In 1976, a design team from the Czechoslovak company Konštrukta Trenčín Co. completed work on a new 152-mm self-propelled artillery unit. By that time, the weapon had several unique features that put this howitzer on a small list of the most modern in the world. The Czechoslovak People's Army gave this howitzer the maiden name Dana and the abbreviation vz. 77. ZTS Dubnica nad Váhom, now located in Slovakia, was chosen as the manufacturer.
Artillery installation Dan vz. 77 is based on the chassis of the Tatra 815 truck with a wheel arrangement of 8x8 and two front steerable pairs of wheels, equipped with an independent spring suspension with a tire pressure regulation system. The frame is equipped with three armored hermetically sealed and air-conditioned cabins, which also provide protection against small arms fire and shell fragments. The crew of this howitzer cannon consists of five people. In the front cockpit there are places for the commander and the driver. They are accessed through two top hatches. The commander operates with the fire control panel and radio station to communicate with the higher command. The tower consists of two armored semi-towers with a cannon installed between them. To the left of the gun are the gunner's and loader's workplaces, located in tandem, followed by mechanized stacking of charges. On the right is the workstation of the second loader, and in front of him is a mechanized stowage of shells. In the space between the two compartments there is a howitzer carriage, as well as a moving belt designed to remove used cartridges. A chambering mechanism is located above the gun barrel. Access to the left is via a side door or top hatch. The gunner uses a small rotating observation turret, inside which there is a telescope and two types of rifle scopes. The loading operator is responsible for a 30-charge hydraulic semi-automatic loading conveyor located in the second half of the left side. Behind this conveyor is a smaller box for spare ammunition (4 rounds plus 12 charges), accessible only from the space between the two turret compartments. The right side of the tower consists of three parts. In the front part there is a place for personal equipment of the crew, in the middle there is a semi-automatic conveyor with 36 shells. The shells are loaded into the conveyor after opening the side door, placing them in the slots and dumping them into the holder of the charging conveyor. At the rear is the seat of the second loader. It can be accessed between the two turret compartments or through the top hatch. The second loader controls the functioning of the entire semi-automatic loader system. This entire procedure is performed without direct contact with the ammunition. The upper hatch is also used for the use of the 12.7 mm DShK 38/46 anti-aircraft machine gun. In the space of the second loader there are also boxes of ammunition for the machine gun and charges of anti-tank RPG-75.
The stability of the howitzer cannon when firing is provided by three hydraulic supports (one, main, rear and two small ones on the sides). The maximum range of howitzer fire is 18, 700 meters, with special charges - 20, 000 meters. The loading system allows for four rounds per minute. It takes about two minutes to transfer the artillery mount from the traveling position to the combat one, and to leave the position after firing - no more than 60 seconds. Typically, an artillery mount carries 40 rounds, but if necessary, it can carry up to 60 rounds. In this case, the shells are arranged as follows: the main semi-automatic conveyor - 36 pieces, spare ammunition boxes - 4 pieces, ammunition boxes above the front axles - 2 + 2 pieces, ammunition boxes between the second and third axles - 5 + 5 pieces, ammunition boxes for the last axle - 3 + 3 pieces.
The charges are arranged as follows: main conveyor - 30 pieces, spare ammunition boxes - 12 pieces, ammunition boxes on the right side of the engine compartment - 13 pieces, ammunition boxes on the left side of the engine compartment - 5 pieces. The howitzer cannon uses standard HE shells. "Dana" is completely unified in ammunition with the Soviet 152-mm D-20 howitzer cannon. Smoke and lighting projectiles can be added as needed. In the event of hostilities, the artillery mount is also equipped with anti-tank shells for its own protection from tanks and armored vehicles.
The air-cooled twelve-cylinder V-type TATRA turbodiesel is located at the rear of the vehicle and is powered by a 500-liter tank. The engine allows a vehicle with a combat weight of 29 tons to develop a highway speed of 80 km / h, a cruising range of 600 km. There are also two spare 20 liter oil cans. The crew has personal weapons, a flare gun and hand grenades for self-defense.
A very serious drawback of "Dana" is the lack of the ability to load from the ground.
The first People's Army of Czechoslovakia began to re-equip units of 152-mm towed howitzers of artillery regiments of combat readiness divisions, namely: the first and ninth tank divisions and the 2nd, 19th and 20th motorized rifle divisions. The first Dana self-propelled artillery mounts were put into service at the beginning of 1980 by the first artillery regiment in Terezin, belonging to the 1st Panzer Division. The next was the 47th Artillery Regiment in Plzeň of the 19th Motorized Rifle Division. In 1981 and 1982, the 38th artillery regiment was rearmed in Kynšperk nad Ohří of the 20th motorized rifle division. In 1983, the 8th artillery regiment in Klatovy of the 2nd motorized rifle division and the 362nd artillery regiment in Lešany, which belonged to the 9th Panzer Division. The Dana artillery mounts were presented to the public on May 9, 1980 at a military parade in Prague. The largest number of Dana artillery mounts, 408 pieces, were in service with the People's Army of Czechoslovakia on December 31, 1992. After the division of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, the army of the Czech Republic (ACR) got 273 units, the newly created army of the Slovak Republic 135 units. Today the army of the Czech Republic has 209 Danes, most of which are in storage. The Dans are on alert in the 13th Artillery Brigade in Jince. The brigade consists of two mixed artillery battalions (131st and 132nd), the first is located with the command in Jince, the second is in Pardubice, but must also be transferred to Jice. The Dans are to remain on active military service until 2014 due to the end of their technical service.
