fbpx
Wikipedia

ZSU-23-4 Shilka

May 12, 2023

The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored Soviet self-propelled, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapon system (SPAAG).

ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"
A ZSU-23-4 on display at the Museum of Russian Military History
TypeSelf-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1960–present
Used bySee Operators
WarsSee Combat history
Production history
Designed1957–1960
ManufacturerUlyanovsk Mechanical Plant (UMZ), Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (MMZ)
Unit costUS$357,000 (export price to Libya, 1972/73)[1]
Produced1964–1982
No. builtAbout 6,500[2]
Specifications
Mass19 tonnes[3][4]
Length6.535 m (21 ft 5.3 in)[3]
Width3.125 m (10 ft 3.0 in)[3]
Height2.576 m (8 ft 5.4 in)
3.572 m (11 ft 8.6 in) with radar elevated[4][5]
Crew4 (commander, driver, gunner, radar operator)
ArmorWelded steel, 9.2 mm (0.36 in) turret, up to 15 mm hull
Main
armament
4 × 23 mm 2A7 autocannons (AZP-23 "Amur" quad automatic anti-aircraft gun), ammunition 2,000 rounds
EngineV-6R, 6-cylinder 4-stroke airless-injection water-cooled 20-litre diesel
280 hp (209 kW) at 2,000 rpm[6]
Power/weight14.7 hp/tonne (11.0 kW/tonne)
SuspensionIndividual torsion bar
Ground clearance375 mm (14.8 in)[3]
Fuel capacity515 l[7]
Operational
range
450 km (road), 300 km (off-road)[8]
Maximum speed 50 km/h (31 mph) road
30 km/h (19 mph) off-road[8]

Etymology

The acronym "ZSU" stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka (Russian: Зенитная Самоходная Установка), meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled system"; the "23" signifies the bore diametre in millimetres; the "4" signifies the number of gun barrels. It is named after the Shilka River in Russia. Afghan soldiers nicknamed it the "sewing machine" due to the sound of its cannons firing. It is also referred to by its nickname of "Zeus", derived from the Russian acronym.

History

 
ZSU-23-4 at Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel.

The previous Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), the ZSU-57-2, was armed with two 57 mm autocannons; it was aimed optically using a basic tracking and lead calculating system. The ZSU-57-2 was not particularly successful despite its very powerful autocannons; given their large caliber, it could only carry 300 rounds, was inaccurate as it lacked radar and could not fire while on the move.

The ZPU series armed with 14.5 mm heavy machine guns carried on a towed mount for stationary, point air defence had a much higher rate of fire. The 23 mm version of this weapon system was known as the ZU-23-2, a towed mount carrying two 23 mm cannons. However, these towed or improvised truck-mounted weapons had similar disadvantages.

The development of the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" began in 1957 along with ZSU-37-2 "Yenisei"[9] and the vehicle was brought into service in 1965, replacing all ZSU-57-2s in air defense units toward the beginning of the 1970s. The ZSU-23-4 was intended for AA defense of military facilities, troops, and mechanized columns on the march; originally, the more powerful guns of "Yenisei" were judged to be effective at covering the inner dead-zone of Soviet surface-to-air missile systems despite the increased weight of the vehicle, but commonality prevailed. Initially, tank regiments should have had the anti-aircraft artillery battalion of "Shilka" (consisting of two batteries, four ZSU-23-4s in each). At the end of the 1960s, one battery was equipped with ZSU-23-4s and the other with ZSU-57-2s. Motorized rifle and tank regiment standard anti-aircraft batteries consisted of two platoons later (one platoon was equipped with four ZSU-23-4s and another with four mobile surface-to-air missile systems 9K31 Strela-1 or 9K35 Strela-10). The ZSU-23-4 combined a proven radar system, the non-amphibious chassis based on GM-575 tracked vehicle, and four 23 mm autocannons. This delivered a highly effective combination of mobility with heavy firepower and considerable accuracy. The ZSU-23-4 outclassed all NATO anti-aircraft guns at the time, and it is still regarded as posing a major threat for low-flying fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The system was widely fielded throughout the Warsaw Pact and among other pro-Soviet states. Around 2,500 ZSU-23-4s, of the total 6,500 produced, were exported to 23 countries. The Warsaw Pact's successor states continue to manufacture and supply variants of the ZSU-23-4, notably the Ukrainian "Donets" and Polish "Biala" variants.

ZSU-23-4 units saw active service in the Yom Kippur War (1973) and other Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), and the First Gulf War (1990). During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the system was particularly effective against the Israeli Air Force. Israeli pilots attempting to fly low in order to avoid SA-6 missiles were often shot down by ZSU-23-4s as in Operation Doogman 5. During the Soviet–Afghan War ZSU-23-4 units were used widely and to great effect against mujahideen positions in the mountains, the ZSU-23-4's guns being able to elevate much higher than the weapons on BMPs, BTRs, T-55s, or T-62s.[10] They were also used to suppress defensive positions around the presidential palace during the initial coup in Kabul at the start of the Soviet-Afghan war. The Russian Army used the ZSU-23-4 for mountain combat in Chechnya.

Description

 
ZSU-23-4 graphic.

The radar-guided ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" SPAAG, with its four 23 mm (0.90") autocannons, was a revolutionary SPAAG, proving to be an extremely effective weapon against enemy attack aircraft and helicopters under every weather and light condition. The ZSU-23-4 has a very high density, rate and accuracy of fire, as well as the capability for each of the four autocannons to fire its own type of projectile from separate belts. While it is technically possible that each cannon shoots different type of ammunition, there were two types commonly used in late 1970s: OFZT incendiary fragmentation and BZT armour-piercing tracer, which were to be loaded in 3:1 ratio—three OFZT, then one BZT, every 10th BZT round equipped with so-called "copper remover" and marked. Operators were strongly discouraged from shooting from a single barrel.

The appearance of the "Shilka" caused significant changes in NATO tactics in aircraft use at low altitude over the battlefield. Despite its present obsolescence as a modern short-range anti-aircraft weapon, the ZSU-23-4 is still deadly for enemy light armoured vehicles, infantry and firing points as an infantry-support vehicle. With its high rate of accurate fire, the ZSU-23-4 can even neutralize tanks by destroying their gun sights, radio antennas, or other vulnerable parts.[4] ZSU-23-4s, especially late models, have excellent performance and good systems reliability.

Based on the GM-575 tracked vehicle chassis, which used components from the PT-76 light amphibious tank, the ZSU-23-4 mounts an armored turret holding four liquid-cooled 23 mm (0.9") 2A7 autocannons linked to an RPK-2 "Tobol" radar (NATO designator: "Gun Dish"). The vehicle weighs 19 tonnes (late modifications up to 21 tonnes), has a movement range of 450 km (280 mi) and a top speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). Additional firepower of late modifications can be supplied by a roof-mounted pod of six short-range SA-18 SAMs, or side-mounted SA-16s.

The crew numbers four: driver, commander, gunner and radar operator. The driver's compartment is located in the nose part of the vehicle. The fighting compartment is in the center, and the engine compartment is in the rear part of the vehicle.

The transmission consists of a multi-plate metal-contact main clutch, a manual gearbox with five forward gears, two planetary two-step steering gears with locking frictions and two final drive groups. The vehicle chassis has six single rubber tired road wheels, a rear drive sprocket with detachable sprocket rings (lantern-wheel gear) and one idler wheel per side. The first and fifth left, and sixth right road wheels have hydraulic shock absorbers. The track is 11.904 m long, 382 mm (15") wide and has 93 links.

