Companies of the CSG group will exhibit at the prestigious defence technology fair Eurosatory 2024 in Paris
From June 17 to 21, the next edition of the Eurosatory international fair for defence technologies and military equipment, which is the largest event of its kind in Europe, will take place in Paris. Over 1,700 manufacturers and sellers of special equipment from more than six dozen countries will present themselves at it. The exhibits will also include products and services from companies belonging to the Czechoslovak Group (CSG) and Tatra Trucks, which are traditional participants in this prestigious high-tech show.
Companies of the CSG Defence, CSG Aerospace, CSG Mobility and CSG Ammo+ divisions will be presented at the CSG joint exhibition at stand K254 in hall 5A, namely Tatra Export, Excalibur Army, MSM Group, Retia, Eldis Pardubice, Excalibur International, Tatra Defense Vehicle and Fiocchi. It will be one of the largest stands at the fair and the largest ever exhibition of companies from the Czech Republic.
The world premiere of the new Tatra Force for military use
Tatra Trucks will be represented at the Eurosatory 2024 trade fair by Tatra Export company, which will present the entire portfolio of medium and heavy Tatra logistics vehicles. The main attraction will be the world premiere of the latest third generation of the Tatra Force model line in the form of a flatbed truck on a 6x6 chassis for the armed forces. The ceremonial unveiling of this novelty will take place on the first day of the fair. Modern Tatra, Cummins or Catepillar engines and automated or fully automatic transmissions are available for the new generation of military Tatra Force trucks. Compared to the previous generation of the Tatra Force series, the new one offers the possibility of an alternative engine mounting under the front part of the cabin above the front axle, or under the rear part of the cabin behind the front axle.
The Tatra novelty has advanced on-board electronics and will also bring better safety or a higher level of ergonomics and control. The new Tatra Force will be presented in Paris in a version with a standard cab, armoured cabs developed and manufactured by Tatra Defence Vehicle company from the CSG Defence division will be available later. The chassis will have a proven Tatra concept with a central backbone tube and swinging independently suspended half-axles in a standard configuration with 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 axles. There will also be available multi-axle versions with different numbers of driven and steering axles.
Another new product will be on display in the outdoor exhibition – it will be a Tatra Phoenix 10x10 bridge carrier with an armoured cabin and a Leguan mobile bridge superstructure made by the KNDS company. The armoured cabin was developed and manufactured by the Tatra Defence Vehicle company, and it is characterized by one of the highest levels of ballistic and anti-mine protection in the category of logistics vehicles according to NATO standards. The cabin is based on the project of armoured DAF CF Military vehicles built on the Tatra chassis for the Belgian army, on which Tatra Trucks and Tatra Defence Vehicle cooperate with the Dutch company DAF Trucks. The Leguan bridge system meets the NATO standards of MLC 80 and MLC 100 according to the category of tracked and wheeled vehicles. It consists of a folding bridge deck and a retractable laying system, while the total length of the bridge can be 14 m or 26 m. Laying or folding the bridge elements takes from 4 to 8 minutes, depending on the version and length of the bridge elements.
Modern Morana 155 mm howitzer
The main exhibit of Excalibur Army, which belongs to the CSG Defence division, will be the Morana self-propelled howitzer. This modern artillery system of a new concept on the Tatra 8x8 chassis has a 155 mm cannon with a barrel length of 52 calibres installed in an armoured revolving turret. It is a fully automated artillery system compatible with NATO standards. The Morana howitzer is intended for quick and effective support of operational tactical units of land forces in various climatic and weather conditions, day and night, with direct and indirect fire. It has the task of destroying manpower, weapons and combat equipment, command posts and other equipment of the enemy at the operational-tactical level, destroying communication systems and equipment of logistics support and eliminating defence structures and field defence objects. The howitzer has a modular solution, which means that the turret superstructure with the weapon and automatic loading system can be installed on various chassis, including tracked ones.
Ammunition for artillery systems, tanks and mortars
MSM Group is also part of the CSG Defence division and focuses on the engineering industry and arms production, which also includes the production of large-calibre ammunition. In the exhibition at Eurosatory 2024, both experts and the lay public will be able to see, for example, ammunition for 30 mm calibre cannons, as well as 105 mm and 120 mm calibre tank ammunition that meets NATO standards. MSM Group will also exhibit 105 mm and 155 mm NATO calibre artillery ammunition and 122 mm calibre ammunition intended for older non-NATO artillery systems. In addition, practice ammunition for tanks and artillery will be presented, and last but not least, also mortar ammunition of calibre 60 mm, 81 mm, 120 mm. Pyrotechnic components and primers needed for the production of ammunition will also have their place in the exhibition.
Radars for anti-drone systems and for detecting people behind obstacles
Retia is part of the CSG Aerospace division and is one of the most important technology companies in the Czech Republic in the field of radar and electronic systems. At Eurosatory 2024, Retia will present the ReGuard multipurpose 3D radar. This pulse-Doppler radar is intended for the detection and simultaneous tracking of ground targets and slow low-flying objects with a small radar cross section. The radar enables the simultaneous tracking of land and air targets and is suitable, for example, for the protection of point targets or important infrastructure. It is thus well used in anti-drone systems, e.g. when guarding airports, but also in air defence systems. Retia will introduce the ReGuard radar as part of the anti-drone system along with other elements such as ReGun and ReDec.
In addition to the ReGuard radar, Retia will also exhibit the light and portable ReTwis 5+ radar. It can find and track living people and animals that are behind a wall or other non-metallic obstacle, based on the detection of impulses caused by even the slightest human or animal movement. Thanks to its features and capabilities, ReTwis 5+ ranks at the top of its class, which is evidenced by the fact that it has got orders from security forces in the Czech Republic, the USA and other countries.
New generation radars for air traffic control
The companies of the CSG Aerospace division also include the Eldis Pardubice company. As part of the exhibition, Eldis will display scale-models of its core products in the field of airport radars. It will primarily be the latest primary long range air surveillance radar RL-3000, another novelty of the Eldis company will be the precision approach radar PAR-NG, which follows on from the commercially successful PAR-E type. The concept of both radars is based on software control of the entire system, which greatly facilitates maintenance, which can thus be carried out almost exclusively remotely and without the need to interrupt the operation of the radars.
The new identity and branding of the export agency of the CSG group
During the ceremony on the second day of the Eurosatory 2024 fair, in the exhibition of CSG group, Excalibur International – an export agency representing CSG group companies in various territories and mediating contacts with partners and customers – will present its new identity and branding. With this act, Excalibur International will start a new chapter of its activity on world markets. Excalibur International will also present the medium-range air defence system installed on the chassis of Tatra vehicles, in the form of scale-models and 3D visualization. The company will also present to visitors and potential customers its services and latest projects. Various types of ammunition for small arms made by the Italian company Fiocchi belonging to the CSG Ammo+ division will also be on display at the stand.
About CSG
The global industrial-technology group CSG, owned by Czech entrepreneur Michal Strnad, has key manufacturing plants in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain, Italy, India, Great Britain, and the USA and exports its products all over the world. CSG continuously invests in the development of its companies and at the same time expands in its core businesses. The group includes, for example, the Czech vehicle manufacturer Tatra Trucks, the world's leading manufacturer of small-calibre ammunition Fiocchi and the Czech radar manufacturer Eldis. More than 10,000 employees work in the companies integrated into the CSG Group and in the linked companies. In 2023, the group's consolidated revenues reached EUR 1.73 billion. CSG's main fields of expertise are engineering, automotive, railway, aerospace, defence and small calibre ammunition production. Thanks to its strong pro-export orientation, CSG products can be found on all continents.
