Zuzana 155 mm Gun Howitzer is a Slovak artillery system developed by Konštrukta – Defence, with a 45-

caliber In guns, particularly firearms, but not #As a measurement of length, artillery, where a different definition may apply, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge ( ...

gun and automatic loader for loading of both projectile and charge. It is an evolution of the

152mm 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 mode ...

self-propelled howitzer. The gun has a long range, high accuracy, and high

rate of fire Rate of fire is the frequency at which a specific weapon can fire or launch its projectiles. This can be influenced by several factors, including operator training level, mechanical limitations, ammunition availability, and weapon condition. In m ...

, it can be prepared promptly for firing, and it has a high level of mobility ensured by a modified Tatra 8×8 chassis. The design of the gun means it can use any

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

standard

155 mm The 155 mm calibre is widely used for artillery guns. Land warfare Historic calibres France - 1874 The caliber originated in France after the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871). A French artillery committee met on 2 February 1874 to dis ...

ammunition Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of oth ...

. The fire control system allows for a multiple-round simultaneous-impact (MRSI) mode. One of the unique features of Zuzana is that the gun is mounted externally in between two totally separated compartments of the

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

. This makes the crew inherently safe from any potentially dangerous mechanics of the gun and its autoloader. Additionally, the crew is protected from the gasses generated during firing.

Variants

155 mm ShKH vz. 2000 Zuzana

The original wheeled version adopted by the

Slovak Army The Slovak Ground Forces (), also known as the Slovak Army, are the land forces of the Slovak Armed Forces. Organization * Ground Forces Command, in Trenčín ** 71st Command Support Battalion, in Trenčín ** 103rd Nuclear, Biological and Ch ...

in 1998.

155 mm ShKH M2000G Zuzana

A modified version made for the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

, later resold to Cyprus. Armed with lighter 7.62 mm roof-mounted machine guns.

155 mm ShKH Zuzana 2

Updated version with a new 52-calibre gun, full 360-degree turret traverse and a new armored cab. It has passed Slovak Army trials in December 2009. Slovak army had ordered 25 vehicles (to be delivered in year 2021 and 2022). The new version is claimed to possess Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact (MRSI) capability.

155 mm ShKH Himalaya

1990's adaptation of the original system to a tracked chassis required by export customers. It is essentially a Zuzana turret mounted on a

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet Union, Soviet main battle tanks that entered production in 1973. The T-72 was a development based on the T-64 using thought and design of the previous Object 167M. About 25,000 T-72 tanks have been built, and refu ...

chassis. The tracked version so far did not achieve orders beyond initial evaluation units and further production is unlikely.

155 mm ShKH Diana

A joint project between Slovak Konstrukta Defence (Slovakia) and Bumar-Labedy (Poland). Uses Zuzana 2 turret on UPG-NG tracked chassis. A prototype showcased on International Defence Industry Exhibition in Poland in Kielce in 2015.

Specifications

Operators

Current operators

;

Ground Forces of the Slovak Republic The Slovak Ground Forces (), also known as the Slovak Army, are the land forces of the Slovak Armed Forces. Organization * Ground Forces Command, in Trenčín ** 71st Command Support Battalion, in Trenčín ** 103rd Nuclear, Biological and Che ...

: 16 Zuzana 2000 (as of June 2022). 25 Zuzana 2 ordered, 8 units received by July 2021. ; Cypriot Ground Forces : 12 Zuzana M2000G, bought from Greece ;

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

:24 Zuzana 2 acquired as of September 2024. At least 3 were destroyed and at least 1 damaged. :* First order of 8 confirmed in May 2022 by the Slovak minister of defence Jaroslav Naď, with training of crews starting right away. The first order was completed as of 18 January 2023, per statement by the Slovak minister of defence Jaroslav Naď. :* The second order of 16 units was signed on 2 October 2022, with Denmark, Germany and Norway providing the funding. In early July 2023, during a joint press conference with

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

, the president of Slovakia,

Zuzana Čaputová Zuzana Čaputová (; Strapáková; born 21 June 1973) is a Slovak politician, lawyer and environmental activist who served as the fifth president of Slovakia from 2019 to 2024. Čaputová is the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the ...

, referred to a contract covering the procurement of 16 Zuzana 2 self-propelled guns, this was misinterpreted by various news outlets as reference to an additional contract (for the additional production of 16 units), but she was referring to the aforementioned contract signed in October 2022, in fact.

Potential operators

;

Georgian Land Forces The Georgian Land Forces ( ka, საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები) are the land force component of the Defense Forces of Georgia. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk o ...

: Slovak defence minister claimed that his Georgian counterpart expressed interest in acquiring the system during the meeting which took place on 20 December 2021.

Former operators

;

: 12 Zuzana M2000G, all sold to

Cypriot National Guard The National Guard of Cyprus (), also known as the Greek Cypriot National Guard or simply the National Guard, is the military force of the Republic of Cyprus. It consists of air, land, sea and special forces elements, and is highly integrated wit ...

References

* * * *

External links

* {{Commons-inline, ShKH Zuzana, ShKH Zuzana Self-propelled artillery of Slovakia Science and technology in Slovakia 155 mm artillery Wheeled self-propelled howitzers Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s Eight-wheeled vehicles