Slovakia approves purchase of 25 Zuzana 2 155mm self-propelled howitzers.

According to the Czech news website E15 Expres, the Slovak government has approved the purchase of 25 Zuzana 2 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers developed by the Company by KONŠTRUKTA-Defence and produced by ZTS – ŠPECIÁL, for a total amount of €175 million.

Zuzana 2 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer at IDEB defense exhibition in Slovakia, May 2014. (Picture source Army Recognition)

The first delivery of the Zuzana 2 155mm self-propelled howitzer to Slovak Army is planned to start this year and will be finished for 2022.

In April 2018, it was announced that Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic are planning to get 25 Zuzana 2 155 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPH) based on the Cold War-era Dana SPH, according to a statement published by the country's Ministry of Defense (MoD). According to the Military Balance 2018 analytical book published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Slovak Army currently operates three vz.1977 Dana and 16 M-2000 (Zuzana-1) SPHs (Self Propelled Howitzer).

The Dana also known as the Samohybná Kanónová Húfnica vzor 77 (ShKH vz. 77), is a 152mm 8x8 self-propelled howitzer that was developed in the late 1970s to respond to a request for the Czech army for a new mobile artillery system. This artillery system is also in service with Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, Poland and Libya.

The Zuzana 2 is a modernized version of the Zuzana which was armed with one 155 mm 45 caliber main gun capable of firing all Western types of 155 mm ammunition. In May 2014, the latest version of the Zuzana 2 was presented by the Slovak Defense Company Konstrukta Defence during IDEB defense exhibition in Slovakia.

The Zuzana 2 is armed with a new 155 mm 52 caliber gun able to fire all modern NATO ammunition at a maximum firing range of 41 km with ERFB-BB very long range artillery projectile. It features thermal weapon sight and night vision and onboard fire control system (FCS) to enable easy operation with digital maps. It has also inertial navigation system (INS), a muzzle velocity radar and electronic equipment for providing target information.