Slovakia's Konstrukta Defence Signs Contract with Ukraine to Deliver Self-propelled Howitzers

Slovakia’s state-owned Konstrukta Defence inked a deal Wednesday for the delivery of Zuzana 2 self-propelled gun howitzers (SpGHs) to Ukraine.

Under the contract, eight howitzers will be delivered to Ukraine. Due to the sensitive nature of the contract and the request of the Ukrainian side, no further details will be disclosed, Slovak defense ministry said in a release.

Zuzana 155 mm Gun Howitzer is a Slovak artillery system with a 45-caliber gun and automatic loader for loading of both projectile and charge. It is an evolution of the 152mm SpGH DANA self-propelled howitzer.

The system has a long range, high accuracy and rate of fire, 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 standard 155 mm ammunition available on the market. 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. This makes the crew inherently safe from any potentially dangerous mechanics of the gun and autoloader plus the crew is protected from the gases generated during firing.