Future Artillery 2023: Slovakia transforms artillery

Slovak self-propelled artillery battalions are equipped with the Zuzana self-propelled howitzer armed with a 155 mm gun. (Kerametal)

Janes learnt details of the plans for the Slovak Armed Forces' artillery on the last day of Defence iQ's Future Artillery 2023 conference held in Munich from 30 May to 1 June.

The branch will see its 5th Artillery Regiment become a brigade again in 2035, as it was before April 2005, with its battalions to be assigned to manoeuvre brigades.

The regiment consists of the 21st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion with Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs), the 51st Self-Propelled Artillery Battalion with Zuzana 2000 SPHs, the 53rd Artillery Battalion with D-30 towed howitzers, the 54th Multiple Rocket Launcher (MRL) Battalionwith RM-70 MRLs, and an anti-tank unit with Spike LR2 anti-tank guided missiles.

The D-30s will be replaced by Zuzana SPHs, with the EVA version being one possibility, and the MRLs by a system that can fire Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) munitions. Slovakia is also negotiating the procurement of Hero-120 loitering munitions and more Spike LR2s through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency and plans to replace 98 mm mortars with 120 mm mortars. The country's armed forces are seeking to increase their indirect fire range to at least 80 km with a new gun or ammunition and direct fire support to 40 km.