KT/ZTS SpGH Dana Vz-77
Notes:
A joint development of the former Czechoslovakian firms of Konstrukta
Trencin and ZTS (now both located in Slovakia, though production continues at
Tatra in the Czech Republic). Sales were quick and remain at decent levels; the
Dana is currently used by the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Libya, Poland, and
Georgia. Recently, several Middle
Eastern countries have expressed interest in the Zuzana version, as has Thailand
and Malaysia; Cyprus already uses a dozen Zuzanas.
Three Danas were captured by the Russian Army during its conflict with
Georgia in 2008; they have not been returned, and their fate is unknown.
Production took place from 1981-1994, but now takes place only in lots ordered
by customers. A wheeled chassis, even a heavy chassis like the Dana, is cheaper
to maintain and cheaper to build (or buy), and with modern suspensions, the
mobility hit off-road is not too bad. The Dana has seen combat use in South
Ossetia and Afghanistan.
The Dana
The Dana is an
extensively modified Tatra T-815 Kolos truck chassis with a turret in the center
mounting a 152mm howitzer. Aside
from the turret, the most extensive modification is the fully armored body and
the engine that has been moved to the rear of the vehicle.
The engine for the Dana is a Tatra turbocharged T930-34 253
345-horsepower diesel, with a 7kW APU to power the vehicle’s systems with the
engine turned off. The engine is in
the rear, with the APU below it (cables lead to an outlet to attach external
equipment if necessary). The engine
is a Tatra T2-930-34 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 345 horsepower.
The engine is designed to provide high torque for sloppy terrain and
self-recovery.
The turret is a
“split” turret, split down the center into two compartments by the main gun.
The gun largely occupies the left half of the turret, along with the
gunner and primary loader, along with the gun-laying controls (including direct
fire sights) and the autoloader for the charges, an auxiliary magazine, and the
gun recoil dampeners. The right
side of the turret contains the primary magazine and the secondary loader. The
gunner is on the right side, with a cupola (with no vision blocks) and a pintle
mount for a heavy weapon. The loaders have a hatch on the left side of the
turret, with no vision blocks or weapon.
Each side of the turret also has a hatch large enough for loading of
supplies or ammunition, and a conveyor belt may be hooked up to one or both of
these hatches (though the Dana normally does not carry the conveyor belt).
The front of the right side of the turret also has a similar hatch.
The driver is on the front left side; he has front windows of
bullet-resistant glass, as well as armored shutters with two wide-angle vision
blocks in it. He also has a hatch
above him, one of which can mount a night vision device.
The driver operates the three hydraulic stabilizers, which must be
lowered at the sides and rear before firing the gun. On the left is the
commander’s position; he has a similar arrangement of hatches, windows, and
vision blocks. In addition, there
is a small armored window on each side of the front compartment.
The vehicle commander is seated to the right of the driver, and though he
has a manually-operating cupola with vision blocks and one vision block with a
night channel, he does not have a mounted weapon, being armed only with his
assault rifle. Other crewmembers include two loaders, one of which primarily
fixes the fuzes to the shells before placing them into the autoloader for
firing. (The autoloader was innovative, as it was the first of its type to equip
an SP howitzer, being able to load the gun regardless of gun angle or turret
rotation.) The autoloader has an
emergency manual backup, in which case the autoloader magazine is treated as
merely a bin, with the ammunition manually loaded.
The gun is a
152mm L/37 gun. The turret may be traversed 112.5 degrees to the right and left
of center. The gun has an elevation and depression of +70 and -4 degrees.
The gun has a standard ROF of 4 rpm, though a burst rate may be
maintained for five minutes, generating 8 rpm.
If the autoloaders are out of action or special rounds must be used, ROF
drops to 2 rpm. The primary
magazines each hold 24 rounds, with bins on the turret floor for special rounds
holding six rounds each. The 152mm howitzer in its basic form can fire most
conventional 152mm rounds; improvements have given the Dana the ability to fire
Krasnopol laser-guided projectiles. The gunner has a Czech version of the NSVT
machinegun on a fully flexible pintle mount.
Crew equipment includes 5 short-barreled assault rifles with 600 rounds
and five RPG-75 rocket launchers (these are not included in the stats below);
there are stowage points in the turret and the driver’s/commander’s position for
them.
