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Praga M53/59/70-J-171 (2x GSh-23L)
History and Description
The M53/59 is a Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft system based on an armoured Praga V3S 6×6 truck chassis. The standard vehicle carries two 30 mm autocannons on a removable rear-mounted weapon platform. The original guns have a practical anti-aircraft range of approximately 3,000 metres and can also engage lightly armoured vehicles and ground positions.
The first examples arrived in Yugoslavia in 1969 and entered service under the designation M53/59. After 1973, these vehicles were delivered with some improvements and were designated M53/70. The popular, slang name for all these vehicles was simply “Praga”, after the name of the factory that produced the truck. A total of 789 vehicles were purchased by the early 1980. Throughout their service many received the domestic J-171 fire control system and a more powerful engine.
During the Yugoslav wars, the Praga was frequently employed in direct-fire support rather than exclusively in its intended anti-aircraft role. Its mobility, high rate of fire and ability to engage targets behind cover made it useful against infantry positions, fortified buildings and lightly protected vehicles. The difficult conditions resulted in numerous improvised modifications such as wooden boards, rubber belts, additional steel plates, machine guns, and rocket launchers. These modifications were generally produced locally by units that possessed sufficient tools, materials and technical knowledge. The results were not always elegant, but they demonstrate the adaptability of the vehicle and its crews. Another such modification involved the installation of the GSh-23L cannons
As the war continued, ammunition for the original 30 mm guns became increasingly difficult to obtain. Aircraft ammunition, however, remained available in sufficient quantities. On one Bosnian Serb Praga, both original 30 mm barrels were removed. In their place, crews installed two GSh-23L twin-barrel aircraft cannons, removed together with their mountings from aircraft gun containers. Consequently, the modified Praga carried four firing barrels in total. Large ammunition boxes containing linked belts were installed beside the cannons. The previous J-171 FCS was retained, despite the substantial ballistic differences between the original 30 mm ammunition and the new 23 mm aircraft ammunition. According to the contemporary account, crews were nevertheless satisfied with the weapon’s accuracy and especially with its extremely high rate of fire of 7,000 rounds per minute. Because of the enormous volume of fire, both cannons were rarely fired simultaneously. The modification also required more preparation before firing and consumed ammunition very quickly. One significant advantage was that the original Praga armament could be reinstalled relatively easily. The conversion was therefore at least partly reversible. Following the positive experience with the vehicle, a stationary version of the same armament was reportedly installed on the carriage of an M55A4 20/3 mm anti-aircraft gun. The exact weight of the GSh-23L modification is not documented. It may have been slightly different from the standard vehicle because the original cannons were removed, while new weapons, ammunition boxes and improvised armour were added. The vehicle was filmed in operational use during the Bosnian War, but no reliable information concerning its post-war fate has been found. Since the modification was designed to permit the original 30 mm armament to be reinstalled, it may subsequently have been returned to standard configuration or scrapped during post-war demobilisation.
Specifications
- Essentials
- Length; 6.92 m
- Width; 2.35 m
- Height; 2.59 m
- Ground Clearance; 0.4 m
- Mass; ca. 10,700 kg
- Crew; 4
- Six-wheel drive (6x6)
- Protection
- Armor; 10 mm + rubber belts
- APS; N/A
- ERA; N/A
- Smoke; N/A
- Mobility
- Engine; Famos F010A, 112 kW, 152 hp
- Power/weight; 14.2 hp/t, 10.5 kW/t
- Transmission; 4 forward and 2 reverse gears
- Top speed; 60 kph
- Amphibious; No
- Gradient; 60%
- Side slope; 30%
- Vertical obstacle; 0.46 m
- Trench; 0.69 m
- Fording depths; 0.8 m
- Firepower
- Main; 2x Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L 23x115mm gun (4x barrels)
- Rate of fire: 6800 - 7200 shots/minute
- Penetration at 10 m: 29-37 mm
- Muzzle velocity: 715 m/s
- 200-round magazines ?
- Stabilizer; No
- Vertical; -10° / +85° ?
- Horizontal; 360°
- Rotation speed; 80°/s
- Zoom; unknown
- Galileo J-171 ballistic computer
- Main; 2x Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L 23x115mm gun (4x barrels)
Gallery
stationary version of 2x GSh-23L installed on the carriage of an M55A4 20/3 mm anti-aircraft gun
Sources
Marinko Aleksić and Rajko Vidojević, “Samohodni PA top 30/2 mm – Praga na bojištu,” Novi Glasnik, No. 5, September–October 1997, pp. 81–86.
Aleksandar Radić, „Praga na Balkáně“, HPM – Historie a plastikové modelářství, št. 9/2007, str. 22–27, zlasti str. 26.
http://www.srpskioklop.paluba.info/m53/opis.htm
M53/59 Praga - Wikipedia
Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 - Wikipedia
https://www.mycity-military.com/
https://www.paluba.info/smf/index.php