Engineering:152 mm SpGH DANA

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Short description: Czechoslovak self-propelled howitzer
Vz. 77 DANA
ShKH vz. 77 of Czech Army during a military exercise, 21 November 2013.
TypeSelf-propelled gun
Place of originCzechoslovak Socialist Republic
Service history
In service1981–present
Wars
  • Chadian–Libyan Conflict
  • War in Afghanistan
  • Russo-Georgian War
  • Libyan Civil War
  • 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
  • Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
DesignerKonštrukta Trenčín
Designed1976 (1976)
ManufacturerZTS Dubnica nad Váhom (SK)
Excalibur Army (CZ)
Produced1980–present
No. built750+
Specifications
Mass29.25 t (32.24 short tons)
Length11.156 m (36 ft 7.2 in)
Width3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height3.63 m (11 ft 11 in)
(with AAMG)
Crew5
ShellHE, HEAT
Shell weight
  • 43.5 kg (96 lb) (HE)
  • 27.4 kg (60 lb) (HEAT)
Calibre152.4 mm (6 in)
Barrels5,580 mm (18 ft 4 in)
BreechSemi-automatic, vertical sliding-wedge
Elevation-4° to +70°
Traverse±220°
Rate of fire
  • 4 rpm (semi-automatic)
  • 2 rpm (manual)
Muzzle velocity693 m/s (2,274 ft/s) (HE)
Effective firing range18.7 km (11.6 mi)
Maximum firing range20 km (12 mi)
Sights
  • ZZ-73 with PG1-M-D collimator (indirect fire)
  • OP5-38-D (direct fire)
Main
armament
152 mm howitzer (approx. 36.6 calibre)
(60 rounds)
Secondary
armament
12.7 mm DShK
(2,000 rounds)
EngineTatra T2-930-34
253.7 kW (340.2 hp)
Ground clearance0.41 m (1 ft 4 in)
Operational
range
600 km (370 mi)
Speed80 km/h (50 mph)

The DANA (Dělo automobilní nabíjené automaticky - gun on truck loaded automatically) is a wheeled self-propelled artillery piece. It is also known as the Samohybná Kanónová Húfnica vzor 77 (ShKH vz. 77; self-propelled gun howitzer model 77). It was designed by Konštrukta Trenčín and built by ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom in the former Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). Introduced in the 1979, it was the first wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun to enter service.[1] It is based on a modified eight-wheel drive (8×8) Tatra 815 chassis with excellent cross-country mobility.

Compared to tracked vehicles, wheeled vehicles have the advantages of being cheaper to build and easier to maintain with greater strategic mobility. Tyre pressure can be regulated via a central tire inflation system to allow good mobility off-road and there is power-assisted steering on the front four wheels. Three hydraulic stabilisers are lowered into the ground before firing the main gun, and a roof-mounted crane is available to assist with ammunition loading.

The crew of the DANA consists of a driver (who operates the hydraulic stabilisers), the commander sitting in the front cabin, the gunner (aims the gun and opens fire) and loader operator (selects the appropriate amount of powder charges) are on the left side of the turret, the ammo handler (sets the shells' primers) is on the right side of the turret.

The original DANA had manual fire control and an autoloader. The latest version, MORANA, has computerised automatic fire control, allowing reduction of crew to three.

Development

The DANA was designed in the late 1970s by Konštrukta Trenčín to provide the Czechoslovak People's Army with an indigenous self-propelled indirect fire support weapon without having to resort to purchasing the Soviet 2S3 Akatsiya. Design work was completed in 1976 and the DANA project was handed off to production at ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom. It was accepted into service in 1981, and by 1994 over 750 units had been built. The DANA was also exported to Poland, Libya, and Georgia.[2]

