According to information published on the Russian Social Network VK on December 14, 2022, currently, the Ukrainian army has deployed DANA 152mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers donated by the Czech Republic in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in Eastern Ukraine also called NVO zone. Soon, Ukraine's armed forces could receive more DANA M2 howitzers from the Czech Republic.
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Czech-made DANA M2 152mm 8x8 self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source Army Recognition)
Citing open source information, the Czech Republic has already delivered 20 DANA 8x8 152mm wheeled self-propelled howitzers coming from the Czech army inventory and 30 DANA M2, a new modernized variant of the previous version of the DANA.
The Dana M2 is a modernized version of the DANA, an 8x8 152mm self-propelled howitzer that was developed in the late 1970s by ZTS to meet the operational requirements of the Czech Army for a highly mobile self-propelled artillery system.
The Dana M2 is based on a modified 8×8 Tatra 815 chassis offering high mobility in all-terrain conditions. The Dana-M2 has been modernized with a new crew cabin offering more protection and fitted with two large bulletproof windows at the front and one window on each side enhancing situational awareness.
The Dana M2 is armed with one 152mm cannon which has a maximum firing range of 20 km with extended ammunition type and 21.5 km with DN1CZ ammunition. Notice that Dana-M2 is so far available only in Russian 152mm caliber, not NATO 155mm. The howitzer is fitted with a fully automatic system that loads the projectile and then the charge using an automatic rammer. The turret is divided into two parts, with the gunner and loader operator on the left, while the ammunition handler is on the right and sets the fuzes of the projectiles manually.
The Dana M2 is also equipped with a powerful Onboard Control System which contains subsystems of diagnostics, navigation, automatic gun aiming, computerized firing control elements, and a new ammunition selection system. The newly implemented automatic guiding system allows fast and fully automatic weapon adjustment into the fire position.
Czech-made DANA 152mm 8x8 self-propelled howitzer of the Ukrainian army. (Picture source Army Inform)
