military in the early stages of the Ukraine conflict. According to Mr. Vidalie, apart from the Rafale fighter jet, the only other weapon to become this famous was the Exocet anti-ship missile, which made a name for itself during the 1982 Falklands War.
The Exocet became famous overnight that same year when two Argentine Super Étendards sank a British destroyer with this French-made missile. More than 2,000 of these missiles, assembled in Bourges, have been sold to about 20 countries. At the time, François Mitterrand supported Margaret Thatcher's Britain and opposed the attempt by Argentina's military dictatorship to annex the Falkland Islands.
France is a major exporter of weapons, ranking as the world's second-largest exporter last year, behind the United States. The Caesar, once an 'ugly duckling,' has now transformed into the star of the barracks.
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