Thai firms to supply 34 support vehicles for the Malaysian Army's new CAESAR artillery regiment

Thai armoured vehicle maker Chaiseri and its partner Thai Defense Industry have signed an agreement to supply 34 wheeled support vehicles for the Malaysian Army's future CAESAR self-propelled artillery regiment. A Chaiseri official told Janes on 22 October that the deal was signed on 20 October with Shafleena, a Malaysian company, and that deliveries are due to start in 2027.

The vehicles are meant to work alongside the KNDS CAESAR Mk I howitzers that Malaysia has on order. These are truck-mounted 155 mm guns with 52-calibre barrels, designed to fire from one position and then drive away quickly before the enemy can return fire.

According to Janes, the package includes Chaiseri's Jackal, a 4x4 high-mobility armoured vehicle, together with several types of 6x6 trucks. These comprise a single medium recovery vehicle plus an undisclosed number of ammunition supply vehicles, forward repair vehicles and fire-control coordination vehicles. The ammunition trucks will carry 155 mm rounds to the guns, the repair and recovery vehicles will keep the fleet moving, and the fire-control vehicles will pass firing data to the howitzers. Chaiseri says the Jackal can be used for convoy escort, forward observation and reconnaissance.

Defence Security Asia, a regional defence news site, reported that the signing was witnessed by Lieutenant General Nopporn Sangsamwong, chairman of Thailand's Defence Technology Institute, and by Malaysia's ambassador to Thailand, Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah. The site said the support vehicles will be built in Thailand and Malaysia, and that Shafleena will hand them on to Advanced Defense Systems, the Malaysian firm responsible for the CAESAR programme, for final fitting and local adaptation.

The same outlet noted that the first support vehicles should arrive before the howitzers themselves, which are expected between 2028 and 2030. That gap could give the army time to work out procedures for resupply, repairs and fire control before the new regiment receives its main weapons. It also pointed out that the published details leave many questions open, including how many vehicles of each type will be delivered, how they will be equipped and how much ammunition the trucks can carry.

Resupply matters for this kind of gun. Defence Security Asia said the Mk I version chosen by Malaysia carries 18 rounds on board, so each gun can fire only a limited number of shots before it needs more ammunition. Without trucks to bring rounds forward, crews would have to leave the firing area to restock, losing much of the speed that makes a truck-mounted howitzer useful.

Malaysia ordered 18 CAESAR systems from the French-German group KNDS in June 2026, during the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris, becoming the 15th country to buy the wheeled howitzer, The Defense Post reported at the time. The contract was signed between KNDS and Advanced Defense Systems and includes technology transfer so the guns can be assembled in Malaysia. KNDS says the system can fire six rounds in under a minute at targets up to about 40 kilometres away and leave its firing position within minutes.

The order is part of a wider effort by Kuala Lumpur to modernise its artillery and grow its domestic defence industry, in line with Malaysia's National Defence Policy. KNDS already had a partnership with Malaysia dating from 2018, covering the supply and local assembly of 105LG lightweight towed guns. The new agreement adds Thai companies to the programme, giving a Southeast Asian supplier a role in supporting a European-designed weapon system for a neighbouring army.