Design

The DANA was a significant departure from contemporary self-propelled guns such as the tracked Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika and 2S3 Akatsiya or its Western-made counterpart, the M109 howitzer, as it used a wheeled chassis and featured an innovative automated loading system which was the first of its kind at the time of its introduction to service. The vehicle has a driving cabin at the front, an open-topped fighting compartment at mid-length and the engine compartment in the rear. The front crew cabin seats both the driver/mechanic and vehicle commander. The armoured turret is installed on a traversable mount adapted to the Tatra 815 wheeled chassis (8×8) and is divided into two halves, divided by the howitzer's recoil mechanism and a pathway for the reciprocating action during firing. The left half of the turret is occupied by the gunner and first loader and houses the various fire control optics, electro-mechanical gun laying controls, the automatic propellant charge feeding device, and an auxiliary ammunition magazine. The right side of the turret contains a mechanised projectile delivery system which is operated by a second loader at this position.

The DANA's primary weapon is a 152 mm howitzer with a monolithic barrel (with a fixed rifling pitch) equipped with one expansion chamber. The howitzer has a semi-automatic, vertically-sliding-wedge-type breech which opens to the left side. The recoil assembly consists of a hydraulic buffer, two pneumatic return cylinders and a controlling plunger which governs the displacement of the buffering system. The gun laying is carried out by an electro-hydraulic drive system or an emergency manual control.

DANA's unique feature is that its autoloader is able to load a shell and a cartridge in any elevation of the barrel.

As there is no gyroscopic or similar system for independent, automated and autonomous gun laying in the DANA, the gunner of howitzer uses a ZZ-73 panoramic telescope with a PG1-M-D collimator for indirect gun laying. This sight has a horizontal scale used to set the appropriate horizontal laying via aiming at reference points. This means that the DANA is not an autonomous system there needs to be an additional device to assist in gun laying (in fact, the firing positions of such artillery systems are usually prepared before the guns are positioned there). For direct fire engagements, the gunner uses an OP5-38-D telescopic sight.

Ammunition

  1. 152-EOF, which means "high-explosive" with a maximum range of 18 kilometres (11 mi)
  2. 152-EOFd, which means "high-explosive long-range" with a maximum range of 20 kilometres (12 mi)
  3. 152-EPrSv, which means "high-explosive anti-tank" used for direct-fire at armored targets

General characteristics

  • Length: 10.5 m (34 ft)
  • Width: 2.8 m (9 ft)
  • Height: 2.6 m (8.53 ft)
  • Weight: 23,000 kg (50,706 lb)
  • Performance:
    • Maximum Road Speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
    • Range: 600 km (373 mi)
    • Rate of Fire: 3 rpm for 30 minutes
    • Maximum Gun Range: 28 km (17 mi)
    • Fording: 1.4 m (4.59 ft)
    • Vertical Obstacle: 1.5 m (5 ft)
    • Trench: 1.4 m (4.59 ft)
  • Crew: 4 to 5
  • Armament:
    • Primary: 152 mm gun-howitzer, length: 5,580 mm (37 calibers)
    • Secondary: 12.7 mm DShK
  • Elevation: -4° to +70°
  • Traverse: ±45°
  • Powerplant: one V12 air-cooled diesel Tatra T2-939-34 engine delivering 345 horsepower (257.27 kW)