Because of a large number of different pipes and tubes to detach during maintenance, the repair procedure for some of the vehicle's mechanisms is hard (for example, replacement or repair of a starter). The electric drive of an air outlet hatch of a gas turbine engine (part of the vehicle's electric power supply system) has an inconvenient location (at the bottom of the hull) which causes overheating and sometimes, jamming of the electric drive. On the other hand, the construction of the electric power supply system is very reliable. Changing the main engine oil and coolant is easy, as is replacement of fuel and oil filters, and sections of the air filter.[11]

The ZSU-23-4 can cross vertical obstacles 0.7 m (2.3') high, trenches 2.5 m (8.2') wide, has a 1.0 m (3.3') fording depth and can climb 30° gradients.[12] The ZSU-23-4 has good maneuverability and cross-country ability, but its diesel engine's power is insufficient for a vehicle of its weight. As a result, off-road acceleration capabilities are sub-par, and the vehicle lags behind MBTs and IFVs on up-hill terrain.[11][13]

The ZSU-23-4 is equipped with an NBC system with an air filtration unit, fire-fighting equipment, TNA-2 navigational system, infrared vision device, R-123 radio set, R-124 intercom and electric power supply system consisting of a DGChM-1 single-shaft gas turbine engine (70 hp at 6,000 rpm) and a direct-current generator (which provides 27 V and 54 V direct current or 220 V 400 Hz alternating current).[14]

Weapons and fire control

Turret and guns

 
Side view of a US Marine Corps ZSU at Camp Pendleton, 1997

Each water-cooled 23 mm 2A7 autocannon has a cyclic rate of 850–1,000 rounds per minute for a combined rate of fire of 3,400–4,000 rounds per minute, which gives a continuous fire time of 30–35 seconds before running out of ammo (not considering the constraints that limit the practical rate of fire, such as barrel overheating). The welded turret has a race ring transplanted from a T-54 medium tank with a 1,840 mm (6') diametre. The 360° rotating turret is fully stabilised and capable of firing on the move. The turret rotation and autocannon elevation mechanisms provide very good speed and guidance accuracy. The hydraulically driven aiming mechanisms have been proven to be very reliable. Manual aim is used against ground targets. The quad automatic anti-aircraft gun AZP-23 "Amur" has a range of elevation from −4° to +85°. The GRAU designation for ZSU-23-4 turret with 23 mm (0.9") AZP-23 "Amur" quad automatic gun is 2A10. An armoured plate inside the turret protects crew members from fire and explosive gas during intense firing.

Ammunition

 
23mm ammunition

Ammunition capacity is 2,000 rounds stowed aboard (520 rounds per each upper autocannon and 480 rounds per each lower autocannon) loaded in 50-round or shorter belts.

The water-cooled 2A7 23mm guns of ZSU-23-4 fire the same 23×152B mm caliber ammunition as the 2A14 guns of the twin-barrel ZU-23-2 towed gun. While the 23mm Volkov-Yartsev VYa-23 aircraft gun used in the Second World War era Il-2 Sturmovik also fired ammunition of the same cartridge case dimensions, the rounds differed in loading and primer, and are thus not interchangeable with the post-war AA gun ammunition.[15] Compared to the VYa and its ammunition, the air defence guns have slightly higher muzzle velocity, and explosive rounds also have slightly larger HE fillings.[16] The VYa ammunition has brass cases, while 2A7/2A14 ammunition has steel cases.[15]

Three main types of 23mm anti-aircraft ammunition were manufactured post-war: API-T, HEI and HEI-T. In addition to the original Soviet rounds, a number of ammunition manufacturers have since begun to produce ammunition for what is still a widely used caliber; these include new ammunition types such as sub-caliber armor-piercing rounds and frangible ammunition. The following table lists the main characteristics of some of the available 23×152B mm ammunition used in 23mm AA guns:

Designation Type Projectile Weight [g] Bursting charge [g] Muzzle Velocity [m/s] Description
BZT API 190[16] none 970 Blunt AP steel core, with incendiary charge inside windshield cap.[16] Penetration 15 mm RHA at 1000 m range and 30-degree impact angle, or 25mm at 400m and 0-degree impact. Tracer burn time 5 seconds.
OFZ HE 184[16] 19[17] 980[16] HE fragmentation round with nose fuzes incorporating self-destruct mechanism.[16]
OFZT HE-T 188[16] 13[17] 980[16] HE fragmentation round with a reduced HE charge due to the space taken by the tracer; tracer burn time 5 seconds.
APDS-T APDS-T 103 none 1220 A Polish sub-caliber armour-piercing round with tracer. Penetration 30 mm RHA at 100 m range and 30-degree impact angle (from perpendicular), tracer burn time >2.5 s.

A typical loading of each ammunition belt contains 40 OFZT and 10 BZT rounds.[11] They can be fired to a maximum horizontal range of 7 km (4.3 mi), and a vertical range of 5.1 km (3.2 mi). The effective vertical range is 1.5 km (0.93 mi) at a direct range to target of 2.5 km (1.6 mi) and target speed of 250 m/s (up to 500 m/s if a modern fire control system is used). The usual autocannon burst consists of 3–10 projectiles and target lead angle is calculated for each burst (fire without adjustment) by computer.[14] In attacking targets on the ground, its effective range is around 2.5 km (1.6 mi). The short range of its 23 mm autocannons and relatively low explosive effect of its small-calibre projectiles mean it is less able to engage threats such as jet attack aircraft and cruise missiles than modern systems like the 2K22 Tunguska armed with more powerful 30 mm autocannons and integrated missile armaments. A special 23 mm round with composite projectiles was developed for a modern variant of SPAAG (ZSU-23-4M4) to be used against cruise missiles.

Radar

The RPK-2 "Tobol" a.k.a. 1RL33 radar operates in the Ku band and can detect aircraft up to 20 km (12 mi) away. It has excellent target tracking capability and is relatively hard to detect by the enemy. However, the radar picks up many false returns (ground clutter) under 60 m (200 ft) of altitude. The radar antenna is mounted on collapsible supports in the top rear of the turret. There is an optical alignment sight. The RPK-2 radar proved to have good protection against enemy passive electronic radar counter-measures. Nevertheless, the radar system of the ZSU-23-4 has a short detection range during target search, depending on weather conditions (mainly dependent on rain and snow conditions). It is hard to automatically track the target at ranges less than 7–8 km (4.3–5.0 mi) because of the high angular speed of the target at close distances. The radar needs to be reset quite often because of the unstable parametres of electronic cathode-ray tubes of the target selection system. The absence of an automatic laser range finder requires a skillful commander and gunner.[18][11]

Limitations and problems

Early versions of the ZSU-23-4 sometimes had problems with "runaway guns": after prolonged periods of firing, the guns would get so hot that chambered rounds would "cook off" even if the operator was not pulling the trigger – discharging the weapon and chambering a new round, which would then also cook off, and continue to do so. This would sometimes continue until the entire belt of ammunition had been expended. Overheating barrels could jam and even break away from the vehicle. The problem resulted from a deficient cooling system and made the early ZSU-23-4s dangerous even to friendly troops standing nearby if this happened. Despite the fact that this seldom happened, Soviet operators learned to give these machines a wide berth.(Perrett 1987:100)[12] It was not recommended to perform continuous fire (bursts longer than 15 seconds without pause) on earlier models until the problem with autocannon reliability and overheating during intense fire was solved on ZSU-23-4M (welded tubes of coolant outlet were replaced with flexible pipes). After the autocannon cooling system was improved, the autocannons became extremely reliable.[11]

The ZSU-23-4 has an 1A7 SRP electro-mechanical fire solution calculator, weighing 180 kg, that occupies all of the space before the Commander. It contains 60 electric motors driving 110 axles over different potentiometres, shafts, rods, cams, gears and linkages to mechanically calculate ammunition flight time until impact, elevation lead angle, and azimuth lead angle using the target parametres received from the 1RL33 RPK-2 (gun dish) radar, and the correction angle received from the GAG (gyroscope) unit.