A small tunnel
allows access from the front compartment to the turret, as long as the turret is
facing forward.
The Dana uses a
conventional panoramic telescope with a reticle (one for direct fire, and one
for indirect fire). This is coupled
to a fire control computer, which receives information from the FDC and
automatically lays the gun for accurate fire from the Dana. A survey vehicle
normally selects positions for a battery of Danas. There is no provision for the
Dana for generating its own fire solutions; input from an FDC is necessary, or
indirect fire will be random at best.
The Dana family is equipped with an air conditioner for the turret and
driver/commander’s position. The
driver has a backup camera, making a ground guide unnecessary. The Dana has an
NBC Overpressure system with a vehicular NBC backup.
The Ondava
The development
of the Ondava began in the late 1980s; the breakup of the Warsaw Pact basically
ended the development of the Ondava, though some of the design was carried
through to the Zuzana. The Ondava
had a longer L/47 barrel for more range, a new 2-chamber muzzle brake, and a
new, more efficient autoloader. The
Ondava project ended with the fall of the Wall and the change to Eastern
European countries to democracies.
Technical experience gained on the Ondava project was carried over to the Zuzana
and Modan projects.
The Modan
The Modan
Vz-77/99 is a Slovakian upgrade of the Dana with longer range (it uses an L/47
barrel, like the Ondava), higher accuracy, and more automation.
Computerization gives the Modan the ability to function as its own FDC,
as well as generally greater efficiency.
(Modan batteries generally do not operate with an FDC, using a direct
connection to the FIST.) GPS and an inertial navigation system, as well as a
computerized mapping system and self-surveying systems, have been added.
The Modan has a BMS system with vehicle state displays. A
greatly-improved autoloader allows one of the loaders to be deleted, with the
remaining loader merely required to fix and modify fuzes as necessary.
The Modan uses the longer barrel of the Ondava.
Though the commander does not have control of the thermal imager from his
seat, he has a channel which allows him to see through the thermal imager (at
whatever the gunner is looking at).
The Moden can move into a firing position, square its position and firing data,
fire three rounds (all taking two minutes), and be off again in one minute.
The Dana-M1 CZ
This is a
progressive upgrade of the Dana, developed by Excalibur Army of Prague.
The upgrades give the Dana-M1 a capability similar to that of the Modan,
plus a new T3-930 diesel engine with doubled turbochargers for hot weather
operation and a slight boost to 355.4 horsepower.
Despite the Western arms embargo on Azerbaijan, this version was sold to
Azerbaijan in 2011 (though they were not revealed until 2017).
The ShKH M-2000 Zuzana
This
modification mates a NATO-standard 155mm L/45 gun to the Dana chassis.
This is now the standard SP howitzer for the Czech Slovakian Army in
NATO. The Dana has otherwise not been modified except in the gun, autoloader,
and ammunition racks. The M-2000G
Zuzana is designed for the Cypriot National Guard, and has different radios, two
clusters of four smoke grenade launchers on each side of the turret, and an MG-3
machinegun instead of the NSVT of the other countries using the vehicle.
A modified form, primarily to take into account manufacturing methods, is
used by Slovakia, and is produced by ZTS Dubnica.
The ShKH Zuzana 2
The Zuzana was
modified beginning in 2004 into the Zuzana 2.
Initially known as the Zuzana A1 and then Zuzana XA-1, the Zuzana 2 is
the latest development of the Zuzana, and is replacing the Zuzana in Czech and
Slovakian service. It has an L/52
155mm gun and has a faster-traversing turret and easier communication between
the halves of the turret. It has
fire control equipment similar to the Modan, modified for use with the 155mm
gun. It uses a Tatra T2B-928.70 engine developing 443 horsepower, and the gun
system is able to fire all 155mm rounds, including laser and GPS-guided rounds,
and even nuclear-warhead rounds.
The ShKH A40 Himalaya
This is
essentially the Zuzana turret put on the chassis of a T-72M1 tank chassis; when
first built, it was called the Zuzana M1.
Virtually the entire gun system, including the APU, autoloaders, and
magazines and bins for special ammunition have been mounted in and on the T-72M1
chassis. The armor of the turret
has been strengthened, though it does not match the chassis’ armor. The original
version used a standard Zuzana turret, but the newer A-40M1 being offered for
export uses the Zuzana 2 as a template and turret. The commander is moved to the
turret roof to the former gunner’s position, and he may be armed with an NSVT or
M-2HB machinegun. The engine has
been changed for Czech-made S-1000 780-horsepower engine, and has the APU and
air conditioner and backup camera of other Dana-family guns.