The Dubnice nad Vagom plant produced a total of 672 Dana plants, some of which were exported. The Polish army acquired 111 howitzers. The first of them were delivered in 1983 and are still in service with the Polish army. Libya has acquired an unknown number of Danes, but at least 27 units. At least 12 Dana launchers were seen at the disposal of the Georgian army.
A special story with the service of "Dana" in the army of the Soviet Union, which acquired 126 units. It was almost the only weapon system used by the Soviet army, but not designed and produced in the Soviet Union. They were used in limited quantities.
In 1979, at the Rzhev artillery range, qualification tests of two Dana samples were carried out, which, as expected, showed the lack of advantages of the Czechoslovak howitzer cannon over its domestic counterpart. In 1983, a letter was sent to the General Staff from the GRAU of the USSR Ministry of Defense about the inexpediency of supplying the Dana installations to the Soviet Union.
Nevertheless, in the same 1983 year, a decision was made to accept a certain number of vz. 77 for experimental military operation in the USSR. For this, a number of self-propelled units were purchased in Czechoslovakia. For about one year, "Dans" were in trial operation, after which they were returned to Czechoslovakia. In 1985, addressed to the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal of the Soviet Union S. L. Sokolov, a report was sent on the results of the pilot operation of Dana LNG. After its consideration, the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued on October 25, 1986, decree No. 2151rs “On the purchase of 152-mm self-propelled Dana self-propelled cannons from Czechoslovakia in 1987-89.
Deliveries were carried out in 1987-1989. and the Danes were in service with the 211st Artillery Brigade from the Central Group of Forces, located in Jeseník after the invasion of Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968. Until the moment of rearmament, the 211st brigade consisted of four divisions, equipped with D-20 towed guns and 2S5 self-propelled guns. With the beginning of the replacement of the materiel, the formation moved to a new state: now it included five divisions, each of which had three artillery batteries of 8-gun composition. As of 02.02.1990, the brigade had 104 Dana installations. In addition to the artillery brigade of the TsGV, vz. 77 entered the artillery training center, located on the territory of the Belarusian Military District. After the withdrawal of the Central Group of Forces from Czechoslovakia, the 211st brigade was included in the troops of the Moscow Military District and redeployed to the village of Mulino, Gorky Region. The materiel of the brigade was transferred to Kazakhstan and remained there.
According to the officers who served in the 211st brigade, the artillery unit of "Dana" was very sensitive to operating conditions, and it turned out to be too "tender", for this reason there were many failures. Some praise was given to the maneuverability of the eight-wheeled chassis, which turned out to be even higher than that of the BTR-70. The turning radius of the artillery mount allowed it to drive in narrow places in one step, where the armored personnel carrier needed to drive with reverse gear in two stages.
Self-propelled gun-howitzer "Dana" was first used in the eighties during the military operations of Gaddafi's troops in Chad. Further combat use was in the summer of 2008, when the Georgian "Dans" took part in battles with the Russian army during the conflict in South Ossetia. Then the Georgian troops, retreating, threw three "Dans", which were captured by the Russian army. Since 2008, 5 Dana howitzers have been successfully used by the Polish contingent at the base in Ghazni in Afghanistan as part of the 23rd artillery brigade.
In the late 80s there was an attempt to modernize "Dana". Only a few were modernized and named Ondava. The barrel was extended by almost 2 meters, and other changes were made to the weapons systems and the cockpit. The gunner's compartment received new electronic equipment and infrared night vision systems. Based on Dana vz. 77, a new Zuzana cannon-howitzer was created, but that's another story.
Tactical and technical characteristics
Manufacturer: TSG Hejnice, NC
Production Period: 1980 - 1989
Produced: 672
Crew: 5
Combat weight (kg): 28, 100 (including 40 shots), 29, 250 (including 60 shots)
Overall length (mm): 11, 156 (with barrel forward), 8, 870 (body length)
Overall width (mm): 3, 000
Overall height (mm): 3, 350
Main Armament: 152-mm howitzer
Caliber (mm): 152, 4
Projectile muzzle velocity (m / s): 693
Maximum firing range with a special projectile (m): 20,000
Maximum firing range with a standard projectile (m): 18, 700
Minimum range (m): 4600
Vertical guidance angle (°): -4 to +70
Horizontal guidance angle (°): ± 225
Aiming angle for closed firing positions (°): -45
Combat rate of fire:
- with automatic loading (rounds / min): 9
- with manual loading (rounds / min): 4
The number of shots in the car charge: 36
The number of transported charges: 40-60
Additional armament: 12, 7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun 38 / 46M DShKM
Engine: Tatra T3-12-930.52V-Diesel air-cooled and turbocharged
Engine power (kW) 265 @ 2200 rpm
Road speed (km / h:) 80 (maximum)
Cross country speed (km / h): 25 (average)
Cruising on the road (km): 600
Ground clearance (mm): 410
Gradient: (°) 30
Lateral tilt: (°) 15
Overcome vertical obstacle (mm): 600
Wading depth (mm): 1, 400
Track:
- Front axle (mm): 2000
- Rear axle (mm): 1950
Wheelbase (mm): 1, 650 + 2, 970 + 1, 450
Fuel consumption on the highway (l / 100 km): 65
Fuel consumption over rough terrain (l / 100 km): 80 to 178
Transition from traveling to combat position (min.): 2
The transition from the combat position to the stowed position (min.): 1