Deployment

 
ZSU-23-4

Soviet doctrine supplied the vehicle since 1965 in an anti-aircraft artillery battery of two, four-vehicle platoons for anti-aircraft defence of motor rifle and tank regiments. At the end of the 1960s one platoon was equipped with ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs while another one was still equipped with ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs. ZSU-57-2 was completely replaced with ZSU-23-4 by the beginning of the 1970s. In the 1970s, Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments were equipped with an anti-aircraft missile artillery battery consisting of two platoons, one equipped with four ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs and the other with four 9K31 Strela-1 (SA-9 Gaskin) or later with four 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) short-range surface-to-air missile systems which cover the dead zones of 2K12 Kub (SA-6 Gainful) surface-to-air missile systems belonging to the divisional level. Since the 1980s Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments were equipped with an anti-aircraft artillery battalion of three batteries (one was equipped with ZSU-23-4 or 9K22 Tunguska SPAAGs, the second one was equipped with 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) short-range surface-to-air missile systems and the third battery with 9K38 Igla man-portable surface-to-air missiles on IFVs or APCs.[14]

The ZSU-23-4 is very vulnerable to enemy anti-tank missiles, cannons and heavy machine guns; the armour is thin (not exceeding 15 mm) and the exposed wheels, tracks, radar, and gun barrels can easily be damaged in combat. Firing positions of ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs are typically placed near the forward edge of the battle area (FEBA) but behind the main forces, usually 600–1000 m behind objectives when on the defensive or 400–600 m behind the leading tanks on the offensive. ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs are divided evenly along the troop columns on the march.

At first each ZSU-23-4 operated in combat autonomously, without target marking from regimental or divisional air defence. In 1978, the PPRU-1 (mobile reconnaissance and control post) was passed into service of the Soviet Army. The PPRU-1 ("Ovod-M-SV") vehicle is based on MT-LBu armoured tracked chassis and it was intended for control of motor rifle or tank regimental anti-aircraft unit equipped with ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs and 9K31 "Strela-1M" mobile surface-to-air missile systems. The PPRU-1 is equipped with the "Luk-23" radar and an automatic fire control system associated with the divisional air defence system.

The guns are useful against low-flying aircraft and lightly protected ground targets. Due to its effectiveness against ground targets, ZSU-23-4s have been used in urban environments (e.g., Afghanistan, Abkhazia, Chechnya, Syria and Lebanon). This is primarily because the guns can elevate much higher than a tank or APC cannon, enabling armored units equipped with ZSU-23-4s to return fire against ambushes from above.

A small number of ZSU-23-4 SPAAGs are still in use by the Russian Naval Infantry (specifically the 61st Brigade of the Northern Fleet, the 336th Brigade of the Baltic Fleet, and the 155th Brigade of the Pacific Fleet).[19]

Variants

Soviet Union

  • ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" (1964): pre-production and then initial production models.
  • ZSU-23-4V "Shilka" (1968): modernized variant with enhanced reliability of some details, ventilation system case located on the hull. Commander vision device was added.
  • ZSU-23-4V1 "Shilka" (1970): modernized variant with enhanced reliability of radar system and other details, ventilation system cases located on front bilges of the turret. Guidance-system computer was improved (as well as accuracy and efficiency of anti-aircraft fire on the move at 40 km/h). It is fitted with a slightly improved diesel engine V-6R-1.
  • ZSU-23-4M1 (1973): armed with modernized autocannons 2A7M. The pneumatic loading was replaced with pyrotechnic loading (unreliable compressor was removed), welded tubes of coolant outlet were replaced with flexible pipes which increased autocannon barrel life from 3500 rounds to 4500 rounds.
  • ZSU-23-4M3 "Biryusa" (1977): equipped with the "Luk" IFF system. All ZSU-23-4M were upgraded to ZSU-23-4M3 level during scheduled repairs. Army unofficially continued to use the name "Shilka" for all variants of ZSU-23-4.
  • ZSU-23-4M2 (1978): so-called "Afghan" variant. Reequipment performed during the Soviet–Afghan War for mountain combat. The radar system was removed and a night-sight was added. Ammunition increased from 2,000 to 4,000 rounds.

Russian Federation and Belarus

  • ZSU-23-4M4 and ZSU-23-4M5 (1999): modernized variants, armed with two additional paired "Igla" man-portable air-defense systems on each side of the turret and equipped with 81mm smoke grenade launchers, laser emission sensors, electro-optical vision devices (including television system for driver) and improved weapon radar system. The mechanical transmission was replaced with hydrostatic transmission, and hydraulic boosters were installed. Mobility increased to the level of main battle tanks. This upgrade was first shown during the MAKS-99 exhibition in Zhukovsky and was carried out by the Minotor Service Enterprise and Peleng Joint Stock Company from the Republic of Belarus, and the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant of Russia. The Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant is also offering ZSU-23-4 upgrade packages independently.[20][21][22]

Ukraine

  • Donets (1999): This is a Ukrainian modernization developed by Malyshev Tank Factory in Kharkov. It has the modified turret from the ZSU-23-4, armed with two additional paired man-portable air-defense systems "Strela-10" installed on the hull of the T-80UD main battle tank. Ammunition capacity for its 23 mm autocannons is doubled.
  • ZSU-23-4M-A (2017): A modernization package developed by the Arsenal Factory in Kyiv, this system features a new Rokach-AS radar, laser rangefinder, and four automatic Igla missiles.[23]

Poland

Iran

  • ZSU-23-4 Soheil :Iranian upgrade with 4 Misagh-2 surface-to-air missiles. Not much is known about it outside of its name and armament. An additional box of unknown use is visible on the rear of the turret.

