ðə dˈeɪnə wʌzɐ sɪɡnˈɪfɪkənt dᵻpˈɑːɹtʃɚ fɹʌm kəntˈɛmpɚɹˌɛɹi sˈɛlfpɹəpˈɛld ɡˈʌnz æz ɪt jˈuːzd ɐ wˈiːld tʃˈæsi ænd fˈiːtʃɚd ɐn ˈɪnəvˌeɪɾɪv ˈɔːɾəmˌeɪɾᵻd lˈoʊdɪŋ sˈɪstəm wˌɪtʃ wʌzðə fˈɜːst ʌv ɪts kˈaɪnd æt ðə tˈaɪm ʌv ɪts ˌɪntɹədˈʌkʃən tə sˈɜːvɪs.
The DANA was a significant departure from contemporary self-propelled guns as it used a wheeled chassis and featured an innovative automated loading system which was the first of its kind at the time of its introduction to service.