Zuzana 155 mm Gun Howitzer is a Slovak artillery system developed by KONŠTRUKTA-Defence, a.s., with a 45-caliber gun and automatic loader for loading of both projectile and charge. It is an evolution of the

152mm SpGH DANA 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 ...

self-propelled howitzer. The gun has a long range high accuracy and high

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

, it can be prepared promptly for firing, and it has a high level of mobility ensured by a modified Tatra 8×8 chassis. The design of the gun means it can use any NATO standard

155 mm 155 mm (6.1 in) is a common, NATO-standard, artillery caliber. It is defined in AOP-29 part 1 with reference to STANAG 4425. It is commonly used in field guns, howitzers, and gun-howitzers. Land warfare The caliber originated in France after ...

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

. The fire control system allows for a multiple-round simultaneous-impact (MRSI) mode. One of the unique features of Zuzana is that the gun is mounted externally in between two totally separated compartments of the turret. This makes the crew inherently safe from any potentially dangerous mechanics of the gun and autoloader plus the crew is protected from the gases generated during firing.

Variants

155 mm ShKH vz. 2000 Zuzana

The original wheeled version adopted by the Slovak Army in 1998.

155 mm ShKH Zuzana 2

Updated version with a new 52-calibre gun, full 360-degree turret traverse and a new armored cab. It has passed Slovak Army trials in December 2009. Slovak army had ordered 25 vehicles (to be delivered in year 2021 and 2022). The new version is claimed to possess Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) capability.

155 mm ShKH Himalaya

1990's adaptation of the original system to a tracked chassis required by export customers. It is essentially a Zuzana turret mounted on a T-72 chassis. The tracked version so far did not achieve orders beyond initial evaluation units and further production is unlikely.

Specifications

Slovak Ground Forces Zuzana 2 first time outside Slovakia (1)

Current operators

* : 16 (plus several development units) + 25 Zuzana 2 ordered * : 12 (version M2000G) * : In April 2022, Ukraine started negotiations to purchase 16 Zuzana units. In May 2022, Slovakia officially announced the transfer of 8 howitzers to Ukraine. As of October 9, 2022, 6 of them have been transferred to Ukraine. Denmark, Germany and Norway have signed an agreement on October 2, 2022 with the manufacturer to purchase 16 Zuzana units to be donated to Ukraine.

References

* * * *{{cite web , work=kotadef.sk , title=ZUZANA MV - Ammunition Re-supply Vehicle , url=http://www.kotadef.sk/uk_04_07.html , accessdate=December 12, 2007 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925225054/http://www.kotadef.sk/uk_04_07.html , archive-date=2008-09-25 , url-status=dead Self-propelled artillery of Slovakia Science and technology in Slovakia 155 mm artillery Wheeled self-propelled howitzers Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s