India

  • ZSU-23-4 upgrade: This version was developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) of India in cooperation with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). These Anti Aircraft Tanks(AAT) were first used in the Indo-Pak War of 1971. These proved to be effective against Pakistani Mirage-III's. The upgraded systems will feature an advanced 3D active phased array radar[26] and computers, electro-optical fire control systems, a new Caterpillar 359 BHP diesel engine and a new APU. The upgraded systems are able to operate despite enemy jamming, are able to pick up targets from more than 15 km away, and functions in temperatures between 55° Celsius and minus 40° Celsius. The gun is able to shoot down targets flying at 450 miles per hour up to 1,500 metres and out to 2,500 metres. The purpose of the upgrade is to extend the life of the air defence system by 15 years. In December 2004 it was reported that the Indian Army awarded a US$104 million contract to upgrade its 48 ZSU-23-4 air defence systems.[27][28]

Netherlands

  • ZSU-23-4 upgrade (1998): As a private venture, Hollandse Signaalapparaten company (now Thales Nederland) of the Netherlands, obtained a number of ex-East German Army ZSU-23-4V1s and developed an upgrade package. The main part of this upgrade is the modernisation of the radar and fire-control system. The first prototype was completed in mid-1998. The upgraded vehicle is equipped with the ASADS Ka-band target tracking radar and the PAGE I-band surveillance radar.[29]

Vietnam

  • Improved ZSU 23-4 (2022): A Vietnamese modernization held by the VPA Academy of Military Science and Technology (AMST), expected to be applied on Vietnam's existing ZSU-23-4M frames. This version is highly similar to Poland's Biala configuration with a combination of digital and optoelectronics devices replacing the obsolete radar, the installation of four Igla SAMs and the newly-developed digital fire-control system. The new system consist of a thermal camera, a daylight camera and laser rangefinder, providing an equivalent detecting & tracking range to the original active sensor. It is claimed to have a certain integrating compability with digital radars and modern information systems.[30][31]

Combat history

 
Destroyed Shilka during Gulf War (1991)

Operators

 
Map of ZSU-23-4 operators in blue with former operators in red

Current operators

Former operators

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Efrat, Moshe (1983). "The Economics of Soviet Arms Transfers to the Third World. A Case Study: Egypt". Soviet Studies. 35 (4): 437–456. doi:10.1080/09668138308411496. ISSN 0038-5859. JSTOR 151253.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "5. ЗЕНИТНЫЕ САМОХОДНЫЕ УСТАНОВКИ (ЗСУ) – Военный паритет". www.militaryparitet.com. from the original on 28 July 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d . Archived from the original on 25 December 2007. Retrieved 4 May 2008. В Боях На
  4. ^ a b c http://www.army.lv/?s=703&id=65&v=1#info 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine ЗСУ-23-4
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  6. ^ . Archived from the original on 5 January 2008. Retrieved 15 May 2008. Зенитная Самоходная Установка ЗСУ-23-4
  7. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  8. ^ a b ZSU-23-4 'Shilka' 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Cancelled on 20 September 1962
  10. ^ Russian General Staff (translated and edited by Lester Grau and Michael Gress) (2002); The Soviet–Afghan War: How a Superpower Fought and Lost; University Press of Kansas, p. 38. ISBN 0-7006-1185-1.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Охотники за самолетами". from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  12. ^ a b В Боях На «Шилке» 25 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Морская Пехота Балтики – ЗСУ-23-4МЗ и М2". belostokskaya.ru. from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  14. ^ a b c "ЗСУ-23-4 "Шилка"". from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  15. ^ a b Williams, Anthony G.: "An introduction to collecting 23-28mm cartridges" 12 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h "Russian Ammunition Page". from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  17. ^ a b ORDATA: Ordnance Identification Tool, "ORDATA Online: International Deminer's Guide to UXO Identification, Recovery, and Disposal". from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  18. ^ ЗСУ-23-4 "Шилка" – Army.lv< 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Savelov, Alexey (8 April 2019). "Бой на фоне камчатских сопок: расчеты ЗСУ "Шилка" и ЗРК "Стрела-10" предотвратили авиаудар "противника"". Zvezda TV (in Russian). Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. ^ . Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's – IHS". from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  22. ^ "ZSU-23-4 Shilka Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG)". from the original on 10 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  23. ^ Mikhnenko, Anton (22 December 2017). "NEW CAPABILITIES FOR THE ZSU-23-4 SHILKA". defence-ua.com. from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Poland is Looking For Technical Support for the ZSU-23-4MP Anti Aircraft Systems - Defence24.com". from the original on 28 January 2019.
  25. ^ "Tłumacz Google".
  26. ^ "Schilka ZSU-23-4 Upgrade". thumkar.blogspot.ro. 14 February 2014. from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Defense News". Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  28. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  29. ^ "Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's – IHS". from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  30. ^ admin (15 December 2022). "Vietnam People's Army Upgrades ZSU-23-4M Shilka Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Guns". MilitaryLeak. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  31. ^ Viet+ Offensive (10 December 2022). "Descriptions of the Vietnamese Improved ZSU-23-4". Facebook. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  32. ^ Fiszer, Michal (1 October 2004). "A Soviet look at Eldorado Canyon: Soviet sources say April 1986 US raid on Libya revealed incompetence rather than technical failings". The Free Library. Farlex Inc. Retrieved 12 November 2021. The second "Karma" aircraft was much less lucky. It was hit--by a ZSU-23-4 Shilka, according to Soviet sources (US sources, though, claim it was hit by a SAM)--and crashed in the sea.
  33. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Lt. Col. Abu Ali's Death: Why Boko Haram is killing more Nigerian soldiers – Top Military Officer". Premium Times. 7 November 2016. from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  34. ^ Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 15 February 2018 29 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine, "In government-controlled areas, the SMM saw two anti-aircraft guns (ZU-23) on the western outskirts of Avdiivka, two IFVs (one BMP-2 and one BMP-variant) near Bohdanivka and five IFVs (two BMP-1 and three BMP-variant), two armoured reconnaissance vehicles (BRDM-2) and an anti-aircraft gun (ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) in Popasna."
  35. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "ZSU-23-4". Jane's Information Group. 30 October 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2008.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g The World Defence Almanac 1995–1996. Military Technology. 1996
  37. ^ a b International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Military Balance 2012. London: Routledge, 2012, p. 90.
  38. ^ a b c d e International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) (14 February 2022). "The Military Balance 2022". The Military Balance. 122. doi:10.1080/04597222.2022.2022930.
  39. ^ a b ZSU Shilka self-propelled ADGM
  40. ^ International Institute for Strategic Studies (2021). The Military Balance. p. 464. ISBN 9781032012278.
  41. ^ Touchard, Laurent (18 June 2013). "Armée malienne : le difficile inventaire" [Malian Army: The difficult inventory]. Jeune Afrique (in French). from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
  42. ^ a b "Technical support anti-ZSU-23-4MP BIAŁA". Dziennikzbrojny.pl. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  43. ^ Cooper, Tom; Grandolini, Albert; Fontanellaz, Adrien (2019). Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 2: Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony, 1975-1991. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 70. ISBN 978-1-912866-29-8.
  44. ^ Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (29 October 2021). "Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria". Oryx Blog.
  45. ^ Hərbi TV (31 October 2016). "Turkmenistan Military Parade 2016". YouTube (in Turkmen). Ashgabat. from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  46. ^ Zaloga, ZSU-23-4 Shilka & Soviet Air Defense Gun Vehicles (1993), pp. 35-36.
  47. ^ . Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) – information on al-Murabitoun 'Shilka' vehicles.
  48. ^ Yann Mahé, La Guerre Civile Libanese, un chaos indescriptible! (1975-1990), Trucks & Tanks Magazine n.º 41, January–February 2014, ISSN 1957-4193, p. 81.
  49. ^ Kassis, Invasion of Lebanon 1982 (2019), pp. 201; 203.
  50. ^ Sex & Abi-Chahine, Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond (2021), p. 194.
  51. ^ Sex & Bassel Abi-Chahine, Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond (2021), p. 194.
  52. ^ Abi-Chahine, The People's Liberation Army Through the Eyes of a Lens, 1975–1991 (2019), p. 72.

