DANA (weapon)
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The DANA (ShKH-77 - samohybná kanónová houfnice vz. 77 - self-propelled gun howitzer mk. 1977) was designed and built by former Czechoslovakia as the first wheeled 152 mm self-propelled artillery gun to enter service was introduced in the 1970s. It is based on the 8x8 Tatra 815 truck, the best off-road truck at the time. Currently it is in service with the Czech Republic, Libya, Poland, Russia, Georgia and Slovakia.
Wheeled vehicles have the advantage of being cheaper to build and easier to maintain with greater strategic mobility. Tyre 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 to be lowered into the ground before firing and has a roof mounted crane to assist with ammunition loading.
The crew of the DANA consists of the driver and commander sitting in the front cabin, the gunner and loader operator are on the left side of the turret, the ammo handler is on the right side turret.
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[edit] Development history
The DANA was designed in the 1970s to fill the role of an indirect fire support weapon without buying the Soviet 2S3 Akatsiya self propelled artillery. It is a 152 mm gun mounted on an 8x8 Tatra 815 truck. It was a significant departure from traditional self-propelled guns as it used a wheeled carriage. It was accepted for service in 1981 and by 1994 over 750 units had been built. It was further developed with the addition of the 155 mm gun and mounted on a T-72 chassis.
[edit] General characteristics
- Length: 10.5 m
- Width: 2.8 m
- Height: 2.6 m
- Weight: 23,000 kg
- Performance:
- Maximum Road Speed: 80 km/h
- Range: 600 km
- Rate of Fire: 3 rpm for 30 minutes
- Maximum Gun Range: 18 km
- Fording: 1.4 m
- Vertical Obstacle: 1.5 mm
- Trench: 1.4 m
- Crew: 4 to 5
- Armament:
- Primary: One 152 mm Gun
- Secondary: 12.7 mm MG
- Elevation: -4° to +70°
- Traverse: ±45°
- Powerplant: one V-12 air cooled diesel Tatra T930-34 engine delievering 345 horsepower
[edit] Variants
[edit] 155 mm ShKH Zuzana
The ShKH Zuzana is mounted with a 155 mm gun to stick to NATO standards. First adopted by the Slovak Army in 1998 the Slovak Army currently possesses 16 such units with plans to adopt more by 2010.
[edit] References
152 mm ShKH Dana vz.77. GlobalSecurity.Org. Retrieved on May 27, 2006.
- Hogg, Ian (2000). Twentieth-Century Artillery. Friedman/Fairfax Publishers. ISBN 1-58663-299-X