Variants

Variant Image Year Crew Calibre Maximum range Rate of fire Chassis Users Notes
Czechoslovak variants
DANA 125px 1979 5 152.4 mm (6 in)
37 calibers 		18.7 km (11.6 mi)
25.5 km (15.8 mi) (DN1CZ shells) 		5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, up to 60 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T2-930-34 253.7 kW (340.2 hp) 		 Czech Republic
 Georgia
 Poland
 Ukraine
Former operators:
 Czechoslovakia
 Slovakia
 Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
 Soviet Union
ONDAVA 125px Late 1980s 4 152.4 mm (6 in)
47 calibers 		32 km (20 mi) 6 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, 40 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp) 		Prototype only. [3]
Slovak development
MODAN 1999 4 152.4 mm (6 in)
42 calibers 		20 km (12 mi) 5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, 60 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp) 		Former:
 Slovakia 		[4]
vz. 2000 Zuzana 125px 1998 4 155 mm (6 in)
45 calibers 		39 km (24 mi) 5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, 40 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp) 		 Slovakia
 Cyprus 		[5]
A40 Himalaya 4 155 mm (6 in)
45 calibers 		39 km (24 mi) 5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, 40 in total 		T-72 tank chassis
V-46 engine 573 kW (768 hp) 		Prototype only [6]
Zuzana 2 125px 2019 4 155 mm (6 in)
52,9 calibers 		41 km (25 mi)
51.5 km (32.0 mi) (VLAP shells) 		5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
40 rounds carried 		Tatra 817 8×8
V8 engine Tatra T3D-928-70 325 kW (436 hp) 		 Slovakia
 Ukraine 		[7]
Czech development
DANA M1 125px 2011 5 152.4 mm (6 in)
37 calibers 		18.7 km (11.6 mi)
25.5 km (15.8 mi) (DN1CZ shells) 		5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, up to 60 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52M 265 kW (355 hp) 		 Azerbaijan [8]
DANA M2 125px 2018 2 minimum (+1) 152.4 mm (6 in)
37 calibers 		18.7 km (11.6 mi)
25.5 km (15.8 mi) (DN1CZ shells) 		5 rounds per minute
2 rounds per minute in manual mode
36 rounds carried in autoloader, up to 60 in total 		Tatra 815 8×8
V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52M 265 kW (355 hp) 		 Poland
 Ukraine 		[9]
DITA 125px 2021 2 minimum (+1) 155 mm (6 in)
45 calibers 		39 km (24 mi) (HE BB shell) 6 rounds per minute (including Multiple round simultaneous impact)
40 rounds carried in autoloader 		Tatra 817 8×8
V8 engine Tatra T3D-928-90 300 kW (400 hp) 		 Ukraine[10]
 Azerbaijan[11] 		[12]
MORANA 125px 2022 3 155 mm (6 in)
52 calibers 		Indirect fire: 41.5 km (25.8 mi) (HE BB shell)
Direct fire: 5 km (3.1 mi)[13] 		6 rounds per minute (including Multiple round simultaneous impact)[13]
45 rounds carried in autoloader 		Tatra 817 wide-body 8×8
I6 engine Cummins ISX 447 kW (599 hp)
STANAG Level 2 Armor protection[13] 		 Latvia[14] [15][16]

Combat history

Polish artillery supporting Polish, U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan

Used by Georgia against Russia during the Russo-Georgian War. Two Georgian DANAs were destroyed and three or four captured in 2008.[17]


Used by Azerbaijan in the Second Nagorno-Karbakh War against Armenia.[18]

Used by Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine after an unknown number of 152 mm SpGH DANA M2 and 152 mm SpGH DANA vz. 77 were supplied by the Czech Republic in 2022.[19][20]

Operators

  Current operators
  Former operators (as part of the Soviet Union)
  Former operators

Current operators

  •  Azerbaijan – 36 DANA M1.[21][22][23]
  •  Czech Republic – 164 vz. 77 (to 1 July 2008) of original 273.
  •  Cyprus – 12 M2000G Zuzana via Greece.
  •  Poland – 111 vz. 77[24]
  •  Slovakia – 135 vz. 77 and 16 vz. 2000 Zuzana.
  •  Georgia – 47 vz. 77 delivered by the Czech Republic from 2004.
  •  Ukraine
    • DANA vz. 77
    • DANA M2:
    • Zuzana 2: (24)
      • Slovak Ministry of Defence announced the donation of eight Zuzana 2 in May 2022, with delivery being completed in January 2023.[26][27]
      • Germany, Norway and Denmark agreed to purchase further 16 Zuzana 2 for delivery to Ukraine in 2022.[28]
    • DITA: (15)
      • Netherlands financed the purchase of nine DITA for Ukraine on February 2024, all of which were delivered in summer of 2024.
      • Another six DITA have been purchased by Netherlands on behalf of Ukraine in October of the same year.[29][30]

