On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, as reported by the newspaper Prawda Bulgaria, Ret. Gen. Atanas Zapryanov, Bulgaria’s Minister of Defense, announced plans to purchase 155mm CAESAR (CAmion Équipé d’un Système d’ARtillerie) self-propelled howitzers, produced by the French company KNDS France (part of the German-French joint venture KNDS) (First Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 delivered).
Photo: Sgt. Teddy Wade, US Army
The declaration was made in response to a question from opposition MP Ivaylo Mirchev of the pro-European PP-DB coalition regarding Bulgaria’s participation in EU public procurement projects in the defense sector, particularly within the framework of initiatives such as the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), implemented under the supervision of the European Defence Fund (EDF).
The minister stated that Bulgaria’s participation in EDIDP has already yielded results, and the country has achieved significant success in two key projects: one aimed at acquiring IRIS-T air defense systems in cooperation with Germany, and the other focused on procuring CAESAR systems from France.
Although the IRIS-T project has already been approved by the European Commission under the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) as part of the Joint Air Missile Defence Initiative in Europe (JAMIE), the CAESAR system remains on the reserve list of projects awaiting further processing for potential future funding.
Over the next three years, the Bulgarian government will increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
For the Bulgarian Land Forces (Sukhopŭtni voĭski na Bŭlgariya), CAESAR howitzers will replace 48 outdated 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled guns (approximately 500 howitzers remain in reserve, some of which were purchased by the Czech Republic and transferred to Ukraine, along with a portion of the 24 towed 152mm D-20 howitzers).
It is worth noting that on October 8, 2024, the Bulgarian authorities ordered one battery of IRIS-T SLM (Infra-Red Imaging System-Tail Surface Launched Medium Range) medium-range air defense missile systems from the German company Diehl Defence for the equivalent of 356,184,633 BGN (182,114,311 EUR), with an option for five additional batteries.
The CAESAR Mk1 6×6 provides indirect fire capability at distances exceeding 40 km, thanks to its 52-caliber howitzer. KNDS France is currently developing the second generation of the system on a new chassis with a 460 HP engine. In recent months, Estonia, Croatia, Ukraine (as part of military aid), Belgium, Lithuania, and Armenia have decided to purchase the system. Denmark was also a user but relinquished its howitzers in favor of Ukraine. Previously, the system had been ordered by the Czech Republic (deliveries have not yet taken place), as well as Morocco, Indonesia, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia.
