M53/59 Praga

The M53/59 Praga is a Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in the late 1950s. It consists of a heavily modified Praga Praga V3S six-wheel drive truck chassis, armed with a twin 30 mm AA autocannon mounted on the rear for which the vehicle typically carries 900 rounds of ammunition, each gun being gravity fed from distinctive 50 round magazines. The vehicle has an armoured cabin.

M53/59 Praga
M53/59 Praga, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of Serbian Army
Type	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia
Production history
No. built	More than 330[1]
Specifications
Mass	10.3 tonnes
Length	6.92 m (22 ft 8 in)
Barrel length	2.4 m (94 in)
Width	2.35 m (7 ft 9 in)
Height	2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Crew	4 (driver, commander and two gun operators)
Shell	Fixed QF 30x210mmCz
Caliber	30 mm (1.2 in)
Barrels	2
Elevation	-10° - +85°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	500 rpm per barrel cyclic 100 rpm per barrel practical
Muzzle velocity	1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range	3 km (2 mi) effective range[2]
Armor	Aluminum
Main armament	30 mm twin AA autocannon (900 rounds)
Engine	Tatra T 912-2 6-cylinder inline air-cooled diesel 110 hp (82 kW) at 2,200 rpm
Power/weight	10.7 hp/tonne (8 kW/tonne)
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	500 km (310 mi)
Maximum speed	60 km/h (37 mph)

Detail of 30 mm twin AA gun, vz.53/59

In Czechoslovakia it was known as Praga PLDvK vz. 53/59 - "Ještěrka" (PLDvK Model 53/59 - "Lizard").[3] PLDvK stands for Protiletadlový dvojkanón = Anti-aircraft twin-gun.

The system is optically aimed and can only be used effectively during the day with good weather conditions. The gun can be dismounted and used independently of the vehicle.

While mostly obsolete in anti-aircraft role, it can be used effectively as a ground support weapon against unarmored or lightly armored targets, as was shown during the Yugoslav wars. It remains in service with armies of Egypt, Libya, Serbia, Slovakia etc.

When Czechoslovakia imported one Soviet-made ZSU-57-2 for testing it considered it to be comparable to M53/59 which was the reason Czechoslovakia refused the Soviet SPAAG.[4]

Operators

•  Bosnia and Herzegovina - 116 in service[5]
•  Democratic Republic of the Congo - (March 23 Movement) One seen operated by M23 rebels entering the city of Goma.
•  Egypt - Unknown
•  Iraq - Seen in service at artillery battalion of 9th armoured division.
•  Libya - 110 ordered in 1970 from Czechoslovakia and delivered between 1970 and 1973.[1]
•  Slovakia - Unknown
•  Serbia - 48 in service

Former Operators

•  Czechoslovakia - Passed on to the successor states.
•  Czech Republic - Last vehicle retired from service in 2003.[6]
•  Croatia - Two were given to a local army museum, rest was phased out and scrapped.[7]
•  Cuba - Retired
•  Slovenia - Retired. Some donated to museums.[8]
•  Yugoslavia - 220 ordered in 1965 from Czechoslovakia and delivered between 1965 and 1968.[1] By 1991 their quantity grew to 789.[9] Passed on to the successor states.[10]

See also

• BRAMS design successor
• Praga (vehicle works)

References

• "M53/59 at ELDON s.r.o". 2003. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.

1. SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
2. Foss, Christopher (1977). Jane's pocket book of towed artillery. New York: Collier. p. 225. ISBN 0020806000. OCLC 911907988.
3. Translation of "Ještěrka"
4. "Militaria Jowitka". Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
5. International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2016). The Military Balance 2016. 116. Routledge. p. 81. ISBN 9781857438352.
6. Ještěrka šířila hrůzu a uprchlíci s ní proráželi železnou oponu (article in Czech)
7. Air Defence weapons of Croatian Army
8. Air Defence weapons of Slovenian Army
9. http://oklop2.tripod.com/praga/m53.htm
10. Air Defence weapons of Yugoslav People's Army

External links

• Czech army shooting training