References

  • Koll, Christian (2009). Soviet Cannon: A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm. Linz, Austria: Christian Koll. ISBN 978-3-200-01445-9. OCLC 424511896.
  • Perrett, Bryan (1987). Soviet Armour Since 1945. London: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-1735-1. OCLC 19847519.
  • Shirokorad, A. (February 1998). Bronekollektsiya: "Shilka" i drugie otechestvennye ZSU ("Shilka" and Other Native SPAAGs). Issue of a Russian journal.
  • Bassel Abi-Chahine, The People's Liberation Army through the eyes of a lens, 1975–1991, Éditions Dergham, Jdeideh (Beirut) 2019. ISBN 978-614-459-033-1
  • Samer Kassis, Invasion of Lebanon 1982, Abteilung 502, 2019. ISBN 978-84-120935-1-3 – [1]
  • Mike Guardia and Henry Morshead, Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns of the Soviet Union, New Vanguard series 222, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2015. ISBN 9781472806222
  • Zaloga, Steve [Steven J.] (1993). ZSU-23-4 Shilka & Soviet Air Defense Gun Vehicles. Hong Kong: Concord Publications. ISBN 962-361-039-4. OCLC 48683481.
  • Zachary Sex & Bassel Abi-Chahine, Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond, Modern Conflicts Profile Guide Volume II, AK Interactive, 2021. ISBN 8435568306073

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to ZSU-23-4 Shilka.
  • Federation of American Scientists page
  • GulfLINK: Soviet air defence vehicles 10 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  • In Russian. Description and photos
  • In Russian. Short info and several photos
  • In Russian. Description, specifications, photos

