| Vz. 77 DANA | |
| Is Ranged: | yes |
| Is Artillery: | yes |
| Is Vehicle: | yes |
| Service: | 1981–present |
| Manufacturer: | ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom (SK) Excalibur Army (CZ) |
| Production Date: | 1980–present |
| Number: | 750+ |
| Weight: | 29.25t |
| Length: | 11.156m (36.601feet) |
| Width: | 3m (10feet) |
| Height: | 3.63m (11.91feet) (with AAMG) |
| Crew: | 5 |
| Caliber: | 152.40NaN0 |
| Barrels: | 5580mm |
| Velocity: | 693m/s (HE) |
| Range: | 18.7km (11.6miles) |
| Max Range: | 20km (10miles) |
| Elevation: | -4° to +70° |
| Traverse: | ±220° |
| Primary Armament: | 152 mm howitzer (approx. 36.6 calibre) (60 rounds) |
| Secondary Armament: | 12.7 mm DShK (2,000 rounds) |
| Engine: | Tatra T2-930-34 |
| Engine Power: | 253.7kW |
| Clearance: | 0.41m (01.35feet) |
| Vehicle Range: | 600km (400miles) |
| Speed: | 80km/h |
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. Currently it is in service with the Czech Republic, Libya, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, and Ukraine.
Compared to tracked vehicles, wheeled vehicles have the advantages of being cheaper to build and easier to maintain with greater mobility. Tire pressure can be regulated to allow good mobility off-road and there is power-assisted steering on the front four wheels. It lowers 3 hydraulic stabilizers into the ground before firing, and has a roof-mounted crane to assist with ammunition loading.
The crew of the DANA consists of a driver (who operates the hydraulic stabilizers), 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 computerized automatic fire control, allowing reduction of crew to as few as only 2 persons.
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.
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 mechanized 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.
As of 2014, there are three main shell types used by Czech Army:
| Variant | Image | Year | Crew | Calibre | Maximum range | Rate of fire | Chassis | Users | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czechoslovak variants | ||||||||||
| DANA | 1979 | 5 | 152.40NaN0----37 calibers | 18.7km (11.6miles) 25.5km (15.8miles) (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 T2-930-34 253.7kW | ----Former operators: | |||
| ONDAVA | Late 1980s | 4 | 152.40NaN0----47 calibers | 32km (20miles) | 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 265kW | Prototype only. | [1] | ||
| Slovak development | ||||||||||
| MODAN | 1999 | 4 | 152.40NaN0----42 calibers | 20km (10miles) | 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 265kW | Former: | [2] | ||
| M2000 Zuzana | 1998 | 4 | 1550NaN0----45 calibers | 39km (24miles) | 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 265kW | [3] | |||
| A40 Himalaya | 4 | 1550NaN0----45 calibers | 39km (24miles) | 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 573kW | Prototype only | [4] | |||
| Zuzana 2 | 2019 | 4 | 1550NaN0----52,9 calibers | 41km (25miles) 51.5km (32miles) (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 325kW | [5] | |||
| Czech development | ||||||||||
| DANA M1 | 2011 | 5 | 152.40NaN0----37 calibers | 18.7km (11.6miles) 25.5km (15.8miles) (DN1CZ shells) | 5 rounds per minute 2 rounds per minute in manual mode---- 36 rounds carried in autoloaderl, up to 60 in total | Tatra 815 8x8 V12 engine Tatra T3-930-52M 265kW | [6] | |||
| DANA M2 | 2018 | 2 minimum (+1) | 152.40NaN0----37 calibers | 18.7km (11.6miles) 25.5km (15.8miles) (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 265kW | [7] | |||
| DITA | 2021 | 2 minimum (+1) | 1550NaN0----45 calibers | 39km (24miles) (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 300kW | [8] [9] | [10] | ||
| MORANA | 2022 | 3 | 1550NaN0----52 calibers | Indirect fire: 41.5km (25.8miles) (HE BB shell)----Direct fire: 5km (03miles) | 6 rounds per minute (including Multiple round simultaneous impact)---- 45 rounds carried in autoloader | Tatra 817 wide-body 8x8 I6 engine Cummins ISX 447kW STANAG Level 2 Armor protection[11] | Prototype only. | [12] [13] | ||
Used by Georgia against Russia during the Russo-Georgian War. Two Georgian DANAs were destroyed and three or four captured in 2008.
Used by Poland during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Five Polish DANAs had been used in Afghanistan in Ghazni Province since 2008.
Used by Azerbaijan in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war against Armenia.[14]
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.[15] [16]
Azerbaijan – 70 DITA ordered in May 2024 to Excalibur Army [26]
Libya – 80 delivered in the 1980s.[27] Retired in the 1990s.[28]Web site: Self-propelled Howitzers: Self-propelled howitzer class artillery guns with 122, 152 and 155 mm calibre available . Excalibur Army.