The Czech defense company Excalibur Army is set to deliver over 70 units of the DITA 155mm/L45 self-propelled howitzers to the nation. According to AZE. Media on May 6, 2024, the proposed delivery of howitzers to Baku was confirmed by Slovak parliamentarian Juraj Krupa. Azerbaijan’s arsenal, as per the Military Balance 2022 report, encompasses a diverse array of artillery, totaling 630 units. This includes a variety of self-propelled artillery, with notable units such as the 122mm 2S1 Gvozdika, the 152mm 2S3 Akatsiya, and the Dana-M1M. Additionally, Azerbaijan possesses a mix of self-propelled howitzers, including the 155mm ATMOS 2000 and the 203mm 2S7 Pion. The primary focus of the Azerbaijani armed forces is territorial defense, exemplified by the recent conflicts with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The DITA 155mm self-propelled howitzer is an artillery system being developed by Excalibur Army. Derived from the SpGH DANA (D?lo Automobilní Nabíjené Automaticky) 8×8 truck-mounted howitzer designs, the DITA howitzer features a fully automated superstructure, which will increase the rate of fire with only two crew members on board. The Dita is based on a modified eight-wheel drive (8×8) Tatra 815 chassis with excellent cross-country mobility. The self-propelled howitzer entered the final stage of development with the completion of a functional prototype vehicle in January 2021. Excalibur Army partnered with EDGE Group, a UAE-based defence technology company, to exhibit its new howitzer at the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) 2021 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi. The Netherlands has ordered nine DITA self-propelled howitzers for Ukraine.
The DITA artillery weapon system will have a length of 13.02m, a width of 3.08m, a height of 3.12m and will weigh up to 29t. The fully autonomous superstructure will allow the howitzer to be mounted on different types of wheeled or tracked chassis, while enabling operation by only a two-member crew comprising a driver and commander. Equipped with automatic loading and firing mechanism, the gun can be operated in fully automatic, manual and emergency guiding modes. It can also support different firing modes such as single round, rapid-fire, programmed, as well as multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI). The DITA self-propelled gun howitzer will be armed with a Nato-standard 155mm L45 gun with a maximum firing range of 39km with high-explosive base bleed (HE BB) shells. The gun will offer a maximum rate of fire of six rounds per minute, while its sustained rate of fire will be five rounds per minute.
The ballistic crew cabin will be equipped with high-performance heating and air-conditioning system and nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) filtration system. The cabin will offer STANAG 4569 Level I protection to the occupants. The howitzer will be equipped with R20 14.00 tyres with central tyre inflation system (CTIS). It can ascend gradients of 30° and side slopes of 15° and will have the capability to negotiate vertical obstacles of 470mm and trenches of 2m. The vehicle can ford water streams with a maximum depth of 1.2m. DITA will be powered by a Tatra T3C-928-90 engine, which has a maximum power output of 300kW. It will also feature an auxiliary 24V hydraulic power unit, which will serve as the main power source for both weapon system and turret operation. The power-plant will ensure a road speed of 90km/h and an off-road speed of 25km/h.
