The PzH 2000 Howitzers, to be displayed in the motorised, mechanised and armoured column in the military parade of 4 August on the occasion of the Victory, Homeland Gratitude and Croatian Defenders Day were presented in the Croatian Armed Forces’ Maintenance Depot in Zagreb on 29 July.
The howitzers were presented by the Commander of the Artillery-Missile Regiment of the Croatian Army, Colonel Tomislav Pavičić, to which the Howitzers have been allocated to.
“It is with great satisfaction that I can confirm that we have fully mastered the use of the Howitzers, trained the first crews and are ready to adopt the howitzers into the operational use in a short time frame, following the signature of the contract with the manufacturer on the adjustment of the system to the Croatian use and the installation of the fire control system and communication devices.
With the PzH as the currently most advanced artillery weapon in our inventory the Croatian Armed Forces will have one among the best equipped artilleries in NATO and in the world. The range depends on the ammunition – with the standard HE-FRAG projectile it equals 30 kilometres and 40 km with rocket-assisted projectile. The newest extended range projectiles have been launched that enable targeting at even 80 kilometres“ said Colonel Pavičić.
The Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Drago Lovrić  expressed satisfaction over the entry of the PzZ Howitzers into the operational use by the Croatian Armed Forces. “The use of the  howitzers will be incorporated in the doctrine of the Army and of the Armed Forces, as well as the doctrine of the use of the artillery, where we opt for the integrated combat doctrine that entails the integration of the sensors into a unified fire control system, which is why we are modernising our forces. I hope that the Howitzers will fully enter the operational use by late 2016 or early 2017“ stated General Lovrić.
The PzH 2000 Howitzers are a state-of-the-art self-propelled high fire power artillery weapon. The howitzer’s gun is 155-mm, with 52 caliber long barrel. They are characterised by high mobility and multiple round simultaneous impact (five shells below ˂2sec) and meet the standards for modern artillery systems and is presently in the operational use in four NATO nations: Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. Its reliability and efficiency was proven in the real conditions in ISAF.
The Croatian Armed Forces expect the delivery of a total of six Howitzers, and the remaining six by the end of 2016.