May 12, 2023
shilka, shilka, lightly, armored, soviet, self, propelled, radar, guided, anti, aircraft, weapon, system, spaag, shilka, display, museum, russian, military, historytypeself, propelled, anti, aircraft, gunplace, originsoviet, unionservice, historyin, service196. The ZSU 23 4 Shilka is a lightly armored Soviet self propelled radar guided anti aircraft weapon system SPAAG ZSU 23 4 Shilka A ZSU 23 4 on display at the Museum of Russian Military HistoryTypeSelf propelled anti aircraft gunPlace of originSoviet UnionService historyIn service1960 presentUsed bySee OperatorsWarsSee Combat historyProduction historyDesigned1957 1960ManufacturerUlyanovsk Mechanical Plant UMZ Mytishchi Machine Building Plant MMZ Unit costUS 357 000 export price to Libya 1972 73 1 Produced1964 1982No builtAbout 6 500 2 SpecificationsMass19 tonnes 3 4 Length6 535 m 21 ft 5 3 in 3 Width3 125 m 10 ft 3 0 in 3 Height2 576 m 8 ft 5 4 in 3 572 m 11 ft 8 6 in with radar elevated 4 5 Crew4 commander driver gunner radar operator ArmorWelded steel 9 2 mm 0 36 in turret up to 15 mm hullMainarmament4 23 mm 2A7 autocannons AZP 23 Amur quad automatic anti aircraft gun ammunition 2 000 roundsEngineV 6R 6 cylinder 4 stroke airless injection water cooled 20 litre diesel280 hp 209 kW at 2 000 rpm 6 Power weight14 7 hp tonne 11 0 kW tonne SuspensionIndividual torsion barGround clearance375 mm 14 8 in 3 Fuel capacity515 l 7 Operationalrange450 km road 300 km off road 8 Maximum speed50 km h 31 mph road30 km h 19 mph off road 8 Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Description 4 Weapons and fire control 4 1 Turret and guns 4 2 Ammunition 4 3 Radar 4 4 Limitations and problems 5 Deployment 6 Variants 6 1 Soviet Union 6 2 Russian Federation and Belarus 6 3 Ukraine 6 4 Poland 6 5 Iran 6 6 India 6 7 Netherlands 6 8 Vietnam 7 Combat history 8 Operators 8 1 Current operators 8 2 Former operators 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External linksEtymology EditThe acronym ZSU stands for Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka Russian Zenitnaya Samohodnaya Ustanovka meaning anti aircraft self propelled system the 23 signifies the bore diametre in millimetres the 4 signifies the number of gun barrels It is named after the Shilka River in Russia Afghan soldiers nicknamed it the sewing machine due to the sound of its cannons firing It is also referred to by its nickname of Zeus derived from the Russian acronym History Edit ZSU 23 4 at Yad la Shiryon Museum Israel The previous Soviet self propelled anti aircraft gun SPAAG the ZSU 57 2 was armed with two 57 mm autocannons it was aimed optically using a basic tracking and lead calculating system The ZSU 57 2 was not particularly successful despite its very powerful autocannons given their large caliber it could only carry 300 rounds was inaccurate as it lacked radar and could not fire while on the move The ZPU series armed with 14 5 mm heavy machine guns carried on a towed mount for stationary point air defence had a much higher rate of fire The 23 mm version of this weapon system was known as the ZU 23 2 a towed mount carrying two 23 mm cannons However these towed or improvised truck mounted weapons had similar disadvantages The development of the ZSU 23 4 Shilka began in 1957 along with ZSU 37 2 Yenisei 9 and the vehicle was brought into service in 1965 replacing all ZSU 57 2s in air defense units toward the beginning of the 1970s The ZSU 23 4 was intended for AA defense of military facilities troops and mechanized columns on the march originally the more powerful guns of Yenisei were judged to be effective at covering the inner dead zone of Soviet surface to air missile systems despite the increased weight of the vehicle but commonality prevailed Initially tank regiments should have had the anti aircraft artillery battalion of Shilka consisting of two batteries four ZSU 23 4s in each At the end of the 1960s one battery was equipped with ZSU 23 4s and the other with ZSU 57 2s Motorized rifle and tank regiment standard anti aircraft batteries consisted of two platoons later one platoon was equipped with four ZSU 23 4s and another with four mobile surface to air missile systems 9K31 Strela 1 or 9K35 Strela 10 The ZSU 23 4 combined a proven radar system the non amphibious chassis based on GM 575 tracked vehicle and four 23 mm autocannons This delivered a highly effective combination of mobility with heavy firepower and considerable accuracy The ZSU 23 4 outclassed all NATO anti aircraft guns at the time and it is still regarded as posing a major threat for low flying fixed wing aircraft and helicopters The system was widely fielded throughout the Warsaw Pact and among other pro Soviet states Around 2 500 ZSU 23 4s of the total 6 500 produced were exported to 23 countries The Warsaw Pact s successor states continue to manufacture and supply variants of the ZSU 23 4 notably the Ukrainian Donets and Polish Biala variants ZSU 23 4 units saw active service in the Yom Kippur War 1973 and other Arab Israeli conflicts the Iran Iraq War 1980 1988 and the First Gulf War 1990 During the 1973 Yom Kippur War the system was particularly effective against the Israeli Air Force Israeli pilots attempting to fly low in order to avoid SA 6 missiles were often shot down by ZSU 23 4s as in Operation Doogman 5 During the Soviet Afghan War ZSU 23 4 units were used widely and to great effect against mujahideen positions in the mountains the ZSU 23 4 s guns being able to elevate much higher than the weapons on BMPs BTRs T 55s or T 62s 10 They were also used to suppress defensive positions around the presidential palace during the initial coup in Kabul at the start of the Soviet Afghan war The Russian Army used the ZSU 23 4 for mountain combat in Chechnya Description Edit ZSU 23 4 graphic The radar guided ZSU 23 4 Shilka SPAAG with its four 23 mm 0 90 autocannons was a revolutionary SPAAG proving to be an extremely effective weapon against enemy attack aircraft and helicopters under every weather and light condition The ZSU 23 4 has a very high density rate and accuracy of fire as well as the capability for each of the four autocannons to fire its own type of projectile from separate belts While it is technically possible that each cannon shoots different type of ammunition there were two types commonly used in late 1970s OFZT incendiary fragmentation and BZT armour piercing tracer which were to be loaded in 3 1 ratio three OFZT then one BZT every 10th BZT round equipped with so called copper remover and marked Operators were strongly discouraged from shooting from a single barrel The appearance of the Shilka caused significant changes in NATO tactics in aircraft use at low altitude over the battlefield Despite its present obsolescence as a modern short range anti aircraft weapon the ZSU 23 4 is still deadly for enemy light armoured vehicles infantry and firing points as an infantry support vehicle With its high rate of accurate fire the ZSU 23 4 can even neutralize tanks by destroying their gun sights radio antennas or other vulnerable parts 4 ZSU 23 4s especially late models have excellent performance and good systems reliability Based on the GM 575 tracked vehicle chassis which used components from the PT 76 light amphibious tank the ZSU 23 4 mounts an armored turret holding four liquid cooled 23 mm 0 9 2A7 autocannons linked to an RPK 2 Tobol radar NATO designator Gun Dish The vehicle weighs 19 tonnes late modifications up to 21 tonnes has a movement range of 450 km 280 mi and a top speed of 50 km h 31 mph Additional firepower of late modifications can be supplied by a roof mounted pod of six short range SA 18 SAMs or side mounted SA 16s The crew numbers four driver commander gunner and radar operator The driver s compartment is located in the nose part of the vehicle The fighting compartment is in the center and the engine compartment is in the rear part of the vehicle The transmission consists of a multi plate metal contact main clutch a manual gearbox with five forward gears two planetary two step steering gears with locking frictions and two final drive groups The vehicle chassis has six single rubber tired road wheels a rear drive sprocket with detachable sprocket rings lantern wheel gear and one idler wheel per side The first and fifth left and sixth right road wheels have hydraulic shock absorbers The track is 11 904 m long 382 mm 15 wide and has 93 links Because of a large number of different pipes and tubes to detach during maintenance the repair procedure for some of the vehicle s mechanisms is hard for example replacement or repair of a starter The electric drive of an air outlet hatch of a gas turbine engine part of the vehicle s electric power supply system has an inconvenient location at the bottom of the hull which causes overheating and sometimes jamming of the electric drive On the other hand the construction of the electric power supply system is very reliable Changing the main engine oil and coolant is easy as is replacement of fuel and oil filters and sections of the air filter 11 The ZSU 23 4 can cross vertical obstacles 0 7 m 2 3 high trenches 2 5 m 8 2 wide has a 1 0 m 3 3 fording depth and can climb 30 gradients 12 The ZSU 23 4 has good maneuverability and cross country ability but its diesel engine s power is insufficient for a vehicle of its weight As a result off road acceleration capabilities are sub par and the vehicle lags behind MBTs and IFVs on up hill terrain 11 13 The ZSU 23 4 is equipped with an NBC system with an air filtration unit fire fighting equipment TNA 2 navigational system infrared vision device R 123 radio set R 124 intercom and electric power supply system consisting of a DGChM 1 single shaft gas turbine engine 70 hp at 6 000 rpm and a direct current generator which provides 27 V and 54 V direct current or 220 V 400 Hz alternating current 14 Weapons and fire control EditTurret and guns Edit Side view of a US Marine Corps ZSU at Camp Pendleton 1997 Each water cooled 23 mm 2A7 autocannon has