Slovakia Completes Delivery of Zuzana 2 Self-propelled Howitzers to Ukraine

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have taken over the eighth Slovak-made Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) to bolster Ukraine’s defences against the Russian Federation’s aggression. The howitzer is the last out of the eight SPHs on order and delivered to Ukraine under a commercial contract signed with Konstrukta Defence, an MOD-owned joint stock company, in June 2022. No sooner had the payment been made into the MOD’s bank account than each howitzer was transported to Ukraine. Alongside the contract for eight Zuzana 2s with Ukraine, KONŠTRUKTA-Defence has also been awarded another contract for an additional 16 Zuzana 2 SPHs for Ukraine to be funded by Denmark, Norway and German.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said: “As of today, we have delivered an entire battery of high quality artillery systems of Slovak provenance to Ukraine. We believe that the Ukrainian defenders will use them to the point whereby they save as many lives as possible and their country inches ever closer to achieving unconditional victory over the enemy who continues to devastate, terrorise and kill, because it is actually failing on the battlefield.”

The Zuzana 2 is a recent Slovak self-propelled howitzer. It was developed by Konstrukta Defence. It is an new version of the original SpGH DANA. The Zuzana 2 is armed with a turret-mounted 155 mm/L52 gun-howitzer. The gun is mounted externally between two separated compartments of the turret. This self-propelled gun-howitzer is capable of both direct and indirect firing. It is fitted with an autoloader. Shells and charges are being loaded automatically at any elevation of the gun. This artillery system is capable of Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact Firing (MRSI). This artillery system can launch 6 shells within the first minute, or 16 shells within 3 minutes.

The Zuzana 2 is operated by a crew of 4, including commander, gunner, loader and driver. The Zuzana 2 has an automatic gun-laying mode. Firing data is calculated by the onboard computer and the gun is laid on the target automatically. This artillery system is fitted with navigation system. Onboard fire control system allows to operate with digital maps. This artillery system is capable of Multiple Round Simultaneous Impact Firing (MRSI). This artillery system uses a special 8×8 chassis developed by Tatra. Vehicle has a new powerpack. It is powered by a new and significantly more powerful Tatra T3B-928.70 turbocharged diesel engine, developing 442 hp.