Future operators

  •  Azerbaijan – 70 DITA ordered in May 2024 to Excalibur Army.[31]
  •  Latvia – 18 MORANA ordered in September 2026.[14]

Former operators

  •  Czechoslovakia – 408, passed on to successor states the  Czech Republic and  Slovakia
  •  Libya – 80 delivered in the 1980s.[32] All had been retired in the 1990s.[33]
  •  Soviet Union[34] – 150 delivered by Czechoslovakia between 1986 and 1990.[35]

Comparable weapons

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Haskew, Michael E. (1 October 2010) (in en). Postwar armored fighting vehicles: 1945-present. Amber Books Ltd. pp. 34. ISBN 978-1907446221. 
  2. ↑ "SpGH DANA (ZUZANA) 8x8 Wheeled Self-Propelled Gun (SPG)". 17 May 2022. https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=435. 
  3. ↑ "Ondava (152mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 18 May 2005. https://www.valka.cz/CZK-Ondava-152mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t30031. 
  4. ↑ "vz. 77/99 MODAN (152mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 23 November 2015. https://www.valka.cz/SVK-vz-77-99-MODAN-152mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t8783. 
  5. ↑ "vz. 2000 Zuzana (155mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 28 June 2015. https://www.valka.cz/SVK-vz-2000-Zuzana-155mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t8777. 
  6. ↑ "Zuzana A 40 Himalaya (155mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 23 November 2015. https://www.valka.cz/SVK-Zuzana-A-40-Himalaya-155mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t13002. 
  7. ↑ "ZUZANA 2 (155mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 11 June 2016. https://www.valka.cz/SVK-ZUZANA-2-155mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t192086. 
  8. ↑ "DANA-M1M (152mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 30 August 2016. https://www.valka.cz/CZE-DANA-M1M-152mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t193963. 
  9. ↑ "DANA-M2 (152mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 24 June 2018. https://www.valka.cz/CZE-DANA-M2-152mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t205936. 
  10. ↑ "Generaal Eichelsheim bezoekt aan Oekraïne leverende wapenfabrikanten in Tsjechië - Nieuwsbericht - Defensie.nl". 27 February 2024. https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2024/02/27/generaal-eichelsheim-bezoekt-aan-oekraine-leverende-wapenfabrikanten-in-tsjechie. 
  11. ↑ "Czech company Excalibur Army Set to Deliver Over 70 155mm DITA Self-Propelled Howitzers to Azerbaijan". 6 May 2024. https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/army-news-2024/czech-company-excalibur-army-set-to-deliver-over-70-155mm-dita-self-propelled-howitzers-to-azerbaijan. 
  12. ↑ "DITA (155mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 20 January 2021. https://www.valka.cz/CZE-DITA-155mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t238624. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Visingr, Lukáš (26 January 2023). "Houfnice Morana". Střelecká revue 2 (2023): 54. http://www.streleckarevue.cz/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/54-morana.pdf. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Latvia to buy Czech artillery system instead of original Swedish option" (in en). 18 September 2026. https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/defence/18.09.2026-latvia-to-buy-czech-artillery-system-instead-of-original-swedish-option.a663716/. 
  15. ↑ "MORANA (155mm samohybná kanónová houfnice)". 11 August 2023. https://www.valka.cz/CZE-MORANA-155mm-samohybna-kanonova-houfnice-t254363. 
  16. ↑ "EA ! Samohybná houfnice MORANA". https://morana.excaliburarmy.cz/cs. 
