ZUZANA (gun)

ZUZANA
	A ZUZANA in 2019
General properties
crew	4 (commander, driver, gunner)
length	12.97 m ; 11.405 m (on T-72 chassis)
width	3,015 m ; 3,6 m (on T-72 chassis)
height	3.3 m (gun parallel to the ground)
Dimensions	28.45 tons; 42.6 t (on T-72 chassis)
	Armor and armament
Armor	Armored steel, on the T-72 with composite and / or reactive armor
Main armament	1 × 155 mm L / 45 howitzer with 40 rounds
Secondary armament	1 × 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun
agility
drive	Tatra diesel engine 3-930.52 with 12 cylinders ; 265 kW at 2,200 rpm
suspension	; Torsion bar springs or leaf springs or torsion bar (T-72 chassis)
Top speed	80 km / h (road) ; 60 km / h (T-72 chassis, road)
Power / weight
Range	750 km ; 480 km

The ZUZANA is a howitzer of Slovak origin on an armored wheel chassis . The self-propelled gun was developed in the 1990s on the basis of the Czechoslovakian DANA .

History of origin

After Slovakia gained independence in 1993, the Slovak Armed Forces took over several DANA 152 mm armored howitzers from the holdings of the Czechoslovak Army . The DANA is based on the chassis of the Czech 8 × 8 truck Tatra 815 , which is internationally known due to its off-road capabilities. Even before Slovakia joined NATO , the Slovak Ministry of Defense demanded extensive modernization of the DANAs in service, which should be converted to the NATO standard caliber 155 mm. This allows all types of 155mm NATO ammunition to be fired. The development work was carried out by the company “KONŠTRUKTA-Defense” based in Trenčín , the production was carried out by “ZTS - ŠPECIÁL, as” in Dubnica nad Váhom . In 1998 the development work was largely completed and the first examples were delivered to the Slovak army.

Base vehicle

The weapon superstructures are located on the all-wheel drive chassis (8 × 8) of the Tatra 815 VP31 29 265 type . All wheels are equipped with permanent all-wheel drive and a central tire pressure control system. The air-cooled V12 diesel engine T3-930-52 with turbocharger and direct injection produces an output of 265 kW at 2200 rpm. This enables him to accelerate the armored howitzer to a top speed of 80 km / h on the road. The maximum driving range is 750 km. The driver's cab is located in the front part of the vehicle. The center section of the vehicle contains retractable hydraulic supports that must be lowered before the main gun can be used.

Weapons installation and fire fighting

ZUZANA gun turret

The barrel is a 155 mm multi-draw barrel L / 45 with 45 caliber lengths and a slot muzzle brake . Manufactured according to the NATO ballistic agreement, all types of 155 mm NATO ammunition can be fired. An automatic loading system feeds the projectiles and places them in the barrel with propellant charges. There are 40 projectiles and 40 propellant charges in the magazine. The rate of fire is 5 rounds per minute, 6 rounds in the first minute. With a longer application of fire, the rate of fire is minimized by the thermal load. The maximum firing range is 39.6 km with ERFB-BB bullets. The straightening and swiveling is done electrically. The elevation range of the weapon is −3.5 ° to + 70 °. During the march, the pipe is fixed in a lashing fork on the front of the vehicle above the cab. Hydraulic stabilizers are deployed to fire, giving the vehicle additional stability. According to the manufacturer, the howitzer in the "ZUZANA 2" version is able to fire using the so-called MRSI method ( Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact , in German for 'several shots, simultaneous impact'). This means that the gun fires up to six rounds that hit the target at the same time. This effect is achieved through different heights of the pipe, which cause different flight times. Shooting in this case begins with a large elevation of the tube and is gradually lowered to a lower one. For self-defense against threats at close range, the main weapon can be used in direct aiming. In duel situations, however, the wheeled howitzer is clearly inferior to battle tanks, since it is not able to conduct fire fighting while moving. A machine gun is mounted as secondary armament , which varies depending on the user state. For self-protection, a smoke launch system with 2 × 3 throwing cups is mounted on the front of the tower next to the weapon cradle.

variants

Original version of the Zuzana in 2004

ZUZANA : Original version adopted by the Slovak Army in 1998.
ZUZANA 2 : Fundamentally modernized version, which was first presented in 2011 at the International Exhibition of Defense and Security Technologies (IDET) in Brno . The Zuzana 2 is equipped with a new 155 mm howitzer with 45 caliber lengths , which has better shooting properties. The turret is now fully rotatable and the operability of the main weapon has been optimized so that the crew could be reduced to three men. This version should be MRSI-capable.
HIMALAYA : In the 1990s, the turret was mounted on a T-72 chassis. The HIMALAYA version did not leave the test stage, it was not put into service.