a cyclic rate of 850 1 000 rounds per minute for a combined rate of fire of 3 400 4 000 rounds per minute which gives a continuous fire time of 30 35 seconds before running out of ammo not considering the constraints that limit the practical rate of fire such as barrel overheating The welded turret has a race ring transplanted from a T 54 medium tank with a 1 840 mm 6 diametre The 360 rotating turret is fully stabilised and capable of firing on the move The turret rotation and autocannon elevation mechanisms provide very good speed and guidance accuracy The hydraulically driven aiming mechanisms have been proven to be very reliable Manual aim is used against ground targets The quad automatic anti aircraft gun AZP 23 Amur has a range of elevation from 4 to 85 The GRAU designation for ZSU 23 4 turret with 23 mm 0 9 AZP 23 Amur quad automatic gun is 2A10 An armoured plate inside the turret protects crew members from fire and explosive gas during intense firing Ammunition Edit 23mm ammunition Ammunition capacity is 2 000 rounds stowed aboard 520 rounds per each upper autocannon and 480 rounds per each lower autocannon loaded in 50 round or shorter belts The water cooled 2A7 23mm guns of ZSU 23 4 fire the same 23 152B mm caliber ammunition as the 2A14 guns of the twin barrel ZU 23 2 towed gun While the 23mm Volkov Yartsev VYa 23 aircraft gun used in the Second World War era Il 2 Sturmovik also fired ammunition of the same cartridge case dimensions the rounds differed in loading and primer and are thus not interchangeable with the post war AA gun ammunition 15 Compared to the VYa and its ammunition the air defence guns have slightly higher muzzle velocity and explosive rounds also have slightly larger HE fillings 16 The VYa ammunition has brass cases while 2A7 2A14 ammunition has steel cases 15 Three main types of 23mm anti aircraft ammunition were manufactured post war API T HEI and HEI T In addition to the original Soviet rounds a number of ammunition manufacturers have since begun to produce ammunition for what is still a widely used caliber these include new ammunition types such as sub caliber armor piercing rounds and frangible ammunition The following table lists the main characteristics of some of the available 23 152B mm ammunition used in 23mm AA guns Designation Type Projectile Weight g Bursting charge g Muzzle Velocity m s DescriptionBZT API 190 16 none 970 Blunt AP steel core with incendiary charge inside windshield cap 16 Penetration 15 mm RHA at 1000 m range and 30 degree impact angle or 25mm at 400m and 0 degree impact Tracer burn time 5 seconds OFZ HE 184 16 19 17 980 16 HE fragmentation round with nose fuzes incorporating self destruct mechanism 16 OFZT HE T 188 16 13 17 980 16 HE fragmentation round with a reduced HE charge due to the space taken by the tracer tracer burn time 5 seconds APDS T APDS T 103 none 1220 A Polish sub caliber armour piercing round with tracer Penetration 30 mm RHA at 100 m range and 30 degree impact angle from perpendicular tracer burn time gt 2 5 s A typical loading of each ammunition belt contains 40 OFZT and 10 BZT rounds 11 They can be fired to a maximum horizontal range of 7 km 4 3 mi and a vertical range of 5 1 km 3 2 mi The effective vertical range is 1 5 km 0 93 mi at a direct range to target of 2 5 km 1 6 mi and target speed of 250 m s up to 500 m s if a modern fire control system is used The usual autocannon burst consists of 3 10 projectiles and target lead angle is calculated for each burst fire without adjustment by computer 14 In attacking targets on the ground its effective range is around 2 5 km 1 6 mi The short range of its 23 mm autocannons and relatively low explosive effect of its small calibre projectiles mean it is less able to engage threats such as jet attack aircraft and cruise missiles than modern systems like the 2K22 Tunguska armed with more powerful 30 mm autocannons and integrated missile armaments A special 23 mm round with composite projectiles was developed for a modern variant of SPAAG ZSU 23 4M4 to be used against cruise missiles Radar Edit The RPK 2 Tobol a k a 1RL33 radar operates in the Ku band and can detect aircraft up to 20 km 12 mi away It has excellent target tracking capability and is relatively hard to detect by the enemy However the radar picks up many false returns ground clutter under 60 m 200 ft of altitude The radar antenna is mounted on collapsible supports in the top rear of the turret There is an optical alignment sight The RPK 2 radar proved to have good protection against enemy passive electronic radar counter measures Nevertheless the radar system of the ZSU 23 4 has a short detection range during target search depending on weather conditions mainly dependent on rain and snow conditions It is hard to automatically track the target at ranges less than 7 8 km 4 3 5 0 mi because of the high angular speed of the target at close distances The radar needs to be reset quite often because of the unstable parametres of electronic cathode ray tubes of the target selection system The absence of an automatic laser range finder requires a skillful commander and gunner 18 11 Limitations and problems Edit Early versions of the ZSU 23 4 sometimes had problems with runaway guns after prolonged periods of firing the guns would get so hot that chambered rounds would cook off even if the operator was not pulling the trigger discharging the weapon and chambering a new round which would then also cook off and continue to do so This would sometimes continue until the entire belt of ammunition had been expended Overheating barrels could jam and even break away from the vehicle The problem resulted from a deficient cooling system and made the early ZSU 23 4s dangerous even to friendly troops standing nearby if this happened Despite the fact that this seldom happened Soviet operators learned to give these machines a wide berth Perrett 1987 100 12 It was not recommended to perform continuous fire bursts longer than 15 seconds without pause on earlier models until the problem with autocannon reliability and overheating during intense fire was solved on ZSU 23 4M welded tubes of coolant outlet were replaced with flexible pipes After the autocannon cooling system was improved the autocannons became extremely reliable 11 The ZSU 23 4 has an 1A7 SRP electro mechanical fire solution calculator weighing 180 kg that occupies all of the space before the Commander It contains 60 electric motors driving 110 axles over different potentiometres shafts rods cams gears and linkages to mechanically calculate ammunition flight time until impact elevation lead angle and azimuth lead angle using the target parametres received from the 1RL33 RPK 2 gun dish radar and the correction angle received from the GAG gyroscope unit Deployment Edit ZSU 23 4 at the Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II ZSU 23 4 Soviet doctrine supplied the vehicle since 1965 in an anti aircraft artillery battery of two four vehicle platoons for anti aircraft defence of motor rifle and tank regiments At the end of the 1960s one platoon was equipped with ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs while another one was still equipped with ZSU 57 2 SPAAGs ZSU 57 2 was completely replaced with ZSU 23 4 by the beginning of the 1970s In the 1970s Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments were equipped with an anti aircraft missile artillery battery consisting of two platoons one equipped with four ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs and the other with four 9K31 Strela 1 SA 9 Gaskin or later with four 9K35 Strela 10 SA 13 Gopher short range surface to air missile systems which cover the dead zones of 2K12 Kub SA 6 Gainful surface to air missile systems belonging to the divisional level Since the 1980s Soviet motor rifle and tank regiments were equipped with an anti aircraft artillery battalion of three batteries one was equipped with ZSU 23 4 or 9K22 Tunguska SPAAGs the second one was equipped with 9K35 Strela 10 SA 13 Gopher short range surface to air missile systems and the third battery with 9K38 Igla man portable surface to air missiles on IFVs or APCs 14 The ZSU 23 4 is very vulnerable to enemy anti tank missiles cannons and heavy machine guns the armour is thin not exceeding 15 mm and the exposed wheels tracks radar and gun barrels can easily be damaged in combat Firing positions of ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs are typically placed near the forward edge of the battle area FEBA but behind the main forces usually 600 1000 m behind objectives when on the defensive or 400 600 m behind the leading tanks on the offensive ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs are divided evenly along the troop columns on the march At first each ZSU 23 4 operated in combat autonomously without target marking from regimental or divisional air defence In 1978 the PPRU 1 mobile reconnaissance and control post was passed into service of the Soviet Army The PPRU 1 Ovod M SV vehicle is based on MT LBu armoured tracked chassis and it was intended for control of motor rifle or tank regimental anti aircraft unit equipped with ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs and 9K31 Strela 1M mobile surface to air missile systems The PPRU 1 is equipped with the Luk 23 radar and an automatic fire control system associated with the divisional air defence system The guns are useful against low flying aircraft and lightly protected ground targets Due to its effectiveness against ground targets ZSU 23 4s have been used in urban environments e g Afghanistan Abkhazia Chechnya Syria and Lebanon This is primarily because the guns can elevate much higher than a tank or APC cannon enabling armored units equipped with ZSU 23 4s to return fire against ambushes from above A small number of ZSU 23 4 SPAAGs are still in use by the Russian Naval Infantry specifically the 61st Brigade of the Northern Fleet the 336th Brigade of the Baltic Fleet and the 155th Brigade of the