M53/59
Contents
Description
The M53/59, known as Praga PLDvK vz. 53/59-"Ještěrka" (Praga twin-cannon AA Model 53/59 "Lizard") in Czech, is an ex-Czechoslovak SPAA built from the chassis of a Praga V3S truck with a pair of 30 mm ZK453 autocannon onboard; although this truck was designed and manufactured by the dawn of supersonic jets, these 30 mm cannons did provide devastating firepower against light targets where it would be hopeless against autocannons. The truck didn't see action in Czechoslovakia (and their successor states) but combat records in both South Europe and Africa still reflect its combat capability at support fire operations.
One of the newcomers of the Update "Sky Guardians" and part of the Soviet tech tree, it not only doubled its firepower over its Soviet counterparts, but also having high rate of fire against any possible aerial targets or armoured targets which happened to showed their sides. It has more than enough penetration at its tier to tear down them with ease; but players would still have to conserve ammo as 100 shells per load (50 per magazine) with a rather long reload time could possibly give death sentence to the truck if the enemy has means to take you down with ease (i.e. HMG, other autocannons or HE shells). Sneak up and flank on unaware enemies or find a spot and conceal yourself, then unleash bullet storm upon them when they show their sides.
General info
Survivability and armour
The M53/59 is based on a Praga V3S 6x6 truck with a revised cabin to crew 4 out of the 5 of them (with only a gunner outside); surprisingly, although only covered by 10 mm of steel at front, it could deflect .50 HMG from some distance or at flat terrains thanks to its angular design with slopes; the engine block could also absorb some damages but prolonged hits will certainly bust the engine. Other that the front of the truck, the protection all-round is only rated for rifle-calibre bullets and sometimes if the enemies are close enough, they can take the crew down with ease, especially MG34 on German tanks with rather high rate of fire; another problem is the rather cramped crew compartment, anything larger than 14.5 mm machine guns/autocannons will certainly gun down the crews with ease even at distance; let alone shells with explosive filler which could detonate the racks of ammo right at the centre of mass or overpressure the crew altogether. So taking cover from time to time and flank the enemies can maximize its survivability.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The truck utilized the same Tatra T912-2 L6 diesel engine as the Praga V3S truck, although the revised cabin also added weight to the chassis, the truck could still travel at up to 60 km/h and reverse at a sufficient speed in case players need to make a swift escape from enemies.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 66 | 11 | 10.3 | _,___ | 210 | __.__ | 20.39 |
| Realistic | 60 | 10 | _,___ | 110 | __.__ | 10.68 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
Based on an existing WWII design and built by the Zbrojovka Vsetín and certified in 1953[1], the only weapon on the M53/59 is the 30 mm ZK453 autocannon with 50 shells per magazine; the rate of fire, penetration are certainly satisficing to take down aerial targets and ground targets even at distance thanks to its relative straight ballistics. But this is also not a gun for players who are trigger-happy: having only 400 rounds in total and relatively long reload time, it is best to save the shells for close targets which can utilize its HVAP shells well and fire at burst unless in emergency.
| 30 mm ZK453 (x2) | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 400 (50) | 400 | -10°/+85° | ±180° | - | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: HVAP-T · FI-T - This is an all-purpose ammunition belt that can be used for both anti-air and anti-ground purposes. A great belt to have during battles because it can engage all types of units without switching and reloading specific ammunition for either air or ground enemy units.
- 30-JFSv-53: FI-T - This is the HE belt, which should only be used against enemy air units; the ammunition is ineffective against enemy ground units, with the exception of lightly armoured tanks or other SPAA.
- 30-JPZSv-53/59: HVAP-T - This is the AP belt used for anti-ground purpose. Use this belt for maximum efficiency against enemy ground units, but because it lacks HE ammunition, engaging enemy air units may be less effective.
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HVAP-T | 91 | 88 | 74 | 60 | 49 | 40 | |
| FI-T | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HVAP-T | 1,000 | 0.43 | - | - | - | 66° | 70° | 72° | ||||
| FI-T | 1,000 | 0.45 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 63.14 | 47° | 56° | 65° | ||||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Usage in battles
The M53/59 playstyle is relatively unique in the Soviet ground force tech tree. While it has excellent anti-air capabilities, it also has outstanding anti-tank capabilities. Despite the high penetration HVAP-T ammunition belt provided by this vehicle, it is critical not to become too attached to areas where the main fighting is taking place.
The M53/59 is a Soviet rank IV SPAA with a BR of 6.0 that excels in this role. It is one of the best Soviet SPAA in the mid-BR range, with decent mobility and surprising anti-tank capabilities not found in other Soviet SPAA. The M53/59 is equipped with two ammunition belts: HVAP-T and FI-T. Both ammunition belts have an initial shell velocity of up to 1000 m/s, which is extremely fast when compared to other SPAA in this BR range.
To use the M53/59, take note of good "camping" corners around each map, such as behind a house facing sideways towards a capture zone. For maximum survivability on the battlefield, it is critical to stay hidden and use cover throughout the map. For maps with little to no cover, try to stay hidden behind a hill to assess the overall situation; always look around the skies for enemy air units rather than focusing solely on the ground, as this vehicle's primary role is anti-air (despite the high penetration HVAP-T ammunition belt offered).
