The idea of using chassis from commercial trucks to create military equipment did not arise yesterday. It was not new when Czechoslovak designers took the Tatra 815 base in their 8×8 version for their Zuzana self-propelled gun. A very unusual combat vehicle came out of a very unusual truck. Originally it was ShKH vz. 77 Dana, and after replacing the gun with a more modern NATO 155-millimeter weapon, the car changed its name to ShKH vz. 2000 Zuzana.
The howitzer stands in the open air, but on both sides there are two cabins – in the left sits the gunner, in the right – the charger. Behind the first are howitzer charges, behind the right are shells (the cannon has separate charge ammunition). In the Dana version, two gunners sat in tandem (one after the other) in the left cockpit, as there was one more crew. The driver and commander of the car are sitting in the front cabin – low, double and armored.
It takes two minutes to deploy a self-propelled gun before the battle after the march, but it can withdraw from the firing position faster – in a minute. Such an artillery system cannot shoot from the wheels: to accurately hit the target, you need to put forward three hydraulic supports in the rear.