The DANA is one of the prides of the former Czechoslovakian defence industry.
Even though it is now over 40 years old this wheeled self-propelled gun-howitzer and its
derivatives continue to fight in recent conflicts successfully.
Today, we are investigating the DANA, a revolutionary artillery system that has opened a new era.
The DANA takes its name from the initials of the Czech words, "Dělo Automobilní Nabíjené
Automaticky", which means "gun motor vehicle loaded automatically".
But, we think the most meaningful translation is "automatically-loaded self-propelled gun".
Especially after the 1990s, many upgraded variants of self-propelled gun-howitzer, or
shortly SPGH, have been introduced with different names.
So, "DANA" now refers to the parental name of an artillery system family rather than
a single vehicle.
In the early decades of the First Cold War, unlike the Western Bloc, the Eastern Bloc
had not prioritized self-propelled artillery.
This situation changed in the late 1960s, and the USSR introduced the 122mm 2S1 and
152mm 2S3 in the early 1970s.
Like their Western counterparts, they were tracked vehicles.
Other Warsaw Pact members immediately complied with this transformation and began to adopt
the Gvozdikas and Akatsiyas.
But Prag thought differently.
In 1969, Czechoslovakian defence company Konštrukta Trenčín began a study to develop an indigenous
wheeled self-propelled artillery based on the 8x8 Tatra 815 truck.
Since the First World War, the armies had preferred tracked self-propelled artillery
vehicles because they had to follow the tanks on the open field.
However, the highway networks in Europe became significantly widespread in the late 1960s.
Wheeled vehicles could efficiently serve in possible operational areas of the possible
Third World War.
Unlike the tracked counterparts, since they did not damage the motorways, they did not
require tank transporters.
Also, wheeled vehicles had relatively low manufacturing and running costs, and since
they had lower fuel consumption, they had a higher range.
So, Czechoslovakia approved the project in 1970, and Konštrukta Trenčín produced two
prototypes in 1972 and 1973.
Company tests continued by 1974, and the Czechoslovak People's Army trials began.
In 1977, Czechoslovakia decided to acquire the new SPGH called DANA.
So, its army designation of DANA was "152mm Samohybná Kanónová Húfnica vzor 77", or
shortly "152mm ShKH vz. 77" meaning 152mm self-propelled gun-howitzer model 77.
The ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom was tasked with serial production.
By entering the service of the Czechoslovak People's Army in 1980, the DANA became the
first operational wheeled SPGH.
The DANA was developed at the same time as the South African G6.
However, these two programmes were completely separate from each other.
South Africa designed the G6 for long-range raids in savannah.
The Czechoslovaks developed the DANA as an SPGH that could use highways in a full-scale
war.
Being a wheeled SPGH was not the only feature which made the DANA revolutionary.
The SPGH had an automatic loader, which increased the rate of fire.
In fact, the Swedish Bandkanon 1 was the first with this feature.
But, its magazine-type autoloader holds single-piece rounds.
The automatic loader of the DANA loaded the projectile and the charges separately.
This design has been adapted to many modern SPHs later.
The driver and commander are seated at the front of the vehicle.
Both have a windscreen covered with a shutter with two vision blocks during the action.
There is also a vision block on the sides of the front cabin for the driver and commander.
The left cabin of the turret houses the gunner and loader operator.
The ammunition handler is in the right cabin and manually sets the fuzes of the projectiles.
The welded steel armour of the SPGH protects against small arms fire and shell splinters.
The SPGH can fight in the NBC environment.
The DANA has good cross-country mobility thanks to its 8x8 drive and central tire inflation
system.
The driver can adjust the tyre pressure when the vehicle is on the move.
Power steering is provided for the four front wheels.
The DANA carries 40 rounds as standard.
In this case, the combat weight of the SPGH is 28,100 kilograms.
But on demand, it can carry 60 rounds, in which case the maximum road speed decreases
to 70 kilometres per hour since the combat weight increased to 29,250 kilograms.
The range of wheeled DANA is 740 kilometres with 500 litres of fuel.
On the other hand, the Soviet counterpart of the DANA, the tracked 2S3, could travel
only 500 kilometres with its 850-litre fuel capacity.
The DANA becomes ready to fire within 2 minutes after stopping and can leave its firing position
within 1 minute.
During the firing, to stabilize the SPGH, three hydraulic jacks, one at the rear and
one on either side between the second and third roadwheels, are lowered to the ground
by the driver.
The 152mm gun is mounted in the aisle between two separate cabins of the turret.
Since it is outside the turret, the necessity of the fume extractor is eliminated.
The gun has a horizontal wedge-type breech mechanism.
The empty cartridge cases are ejected as the breech opens, and the cartridge cases are
then removed using a moving belt.
The gun can be loaded at all angles of elevation.
The gunner can select either single shots or fully automatic fire.
If the autoloader fails, the gun can be loaded manually.
But, in this case, the rate of fire reduces to 2 rounds per minute.
The DANA has direct-fire capability thanks to its OP 5-38-D sight.
The crew of the DANA is five-person.
The SPGH is 11.16 metres long, 3 metres wide, and 2.85 metres high.
Its combat weight is 29,250 kilograms.
The 345-horsepower Tatra 2-939-34 air-cooled diesel engine provides a maximum speed of
80 kilometres per hour.
The range of the vehicle is 740 kilometres.
The DANA can negotiate 0.6-metre vertical steps, 2-metre trenches, and it can be ford
to a depth of 1.4 metres.
The 152mm 37 calibre gun has a range of 18,700 metres with a standard projectile and 25,500
metres with an Extended Range Full-Bore-Base Bleed projectile.
