M53/59 Praga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

M53/59 Praga
M53/59 Praga, self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of Serbian Army
Type	Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia [1][2][3]
Specifications
Weight	10,300 kg
Length	6.92 m
Width	2.35 m
Height	2.95 m
Crew	4

Armor	Aluminum
Primary armament	twin 30 millimeter autocannon 900 rounds
Engine	Tatra T 912-2 6 cylinder inline air-cooled diesel. 110 hp at 2,200 rpm
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	500 km
Speed	60 km/h

The M53/59 Praga was developed in the late 1950s to serve as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. It consists of a heavily modified Praga V3S 6 wheel drive truck chassis, coupled with a twin 30 millimeter autocannon mounting on the rear. The vehicle typically carries between 900 rounds of 30 millimeter ammunition, each gun being gravity fed from distinctive 50 round magazines.

The system is optically aimed, and can be used effectively only in a good weather conditions and daylight. The gun can actually be dismounted and used independently of the vehicle.

The vehicle is now obsolete, but it can be used effectively as ground support weapon against soft targets (as it was shown during Yugoslav wars). It remains in service in Czech Republic, Egypt, Libya, Slovakia and the Former Yugoslavia.