PZA Loara

Infobox Weapon
name=PZA Loara


caption=The PZA Loara anti-aircraft vehicle
origin=flag|Poland
type=Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
is_vehicle=yes
length=6.67 m
width=3.4 m
height=2.19 m
weight=45 tonnes
suspension=torsion bar
speed=60 km/h
vehicle_range=650 km
primary_armament=2 × 35 mm autocannon
secondary_armament=none
armour=conventional steel
engine=diesel S-1000
crew=3 (commander, driver, gunner)
engine_power=1000 hp
pw_ratio=20 hp/tonne

The PZA Loara (Polish: "Przeciwlotniczy Zestaw Artyleryjski" or "anti-aircraft artillery system") is a Polish armored radar-directed self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system.

Description

The system was developed by Poland in the late 1990s. Based around the chassis of the PT-91 "Twardy" tank, system mounts an armored turret holding two Oerlikon KDA 35 mm cannons linked to a radar-based fire control system. It was planned that it would work closely together with the PZR Loara (anti-aircraft missile system) vehicles built on the basis of the PZA Loara but that project was cancelled.

The Loara is an autonomous fire unit capable of performing its tasks independently or acting as a component in a wider air defence system. The system has two radars, a 3D search radar and an engagement radar. The search radar has a range of 26 km and is capable of tracking and identifying up to 64 targets at once. The radar system can also be operated on the move, refreshing its data every second. The system also has a laser range-finder, TV and FLIR cameras giving the system both all-weather day/night capabilities and the ability to operate entirely passively in a heavy ECM environment. The system also has a reaction time of under 10 seconds.

The system can engage aircraft flying at very low altitudes up to 5,000 m, and flying at speeds of up to 500 m/s. It is also effective against lightly armored ground and naval targets.

Currently the only user of this system is the Polish army which ordered a small number of theseanti-aircraft artillery systems.

Operators

*flag|Poland: 2 + 48 on order.
*flag|India: 100 on order (unconfirmed). [ [http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Polands-Bumar-A-Major-Sale-to-India-04789/ Poland’s Bumar: A Major Sale to India?] ]

Awards

It was awarded two awards at International Defence Industry show in Kielce in 2004:
*Defender 2004
*Grand Prix 2004

References

External links

* [http://www.radwar.com.pl/eng/eng/prmi_loa.htm PZA Loara at the manufacturer's web site (in English).]
* [http://www.hsw.pl/eng/s_kda_p.php 35 mm cannon KDA at the manufacturer's web site (in English).]
* [http://www.militarium.net/wojska_ladowe/loara.php More information about PZA Loara (in Polish).]
* [http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3390360&c=EUR&s=ALL/Indian defence orders from India for Polish armoured behicles.]