In addition, like most Indian vehicles, the Himalaya has a ration heater,
with space for the entire crew.
Unlike the Dana, the turret may be rotated through 360 degrees, and fired in any
position. The transmission is “semiautomatic” – it is manual at its base, but
hydraulically boosted and uses a synchromesh system to ease the workload on the
driver. The T-72M1 chassis is heavy enough that hydraulic stabilizers are not
necessary. The turret is a bit
longer to take advantage of the greater carrying capacity of the T-72M1 chassis,
and the autoloader magazines, charge magazines, and special round bins are
slightly larger.
The A-40M1 is
topped with the Zuzana 2 turret and equipped with the Zuzana 2’s equipment
inside the chassis. Computerization gives the A-40M1 the ability to function as
its own FDC, as well as generally greater efficiency.
GPS and an inertial navigation system, as well as a computerized mapping
system, have been added. A
greatly-improved autoloader allows one of the loaders to be deleted, with the
remaining loader merely required to fix and modify fuzes as necessary.
The commander can tap into the gunner’s thermal imager through a sight
elbow.
The Himalaya was
originally designed for the Indian SP Howitzer competition; it did not win that
competition, but is still being shopped around, at arms shows and private
showings. The turret and systems are also being shopped around; the Czechs have
made it known that the turret could be mounted on any vehicle of the appropriate
size.
The ShKH DIANA
DIANA is an
acronym, presumably in Czech, which I have not been able to find the meaning of.
It is the latest iteration of the Zuzana.
It uses the same turret, but is armed with an L/55 gun.
It uses a new Polish tracked chassis that uses many components of the
T-72 tank. The first prototype was
revealed in 2015, and it has been making the rounds of arms shows and private
showings. Like Himalaya, is was
proposed for the Indian Army requirements, but is also being offered on the arms
market; in addition, the Czech, Slovakian, and Polish Armies are reportedly
interested. It has the improvements
and characteristics of most of the Dana family.
The magazine setup is a bit different; the DIANA has twin 40-round
magazines, with another two 40-round charge magazines and two 10-round bins for
special ammunition and its charges.
Konstructa has plans in the works to increase the size of these magazines, but
these are on the drawing board as of yet. The gun is capable of using all types
of 155mm ammunition, including those that are still on the drawing board. The
autoloader can use all four of the standard magazines and charge magazines, and
the autoloader is improved to allow a ROF of 13 rpm.
In addition, 1000 more rounds more of machinegun ammunition are
available, with the gun being able to be aimed, fired, and loaded from within
the enhanced cupola. The cupola has
all-around vision blocks, with the front three blocks having night vision
channels and the center block having an aiming stadia and a ballistic computer.
A total of eight smoke grenade launchers are carried, four on each side
of the gun. The S-12U turbocharged
diesel engine is more powerful than the T-72 at 839 horsepower, which it needs
for the heavier setup. In addition
to the chassis armor of a Polish modified T-72, it has enhanced protection for
the turret. The commander is in the
turret instead of in the front. The
turret can rotate and fire in 360 degrees.
Though the system is more complex, it has also been made easier to
service and maintain. Otherwise, the improvements of the Dana family are present
in the DIANA, including a BMS, vehicle state system, mapping computer and
displays, ration heater, and the advanced fire control systems.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The Zuzana does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline, and the Ondava
is very rare. Other versions do not exist in the
Twilight 2000 timelines, though the
Modan, Dana-M1 CZ, and M-2000 Zuzana exist in the
Twilight 2013 timeline.
Merc 2000 Notes:
The Zuzana exists, but has not had much export success.