  17. ↑ Tanks 2010, p. 110.
  18. ↑ "Náboženství stranou, v Karabachu zabíjejí i české a izraelské zbraně". Seznam Zprávy. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/nabozenstvi-stranou-v-karabachu-zabijeji-i-ceske-a-izraelske-zbrane-124052. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "САУ Dana-M2, яку тестували в Україні, вже нищить рашистів у руках ЗСУ" (in uk). https://defence-ua.com/news/sau_dana_m2_jaku_testuvali_v_ukrajini_vzhe_nischit_rashistiv_u_rukah_zsu-6990.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Vojenská pomoc Ukrajině – Na Ukrajinu odjely i houfnice Dana a raketomety RM-70 Grad" (in cs). April 14, 2022. https://www.echo24.cz/a/SFSvX/dalsi-ceska-stopa-na-ukrajinu-odjely-i-houfnice-dana-a-raketomety-rm-70-grad. 
  21. ↑ "Czech Dana M1 152mm 8×8 howitzers RM-70 Vampir MLRS in service with Azerbaijan army.". 21 September 2017. https://www.armyrecognition.com/september_2017_global_defense_security_news_industry/czech_dana_m1_152mm_8x8_howitzers_rm-70_vampir_mlrs_in_service_with_azerbaijan_army.html. 
  22. ↑ Nakra, Daksh (21 September 2017). "Exercise reveals Azerbaijani Army Dana SPH and RM-70 MRL". Janes Information Services. http://www.janes.com/article/74290/. 
  23. ↑ "Trade Registers". https://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/trade_register.php. 
  24. ↑ "Wojsko Polskie – Uzbrojenie". http://www.militarium.net/wojsko_polskie/uzbrojenie.php. 
  25. ↑ "Ukrajina nakoupí 26 českých samohybných houfnic DANA" (in cs). https://www.armadninoviny.cz/ukrajina-nakoupi-26-ceskych-samohybnych-houfnic-dana.html. 
  26. ↑ "Ukrajina si od Slovenska prevzala poslednú ôsmu húfnicu Zuzana 2" (in sk). 2023-01-16. https://www.ta3.com/clanok/256421/ukrajina-si-od-slovenska-prevzala-poslednu-osmu-hufnicu-zuzana-2. 
  27. ↑ "Słowacja przekaże Ukrainie nowoczesną artylerię" (in pl). 30 May 2022. https://defence24.pl/polityka-obronna/slowacja-przekaze-ukrainie-nowoczesna-artylerie. 
  28. ↑ "Slovakia transfers two Zuzana 2 howitzers to Ukraine 'for Putin's birthday'". https://news.yahoo.com/slovakia-transfers-two-zuzana-2-102000303.html. 
  29. ↑ "Generaal Eichelsheim bezoekt aan Oekraïne leverende wapenfabrikanten in Tsjechië". 27 February 2024. https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2024/02/27/generaal-eichelsheim-bezoekt-aan-oekraine-leverende-wapenfabrikanten-in-tsjechie. 
  30. ↑ "Netherlands Acquires Six DITA Howitzers for Ukraine’s Defense" (in en-UK). 17 October 2024. https://mil.in.ua/en/news/netherlands-acquires-six-dita-howitzers-for-ukraine-s-defense/. 
  31. ↑ "Excalibur Army will supply Azerbaijan with more than 70 units of the 155/52 mm self-propelled gun "Zuzana-2" of Slovak production" (in en). 2024-05-08. https://vpk.name/en/860427_excalibur-army-will-supply-azerbaaijan-with-more-than-70-units-of-the-15552-mm-self-propelled-gun-zuzana-2-of-slovak-production.html. 
  32. ↑ Cooper, Grandolini & Delalande 2016, p. 13.
  33. ↑ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (3 January 2023). "Gaddafi's Massive Artillery Force That Kept On Fighting A Year After His Death". https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/12/gaddafis-massive-artillery-force-that.html. 
  34. ↑ International Institute for Strategic Studies 1991, p. 37.
  35. ↑ "Arms transfers database". https://armstransfers.sipri.org/ArmsTransfer/TransferData/transferDetail?entityId=1222358. 

Publications

"Self-propelled Howitzers: Self-propelled howitzer class artillery guns with 122, 152 and 155 mm calibre available". https://www.excaliburarmy.cz/self-propelled-howitzers-p5. 



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