The standard rate of fire is five rounds per minute, while its sustained rate of fire is
30 rounds in 7 minutes.
The elevation of the gun is between -4 and +70 degrees.
The barrel can be traversed at 225 degrees on both sides.
A 12,7mm machine gun can be fitted over the handler's position.
Over time, Czechia and Slovakia, the successor states of Czechoslovakia, have developed updated
variants of the DANA.
First, we will look at the Czech models.
The Ondava was fitted with a 152mm 47 calibre gun, which enabled a maximum range of 32,000
metres.
It also had the 355-horsepower Tatra T3-930-52 diesel engine.
But, the Ondava never passed the prototype stage.
The Czech Excalibur Army company introduced the DANA-M1 modernization in the late 2010s.
This variant has the modernized 355-horsepower T3-930-52M engine with a new turbocharger
and compressed air intercooler.
It is also fitted with an advanced fire control system.
The reconfigured front cabin of the DANA-M1 has four big bulletproof glasses and increased
crew comfort.
Although Czechia was not interested in the DANA-M1, Azerbaijan has adopted this variant.
In addition to the original modernization package, the Azerbaijani DANA-M1Ms have Elbit-made
auxiliary power unit, communication and command equipment, a driver's night vision camera
and a fire control system.
Poland and Ukraine have preferred the DANA-M2 modernization.
Thanks to its advanced computerized automatic fire control system, this variant can be operated
by a two-person crew.
Poland chose the DANA-M2 due to the delay on the Kryl truck-mounted howitzer programme
developed based on the Israeli ATMOS 2000.
Between 2003 and 2010, the Polish DANAs had already been fitted with the TOPAZ artillery
fire control system, which are redesignated as DANA-T.
Since the DANA-M2 modernization kept the original short-range 152mm L37 gun, the DANA M2 acquisition
caused some debates in the Ukrainian Parliament.
The latest DITA variant of Excalibur Army has a new turret with a 155mm 45 calibre gun
with a range of 39,000 metres.
The vehicle is fitted with the 400-horsepower Tatra T3D-928-90 engine.
Currently, no order has been given for the DITA.
Development wors on the Zuzana began in 1992.
But one year later, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the two sovereign states, and ZTS
Dubnica nad Váhom became a Slovakian company.
The Zuzana was developed based on the Ondava.
But differently, it has a 155mm 45 calibre gun.
The Ground Forces of the Slovak Republic took the Zuzana into service in 1998, which made
it the first member of the former Warsaw Pact to adopt the NATO 155mm SPGH.
The gun has a new breech mechanism and is fitted with a double-baffle muzzle brake with
no fume extractor.
The Zuzana has a computerised fire-control system, a land navigation system and a sight
with automatic levelling.
Its firing range is 39,600 metres.
The turret of the Zuzana was also fitted on the T-72 hull.
This variant, called A40 Himalaya, was developed for the Indian SPH tender, but it failed.
The MODAN variant had a 152mm 42 calibre gun.
It had a computer control system compatible with one used in Zuzana.
Since ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom was bankrupt, KONŠTRUKTA-Defence has continued development
efforts for new variants of the Zuzana.
The company introduced the Zuzana XA-1 with redesigned forward cabin in 2002.
It was based on the 8x8 Tatra 817 truck, instead of the Tatra 815.
Even though this variant never passed the prototype stage, it became the base vehicle
for the Zuzana 2.
The Zuzana 2 has a new 155mm 52 calibre gun and a 360-degree traversable turret.
The SPGH is fitted with the 436-horsepower Tatra T3D-928-70 diesel engine.
Slovakia acquired 25 Zuzana 2s between 2021 and 2022.
The SPGH can fire V-LAP munition with a range of 51,500 metres thanks to its new gun.
It has multiple rounds simultaneous impact capability.
In addition to Slovakia, Ukraine also selected the Zuzana 2.
Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Czechia, Georgia, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine are the current users
of the DANA and its derivatives.
Czechoslovakia, Libya and the USSR are the former users.
The Soviet Army quickly realized the advantages of a wheeled SPGH when the DANA was introduced.
But, the USSR did not want to acquire it due to its short-firing range and began to develop
an indigenous system based on the KrAZ CHR 3130 8x8 truck.
But later, this programme failed, and the Soviet Army took 126 DANAs into the service
to use in the Central Group of Forces.
When the Warsaw Pact was disbanded in 1991, all SPGHs were redeployed to Kazakhstan.
But a few months later, the USSR was also dissolute, and the newly established Armed
Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan did not want to keep the DANAs.
So, they were sent to Georgia.
Greece acquired 12 Zunanas from Slovakia and then gave them to Cyprus.
The DANA was baptised with fire during the Chadian-Libyan War.
They also fought during the civil wars in Libya.
Georgia used its DANAs against Russia during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.
The Russian Army destroyed two of them and captured another two.
Poland deployed five DANAs in Afghanistan.
They successfully performed many fire support missions.
Azerbaijan used its DANA M1Ms in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.
One DANA M1M was captured by the Armenian forces.
The Ukrainian DANAs, DANA M2s and Zuzana 2s are currently fighting against the Russian
invasion.
One Ukrainian Zuzana 2 was destroyed by a Russian Lancet loitering munition.
Even though Czechia, one of the origin countries, has decided to replace its DANAs with the
CAESAR, this over 40-year-old SPGH and its derivatives continue to defy time.
The DANA was the pioneer of the wheeled SPGH, and it has changed the concept.
The DANA, the pride of the former Czechoslovakian defence industry, undoubtfully deserves to
be mentioned as a legend.
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