The Ondava has for the most part replaced the Dana in Czech service,
though some countries have gone for the Slovakian Modan.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Dana |
$754,870 |
D, G, AvG, A |
500 kg |
29.25 tons |
5 |
18 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C) |
Enclosed |
Ondava |
$802,728 |
D, G, AvG, A |
495 kg |
29.53 tons |
5 |
21 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C) |
Enclosed |
Modan |
$1,342,715 |
D, G, AvG, A |
489 kg |
29.89 tons |
4 |
22 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G) |
Enclosed |
Dana-M1 CZ |
$1,442,763 |
D, A |
489 kg |
29.89 tons |
4 |
17 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G) |
Enclosed |
M-2000 Zuzana |
$830,492 |
D, G, AvG, A |
498 kg |
29.34 tons |
5 |
18 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C) |
Enclosed |
M-2000G Zuzana |
$800,979 |
D, G, AvG, A |
410 kg |
29.3 tons |
5 |
18 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C) |
Enclosed |
Zuzana 2 |
$1,500,988 |
D, A |
688 kg |
29.98 tons |
4 |
21 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G) |
Enclosed |
A40 Himalaya |
$917,200 |
D, A |
488 kg |
41.5 tons |
5 |
45 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C) |
Shielded |
A40M1 Himalaya |
$1,505,613 |
D, A |
481 kg |
42.14 tons |
4 |
45 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C), Image Intensification (G), Thermal Imaging (G) |
Shielded |
DIANA |
$2,076,580 |
D, A |
406 kg |
50 tons |
4 |
29 |
Passive IR (D,
G, C), Image Intensification (G, C), Thermal Imaging (G, C) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr
Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Dana |
107/54 |
30/15 |
690 |
127 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6
TS6 TR6
HF6 HS5
HR4 |
Ondava |
105/54 |
29/15 |
690 |
128 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6
TS6 TR6
HF6 HS5
HR4 |
Modan |
105/53 |
29/14 |
690 |
130 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6Sp
TS6 TR6Sp
HF6Sp HS5Sp
HR4** |
Dana-M1 CZ |
121/61 |
33/17 |
690 |
131 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6Sp
TS6 TR6Sp
HF6Sp HS5Sp
HR4** |
M-2000 Zuzana |
107/54 |
30/15 |
690 |
127 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6
TS6 TR6
HF6 HS5
HR4 |
M-2000G Zuzana |
107/54 |
30/15 |
690 |
127 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6
TS6 TR6
HF6 HS5
HR4 |
Zuzana 2 |
125/63 |
34/18 |
690 |
163 |
Trtd |
W(4) |
TF6Sp
TS6 TR6Sp
HF6Sp HS5Sp
HR4** |
A40 Himalaya |
136/95 |
38/26 |
1000+400 |
290 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF28Sp
TS12Sp TR7
HF138Cp HS20Sp
HR12 |
A40M1 Himalaya |
134/94 |
37/26 |
1000+400 |
294 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF28Sp
TS12Sp TR7
HF138Cp HS20Sp
HR12 |
DIANA |
124/87 |
35/24 |
1000+400 |
311 |
Trtd |
T6 |
TF30Sp
TF13Sp TF8Sp
HF149Cp HS20Sp HR12*** |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Dana |
+1* |
Basic* |
152mm L/37
Howitzer, NSVT (G) |
60x152mm,
2000x12.7mm |
Ondava |
+1* |
Basic* |
152mm L/47
Howitzer, NSVT (G) |
60x152mm,
2000x12.7mm |
Modan/Dana-M1 CZ |
+2* |
Fair* |
152mm L/47
Howitzer, NSVT (G) |
60x152mm,
2000x12.7mm |
M-2000 Zuzana |
+1* |
Basic* |
155mm L/45
Howitzer, NSVT (G) |
60x155mm,
2000x12.7mm |
M-2000G Zuzana |
+1* |
Basic* |
155mm L/45
Howitzer, MG-3 (G) |
60x155mm,
4000x7.62mm |
Zuzana 2 |
+2* |
Fair* |
155mm L/52
Howitzer, NSVT (G) |
60x155mm,
2000x12.7mm |
A40 Himalaya |
+1* |
Basic* |
155mm L/45
Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
60x155mm,
500x.50 |
A-40M1 Himalaya |
+2* |
Fair* |
155mm L/52
Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
60x155mm,
500x.50 |
DIANA |
+3 (+1 for
Indirect Fire) |
Fair (Basic for
Indirect Fire) |
155mm L/55
Howitzer, NSVT or M-2HB (C) |
100x155mm,
1200x12.7mm or .50 |
*The Fire Control and Stabilization figures are for direct fire shots, and do
not apply to indirect fire.
**HR and TR are AV 4. HF is AV 4Sp.
***HR AV is 5Sp. Floor AV is 7Sp.