The M53/59 has a variety of playstyles, including anti-air cover for the friendly team and close range anti-ground support for ground units as needed.
Playing against the enemy
During battle, always try to stay in cover because open areas are dangerous. Pay attention to nearby enemy tank engines and only fire if you are certain your shells will penetrate the armour (e.g., light tanks, sides of medium or heavy tanks). If the enemy spots you and tries to engage you, aim for the gun barrel to prevent the enemy from firing. Because the M53/59 is not a dedicated anti-tank vehicle, its main disadvantage is light armour with moderate mobility when compared to dedicated light tanks. When playing in tight and narrow streets, pay close attention because the vehicle does not turn in a tight radius.
Keep an eye on the map during battle to avoid colliding with a heavily armoured enemy tank. If an encounter is unavoidable, always attempt to disable the gun barrel first and only move up to the enemy tank sides if there are no other enemy friendly tanks nearby. If you receive an inbound artillery alert, always change your position because close landing artillery shells can severely damage or destroy your vehicle.
Playing against M53/59
If you see an M53/59, always aim for the turret to disable the gun or at the very least knock out the gunner. Load a HE shell immediately for a follow-up shot to effectively destroy the M53/59. Never ignore an M53/59 when you see one, as an experienced enemy player can quickly tear through multiple friendly players if they all have side armour facing it. If you are on a light tank, avoid engaging M53/59 if possible because M53/59 has a better chance of destroying you. Immediately alert nearby friends to draw heavier armoured friendlies to deal with it.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Well-rounded SPAA with excellent choice of ammunition; able to engage both ground units and air units effectively.
- High penetration for HVAP-T, providing 91 mm of armour penetration at point blank range; can effectively damage or destroy enemy tanks in close range.
- Shells are high velocity, making engaging air units easily with minimal lead.
- Respectable turret traverse speed allows for quick response against incoming enemy air units.
- Able to fire directly forward as the crew compartment is low enough for the gun to fire horizontally towards the directly it is driving, very advantageous when engaging enemy ground units as it reduces reaction time significantly.
- Crew is generally well protected (except the gunner); increase survivability compared to previous Soviet SPAA to enemy air units strafing.
- Mobility is acceptable on roads with decent top speed; noticeable improvements over previous Soviet SPAA (e.g., ZiS-43, ZSU-37, etc.) but not fast enough compared to BTR-ZD.
- Able to take a few hits from enemy tanks due to thin armour not triggering the fuse on enemy tank shells.
Cons:
- Ammunition can ran out really fast due to fast firing rate with long reloads intervals; extra caution when engaging multiple enemy air units.
- Despite increase survivability compared to previous Soviet SPAA to enemy air units strafing, the armour is not enough to protect the crew against anything bigger in caliber (e.g., 20mm).
- Stock performance has a bit negative impact on mobility.
- Unable to turn on the spot due to on wheel chassis; hard to maneuver in tight and narrow streets.
- Gunner is very prone to get hit during enemy air units strafing.
- Vulnerable to close artillery strikes, which can damage or destroy the vehicle relatively easily.
History
The M53/59 Praga is a Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft gun from the early Cold War era, armed with twin 30 mm AA autocannons developed in the 1950s. It was developed and introduced concurrently with the Soviet ZSU-57-2. In Czech, it was known as Praga PLDvK vz. 53/59 Jetrka (lizard).
Development
The SPAA was built on the chassis of a heavily modified and armoured six-wheel-drive truck. The SPAA has a traditional layout, with the engine in the front, the 4-crew cabin in the centre, and the anti-aircraft gun in the back. The anti-aircraft gun is a towed ZK453 weapon system variant. The weapon system uses large vertical 50-round magazines rather than the belt feeding system found in other SPAA of the same era.
The Praga V3S is a reliable chassis, but off-road capabilities are limited due to the increased weight caused by mounting the cannon. The chassis is powered by a Tatra 110 hp diesel engine, which allows for a top speed of 60 km/h on the road. The vehicle's maximum range is approximately 500 km, and it lacks amphibious capabilities. The vehicle was manufactured from the 1950s to 1978, with a total of 1450 units produced.
The crew is only protected from small arms fire and artillery shell splinters by thin steel armour. During engagement with enemy air targets, the gunner is fully exposed on the gun mount. The M53/59 only has optical gun sights and no radar or fire control system. This severely limits its performance in poor weather, low light conditions, or against fast moving targets.
Replacement
While the anti-aircraft role is mostly obsolete in modern times, it can be used effectively as a support role for ground forces against enemy soft targets, particularly during the Yugoslav wars. It is still used by armies in Egypt, Libya, Serbia, and Slovakia, among others.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| USSR anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| GAZ-AAA | GAZ-AAA (4M) · GAZ-AAA (DShK) |
| BTR-152 | BTR-152A · BTR-152D |
| Wheeled/Half-tracked | GAZ-MM (72-K) · ZiS-12 (94-KM) · ZiS-43 |
| Radar SPAAG | ZSU-23-4 · ZSU-37-2 |
| SAM | ZSU-23-4M4 · Strela-10M2 · 2S6 · Pantsir-S1 |
| Other | ZUT-37 · ZSU-37 · BTR-ZD · ZSU-57-2 |
| Czechoslovakia | M53/59 |
| North Vietnam | ▂Phòng không T-34 |
