| 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 | |
| Designed | 1957 |
| Manufacturer | Engineering and metallurgical plants, Trenčín-Kubrá plant (1959–1961) Škoda Works |
| Produced | 1959–1978 |
| No. built | More than 1000+[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 | steel |
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 | leaf spring |
Operational range | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) |
The M53/59 Praga is a Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed in the late 1950s. It consists of a heavily modified 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.
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-cannon.
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]
