Slovakia ramps up armed support for Ukraine despite aid halt

The government of Robert Fico, formed after the 2023 elections, has halted free military aid to Ukraine. However, it has not banned domestic defense companies from fulfilling weapons-related contracts intended to strengthen Kyiv. As a result, more Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers will soon be sent to the front.

On July 20, the Slovak Ministry of Defense announced in an official communication that the order funded by Norway, Denmark, and Germany is progressing as planned. This order includes several Zuzana 2 howitzers, produced by the company Konštrukta-Defense.

"So far, two Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers have been delivered to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and another eight will be handed over by the end of the year. The remaining six self-propelled howitzers will be delivered in 2025," the Slovak Ministry of Defense said in a statement cited by the TASR agency.

The Zuzana 2 is a self-propelled howitzer derived from an older type of gun, the vz. 2000 Zuzana. The Slovaks use a wheeled chassis based on the Tatra 815 VP truck with an 8x8 drive configuration. They also install a 155 mm caliber gun, the standard artillery ammunition in NATO countries. The gun is longer (52 calibers) than in the older version of this howitzer.

This translates to the ability to attack targets at up to 25 miles. The Zuzana 2 also can fire in MRSI mode. When utilizing an automatic loading system, its rate of fire reaches five rounds per minute. Manual operation of the gun is also possible, but in that case, the rate of fire drops to two rounds per minute.

An auxiliary weapon, a 12.7 mm machine gun, is also provided for Zuzana 2 crews. An important feature of Slovak howitzers is good mobility, not only due to the 8x8 drive as mentioned above but also a powerful engine allowing speeds of up to 56 mph on roads and about 19 mph off-road. The Zuzana 2 can overcome vertical obstacles up to 2 feet high and also has an armored cabin.

Ukrainian soldiers are well acquainted with the Zuzana 2 howitzers, which the previous government of Slovakia provided to the front. As part of free aid, not only these guns but also Soviet-era yet still useful equipment such as BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, S-300 air defense systems, MiG-29 fighter jets, and various types of ammunition were sent to the front.