William Molinié, edited by Solène Leroux 06:20, July 08, 2022
Europe 1 was able to visit the Aubert & Duval factory in Firminy where 180 employees transform steel ingots into blanks for Caesar gun tubes, a French metallurgical "jewel".
In the context of the war in Ukraine, where this high-precision artillery armament is used to curb Russian expansion, the production lines are operating at 30% of their capacity and would be able to produce 300 guns, all guns combined, every year.
EXCLUSIVE
It is the centerpiece of the Caesar truck, delivered by France to the Ukrainian army: the 155 mm gun, capable of firing up to 40 kilometers.
The blank is manufactured in Firminy near Saint-Étienne in the Aubert & Duval factory, a 100% French metallurgical "jewel".
In the forge, the 4,500-tonne press molds raw steel ingots into Caesar cannon tubes.
The furnaces, set to within three degrees, allow high-precision heat treatment, between 900 and 1,200 degrees to give the steel exceptional properties.
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"For us, a tube is considered a piece of safety. It's both the safety of the guys who are going to shoot and who are behind it, and the lives they are going to save because, when they shoot, this It's not for nothing, it's for us", explains Laurent Minacori, the heat treatment workshop foreman, who has been in the plant for almost 27 years.
Before being delivered to the Nexter cannon factory in Bourges, which designs, assembles and integrates the cannon into the Caesar truck chassis, the blanks are checked by ultrasound and magnetoscopy.
At the slightest defect, they are put back.
Capacity of 300 pieces per year
It is in this one factory, unique in France, that this artillery piece is manufactured today deployed in the Donbass in Ukraine.
Recognition of a job well done for the 180 employees of the site.
"Whether on this round, or the other defense markets in which we are active, it is a great pride to be able to satisfy these markets which are very demanding", welcomes Pierre-Marie Poisson, the director of factory.
© WILLIAM MOLINIE / EUROPE 1
The context of the war in Ukraine is based on the capability issues of the French armies.
With the delivery of 18 Caesar guns in four months, taken from Army stocks, the French arsenal saw a quarter of its reserves cut.
The Minister of Defense, who meets this Friday afternoon Patrice Caine, the CEO of the Thales group, asks the industrialists of the sector to align themselves with "a war economy".
Produce more at more competitive prices.
According to its management, the Firminy site could release up to 300 pieces per year, all types of tubes combined.
It is now running at 30% capacity.