CANJUERS, France — KNDS, the French-German maker of land armaments, considers its Caesar howitzer has “excellent chances” to win a U.S. Army artillery competition to replace the M777, according to the executive in charge of marketing the truck-mounted 155 millimeter cannon.

The Caesar enjoys a strong reputation among American artillery crews, who saw the gun in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Olivier Fort, a former French artillery colonel now with KNDS, in comments to reporters after a firing exercise at Canjuers military base in southeastern France on Monday.

KNDS earlier this month announced an agreement with Leonardo DRS to offer the Caesar to the United States. Market observers expect the Army to order around 400 self-propelled howitzers to replace the towed M777, according

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