MELBOURNE — Malaysia has become the latest customer for the Caesar self-propelled howitzer, manufacturer KNDS announced today.
The company made the announcement at Eurosatory, making the Southeast Asian nation the 15th customer for the Caesar.
Malaysia will be acquiring 18 units of the wheeled 155mm howitzer, with the Franco-German KNDS working alongside local industrial partner Advanced Defense System (ADS) to deliver the vehicles.
“We are particularly proud to support the Malaysian Army through the delivery of world-class artillery systems that meet the highest operational standards. This new milestone in KNDS’s history in Malaysia reflects our determination to support our partners over the long term in developing their defence capabilities and to meet their expectations in terms of industrial localization,” said Chief Executive Officer of KNDS France Nicolas Groult.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said last November that the Malaysian military had completed evaluating six different 155mm self-propelled howitzers, adding that 50 million Malaysian ringgit ($12.29 million) has been allocated this year for the procurement. It is unclear what the total contract value was for the 18 Ceasars.
Malaysia becomes the third operator of the Caesar in the Indo-Pacific after Indonesia and Thailand.
The contract announcement comes after a protracted saga in Malaysia’s attempts to introduce a self-propelled howitzer. The country cancelled plans to acquire refurbished M-109 howitzers under the US Excess Defense Articles program in 2019 amid a change in government and budget constraints. This was followed by the Malaysian defense ministry rejecting a push by the country’s finance ministry to acquire the EVA M2 from Slovakia in 2024.
Malaysia also has an ongoing program to acquire 36 105mm towed howitzers to complement its existing KNDS LG1 howitzers already in service.
