152 mm 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 77). It was designed by Konštrukta Trenčín and built by ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom in the former Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia). Introduced in the 1970s, it was the first wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun to enter service. It is based on a modified eight-wheel drive (8×8) Tatra 815 chassis with excellent cross-country mobility.

Vz. 77 DANA
ShKH vz. 77 of Czech Army during a military exercise, 21 November 2013.
Type	Self-propelled gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
Service history
In service	1981–present
Wars	Chadian–Libyan Conflict War in Afghanistan Russo-Georgian War Libyan Civil War 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Russo-Ukrainian War
Production history
Designer	Konštrukta Trenčín
Designed	1976 (1976)
Manufacturer	ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom (SK) Excalibur Army (CZ)
Produced	1980–present
No. built	750+
Specifications
Mass	29.25 t (32.24 short tons)
Length	11.156 m (36 ft 7.2 in)
Width	3 m (9 ft 10 in)
Height	3.63 m (11 ft 11 in) (with AAMG)
Crew	5
Shell	HE, HEAT
Shell weight	43.5 kg (96 lb) (HE) 27.4 kg (60 lb) (HEAT)
Caliber	152.4 mm (6 in)
Barrels	5,580 mm (18 ft 4 in)
Breech	Semi-automatic, vertical sliding-wedge
Elevation	-4° to +70°
Traverse	±220°
Rate of fire	4 rpm (semi-automatic) 2 rpm (manual)
Muzzle velocity	693 m/s (2,274 ft/s) (HE)
Effective firing range	18.7 km (11.6 mi)
Maximum firing range	20 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)
Engine	Tatra T2-930-34 253.7 kW (340.2 hp)
Ground clearance	0.41 m (1 ft 4 in)
Operational range	600 km (370 mi)
Maximum speed	80 km/h (50 mph)

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 tyre inflation system (CTIS) 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.

Original DANA had manual fire control and automatic reloader. The latest version, DANA M2, also has computerised automatic fire control, allowing reduction of crew to as few as only two.^{[citation needed]}

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 SPG. 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 and Libya.^{[citation needed]}

Design

The DANA was a significant departure from contemporary self-propelled guns such as the tracked Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika/2S3 Akatsiya or its Western-made 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 (8x8) 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

As of 2014, there are three main shell types used by Czech Army:^{[citation needed]}

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 machine gun (MG) 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		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 8x8 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		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 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp)	Prototype only.	[1]
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 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp)	Former:  Slovakia	[2]
M2000 Zuzana		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 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52 265 kW (355 hp)	Slovakia  Cyprus	[3]
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	[4]
Zuzana 2		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 8x8 V8 engine Tatra T3D-928-70 325 kW (436 hp)	Slovakia  Ukraine	[5]
Czech development
DANA M1		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 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52M 265 kW (355 hp)	Azerbaijan	[6]
DANA M2		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 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52M 265 kW (355 hp)	Poland  Ukraine	[7]
DITA		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 8x8 V8 engine Tatra T3D-928-90 300 kW (400 hp)	Ukraine[8]  Azerbaijan[9]	[10]
MORANA		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)[11]	6 rounds per minute (including Multiple round simultaneous impact)[11] 45 rounds carried in autoloader	Tatra 817 wide-body 8x8 I6 engine Cummins ISX 447 kW (599 hp) STANAG Level 2 Armor protection[11]	Prototype only.	[12][13]

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.^[14]

Used by Poland during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Five Polish DANAs had been used in Afghanistan in Ghazni Province since 2008.^{[citation needed]}

Used by Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war against Armenia.^[15]

Used by Ukraine during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. An unknown number of 152 mm ShKH DANA M2 and 152 mm ShKH DANA vz. 77 were supplied by the Czech Republic in 2022.^[16][17]

Operators

  Current operators

  Former operators (as part of the Soviet Union)

  Former operators

Current operators

•  Azerbaijan – 36 DANA M1.^[18][19][20]
•  Czech Republic – 164 vz. 77 (to 1 July 2008) of original 273.
•  Cyprus – 12 M2000G Zuzana via Greece.
•  Poland – 111 vz. 77^[21]
•  Slovakia – 135 vz. 77 and 16 M2000 Zuzana.
•  Georgia – 47 vz. 77 delivered by the Czech Republic from 2004.
•  Ukraine
  • DANA vz. 77
    • An unknown number of vz. 77 were supplied by the Czech Republic in 2022.^[16][17]
  • DANA M2:
    • 26 M2 were ordered by Ukraine in 2020.^[22]
    • An unknown number of M2 were supplied by the Czech Republic in 2022.^[16][17]
  • Zuzana 2:
    • Slovak Defense Ministry announced the donation of 8 Zuzana 2 in May 2022, with delivery being completed as of January 2023.^[23][24]
    • Germany, Norway and Denmark agreed to purchase further 16 Zuzana 2 for delivery to Ukraine in 2022.^[25]
  • DITA:
    • Netherlands has financed purchase of 9 DITA SPH for Ukraine in February 2024, all of which has been delivered in summer of 2024.
    • Another 6 DITA have been purchased by Netherlands on behalf of Ukraine in October of the same year.^[26][27]

Future operators

• Azerbaijan – 70 DITA ordered in May 2024 to Excalibur Army ^[28]

Former operators

•  Czechoslovakia – 408, passed on to successor states the  Czech Republic and  Slovakia
• Libya – 80 delivered in the 1980s.^[29] Retired in the 1990s.^[30]
•  Soviet Union^[31] – 150 delivered by Czechoslovakia between 1986 and 1990.^[32]

Comparable weapons

• 155 mm SpGH Zuzana – Slovak 155mm self-propelled gun-howitzer
• 155 mm SpGH EVA – Slovak 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• Archer Artillery System – Swedish 155 mm self-propelled howitzerPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• ATMOS 2000 – Israeli 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• A-222E Bereg-E 130mm coastal mobile artillery system – Russian self-propelled coastal defense gunPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• 2S22 Bohdana – Ukrainian 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• CAESAR self-propelled howitzer – French 155 mm artillery
• G6 Rhino – South African 155 mm self-propelled artilleryPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• AHS Kryl – Polish 155 mm self-propelled wheeled gun-howitzer
• Nora B-52 – Serbian 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-09 – Chinese 122 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-161 – Chinese 122 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PCL-181 – Chinese 155 mm self-propelled howitzer
• PLL-09 – Chinese amphibious wheeled armoured fighting vehicle family
• Type 19 155 mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer – Japanese artillery