M53/59 Praga (Lizard)

History

When Czechoslovakia (1945-1992) was still unified in the late 1950s, the local defense industry developed under the M53/59 (or "Type 1953/1959"). The basic design of the vehicle consists of a standard Praga V3S series 6x6 wheeled utility truck chassis with armor suitable for the battlefield role, paired with a pair of 35mm autocannons, complete with basic optics, aiming gear and other role-specific equipment. The resulting product was subsequently put into service in the Czech Army, and hundreds of these low-cost battlefield solutions were exported to allied nations and other interested customers, including Egypt, Iraq and Libya.

With the end of Czechoslovakia in June 1993, the remaining fleet of these self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAA) trucks was handed over to the successor countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The vehicle is locally registered as "PLDvK vz. 53/59" and is known by the nickname "Lizard" ("Jesterka").

The basic functionality of the Praga OEM truck system has been preserved during the retrofit. However, a slightly oversized angular armored body was added to the chassis, providing basic ballistic protection for the four crew members (driver, commander and two gunners). The cabin is fully protected in this way, and the visibility for the driver and commander is equivalent to viewing slits and hinged panels. The midship has a single two-wheel axle in the front and a two-wheel four-wheel axle in the rear.

The artillery section is mounted on the rear of the truck and can operate independently as a fixed anti-aircraft (AA) solution. The diesel engine for propulsion was kept in the armored front compartment.

The body armor is aluminum and the engine is a Tatra T912-2 inline 6-cylinder air-cooled diesel engine with 110 hp. The suspension system is a torsion variant to provide reasonable off-road/off-road ride. Road speeds can reach 37 mph and range is up to 310 miles.

The artillery section consists of 2 x 30mm automatic cannons mounted side by side on a movable base that can be raised. Each gun was resupplied with its own ammunition, and the ship carried around 900 35mm rounds (as well as any personal weapons the operator took over). Without a radar installed, target targeting, acquisition and firing are all handled manually, limiting the tactical value of the weapon system.

In addition to its value as a short-range airspace deterrent, the vehicle's weapons can be trained on lightly armored vehicles and used as a suppression measure against entrenched infantry units.

The M53/59 is known to have been used in the bloody, prolonged Yugoslav wars of the 1990s (1991-2001), where its automatic nature was lethally used. About 220 were ordered by Yugoslavia and received between 1965 and 1968, with hundreds of them in service during the war.

However, bad weather and low light hours limited its effectiveness, and the remaining fleet was eventually taken over by the successor states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia.

Despite their age and limitations, the M53/59 is still used by several modern armies including Egypt.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

900 x 30mm projectile (approx.).

Changes