Ukraine and Slovakia to jointly build 155mm self-propelled howitzer

Ukrainian media has reported that Ukraine and Slovakia plan to jointly develop a new 155mm self-propelled howitzer for the country’s armed forces.

According to the Militarnyi, Slovak Konstrukta Defense and Ukrainian Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant are discussing plans to launch a joint production effort of 155mm artillery systems.

The Zuzana 2 is an upgraded version of the Zuzana 155 mm 45 caliber version of the Dana 152 mm 8×8 self-propelled gun-howitzer designed and manufactured by the Slovak Company Konstrukta – Defence. The Zuzana 2 is armed with a new 155m 52 caliber gun. It has new firing capabilities allowing multiple round simultaneous impact (MRSI) operations. The Zuzana 2 was shown for the first time to the public in May 2013 at the IDET defense exhibition in the Czech Republic and in May 2014, at the IDEB defense exhibition in Bratislava, Slovakia.

“Our aim is to build a functional prototype of the new howitzer within one year,” says Alexander Gurský, director of Konstrukta Defense.

Both companies have already signed a memorandum of cooperation. This was also confirmed by Vitaliy Zagudayev, director of the Kramatorsk Heavy Duty Machine Tool Building Plant. The companies have also agreed on other types of joint activities.

“In Konstrukta Defence, we have found a good and reliable partner with whom we are developing projects in the field of mortars, ammunition, modernization of the Bohdan project, and the development of a new 155 mm howitzer,” Zahudaiev said.

According to Oleksandr Gursky, the cooperation began to develop because Ukrainians were satisfied with the Slovak Zuzana 2 howitzers that the Armed Forces ordered in the summer of 2022. The last of them arrived in Ukraine in January 2023.

This cooperation gave rise to the idea of building an entirely new howitzer, in which each side would invest its maximum capabilities and technical solutions.

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