Pacific Fleet 19 Variants EditSoviet Union Edit ZSU 23 4 Shilka 1964 pre production and then initial production models ZSU 23 4V Shilka 1968 modernized variant with enhanced reliability of some details ventilation system case located on the hull Commander vision device was added ZSU 23 4V1 Shilka 1970 modernized variant with enhanced reliability of radar system and other details ventilation system cases located on front bilges of the turret Guidance system computer was improved as well as accuracy and efficiency of anti aircraft fire on the move at 40 km h It is fitted with a slightly improved diesel engine V 6R 1 ZSU 23 4M1 1973 armed with modernized autocannons 2A7M The pneumatic loading was replaced with pyrotechnic loading unreliable compressor was removed welded tubes of coolant outlet were replaced with flexible pipes which increased autocannon barrel life from 3500 rounds to 4500 rounds ZSU 23 4M3 Biryusa 1977 equipped with the Luk IFF system All ZSU 23 4M were upgraded to ZSU 23 4M3 level during scheduled repairs Army unofficially continued to use the name Shilka for all variants of ZSU 23 4 ZSU 23 4M2 1978 so called Afghan variant Reequipment performed during the Soviet Afghan War for mountain combat The radar system was removed and a night sight was added Ammunition increased from 2 000 to 4 000 rounds Russian Federation and Belarus Edit ZSU 23 4M4 and ZSU 23 4M5 1999 modernized variants armed with two additional paired Igla man portable air defense systems on each side of the turret and equipped with 81mm smoke grenade launchers laser emission sensors electro optical vision devices including television system for driver and improved weapon radar system The mechanical transmission was replaced with hydrostatic transmission and hydraulic boosters were installed Mobility increased to the level of main battle tanks This upgrade was first shown during the MAKS 99 exhibition in Zhukovsky and was carried out by the Minotor Service Enterprise and Peleng Joint Stock Company from the Republic of Belarus and the Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant of Russia The Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant is also offering ZSU 23 4 upgrade packages independently 20 21 22 Ukraine Edit Donets 1999 This is a Ukrainian modernization developed by Malyshev Tank Factory in Kharkov It has the modified turret from the ZSU 23 4 armed with two additional paired man portable air defense systems Strela 10 installed on the hull of the T 80UD main battle tank Ammunition capacity for its 23 mm autocannons is doubled ZSU 23 4M A 2017 A modernization package developed by the Arsenal Factory in Kyiv this system features a new Rokach AS radar laser rangefinder and four automatic Igla missiles 23 Poland Edit ZSU 23 4MP Biala 2000 Polish modernized upgrade with 4 Grom surface to air missiles and fully digital passive aiming devices instead of the radar 24 25 Iran Edit ZSU 23 4 Soheil Iranian upgrade with 4 Misagh 2 surface to air missiles Not much is known about it outside of its name and armament An additional box of unknown use is visible on the rear of the turret India Edit ZSU 23 4 upgrade This version was developed by Bharat Electronics Ltd BEL of India in cooperation with Israel Aircraft Industries IAI These Anti Aircraft Tanks AAT were first used in the Indo Pak War of 1971 These proved to be effective against Pakistani Mirage III s The upgraded systems will feature an advanced 3D active phased array radar 26 and computers electro optical fire control systems a new Caterpillar 359 BHP diesel engine and a new APU The upgraded systems are able to operate despite enemy jamming are able to pick up targets from more than 15 km away and functions in temperatures between 55 Celsius and minus 40 Celsius The gun is able to shoot down targets flying at 450 miles per hour up to 1 500 metres and out to 2 500 metres The purpose of the upgrade is to extend the life of the air defence system by 15 years In December 2004 it was reported that the Indian Army awarded a US 104 million contract to upgrade its 48 ZSU 23 4 air defence systems 27 28 Netherlands Edit ZSU 23 4 upgrade 1998 As a private venture Hollandse Signaalapparaten company now Thales Nederland of the Netherlands obtained a number of ex East German Army ZSU 23 4V1s and developed an upgrade package The main part of this upgrade is the modernisation of the radar and fire control system The first prototype was completed in mid 1998 The upgraded vehicle is equipped with the ASADS Ka band target tracking radar and the PAGE I band surveillance radar 29 Vietnam Edit Improved ZSU 23 4 2022 A Vietnamese modernization held by the VPA Academy of Military Science and Technology AMST expected to be applied on Vietnam s existing ZSU 23 4M frames This version is highly similar to Poland s Biala configuration with a combination of digital and optoelectronics devices replacing the obsolete radar the installation of four Igla SAMs and the newly developed digital fire control system The new system consist of a thermal camera a daylight camera and laser rangefinder providing an equivalent detecting amp tracking range to the original active sensor It is claimed to have a certain integrating compability with digital radars and modern information systems 30 31 Combat history Edit Destroyed Shilka during Gulf War 1991 1966 1989 South African Border War Angola and Cuba 1968 1970 Egypt Israel War of Attrition Egypt and Syria 1971 Indo Pakistani war of 1971 India 1973 Yom Kippur War Egypt and Syria 1975 Vietnam War during the last stage of Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975 by battery of 237th Anti aircraft Artillery Regiment 1975 1990 Lebanese Civil War Lebanese army Syria various factions 1975 2002 Angolan Civil War Angola 1975 1990 Western Sahara War Polisario Front 1977 Libyan Egyptian War Libya and Egypt 1977 1978 Ogaden War Ethiopia Cuba and Somalia 1979 1989 Soviet Afghan War Soviet Union 1980 1988 Iran Iraq War Iran and Iraq 1982 Lebanon War PLO and Lebanese Army 1986 Operation El Dorado Canyon Libya 32 1990 Gulf War Iraq and Egypt 1990 1994 First Nagorno Karabakh War Armenia and Azerbaijan 1992 1993 Georgian Abkhazian conflict 1994 1996 First Chechen War Russia Chechen forces 1999 Second Chechen War Russia 2003 2003 invasion of Iraq Iraq 2008 Russo Georgian War Russia 2009 present Boko Haram insurgency 33 Nigeria 2011 Libyan Civil War Pro Gaddafi and Anti Gaddafi forces 2011 present Syrian Civil War Government forces Rebel forces and ISIS 2014 present Russo Ukrainian War Ukrainian Army 34 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine Ukraine and Russian forces Operators Edit Map of ZSU 23 4 operators in blue with former operators in red Current operators Edit This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items November 2021 Afghanistan 20 were delivered from USSR 2 35 Algeria 210 in 1995 35 36 According to another sources 310 were delivered from USSR 2 Angola 20 were delivered from USSR 2 35 Armenia 37 Azerbaijan 38 182 183 Cameroon 200 ordered from Russia 36 128 were delivered from Russia but a new contract was certified with Russia in 2011 for 300 350 39 Congo Brazzaville 8 35 Cuba 36 in 1995 delivered from Russia 2 35 36 Egypt 350 in 1970 36 New 330 units were delivered from USSR also a new contract was signed with Russia in 2005 2 Ecuador 34 from Nicaragua in 1997 35 Eritrea 40 Ethiopia 60 35 Guinea Bissau 16 were delivered from USSR 2 India 100 were delivered from USSR 2 35 Iran 100 35 Iraq 200 35 Jordan 16 in 1995 delivered from USSR 2 36 45 in 2008 35 Kyrgyzstan 24 in 2022 38 190 Laos 10 35 Libya 250 35 Mali 3 or 4 in 2013 41 Mongolia 35 Nigeria 30 35 Poland 28 in 2015 42 150 were delivered from USSR until 1991 2 Most of them will be modernized to ZSU 23 4MP Biala standard 42 Russia 133 in active service in 2011 used by Marines 39 Reduced to 60 in Naval Infantry by 2022 38 199 200 Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic 43 Syria 400 were delivered from USSR 2 35 Kurdish People s Defense Units YPG 44 Turkmenistan 28 in service as of 2016 35 45 IISS reported 48 as of 2022 38 209 210 Ukraine 35 Vietnam 100 35 Yemen 30 35 to 40 in 1995 delivered to South Yemen from USSR 2 36 Former operators Edit East Germany 131 were delivered from USSR passed on to Germany after the German reunification 2 Germany Passed on from East Germany decommissioned ISIL Operated small numbers captured from Syrian army Likely no units are still in service Israel 60 captured from Arab armies over the Arab Israeli conflict and used for air defense 35 Currently out of service Lebanon ex PLO vehicles operated by the Lebanese Army 2 46 Lebanese Forces 3 Al Mourabitoun 3 47 48 49 50 Amal Movement 3 seized from the Al Mourabitoun 51 and People s Liberation Army 2 loaned by Libya 52 during the Lebanese Civil War from 1983 to 1990 Currently out of service Moldova 37 Retired by 2022 38 191 192 Nicaragua Sold to Ecuador Palestine Liberation Organization 8 were delivered from USSR and Hungary to PLO guerrilla factions operating in Lebanon passed on to local militias Somalia 4 35 all lost during Ogaden War citation needed South Yemen 2 36 Soviet Union Passed on to successor states See also Edit2K22 Tunguska M163 VADS M247 Sergeant York SIDAM 25 KS 23 an enormous caliber Russian shotgun made from rejected ZSU 23 4 barrels KorkutNotes Edit Efrat Moshe 1983 The Economics of Soviet Arms Transfers to the Third World A Case Study Egypt Soviet Studies 35 4 437 456 doi 10 1080 09668138308411496 ISSN 0038 5859 JSTOR 151253 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 5 ZENITNYE SAMOHODNYE USTANOVKI ZSU Voennyj paritet www militaryparitet com Archived from the original on 28 July 2017 Retrieved 22 May 2017 a b c d V Boyah Na Shilke Archived from the original on 25 December 2007 Retrieved 4 May 2008 V Boyah Na a b c http www army lv s 703 amp id 65 amp v 1 info Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine ZSU 23 4 SVZRIU Archived from the original on 8 December 2008 Retrieved 22 May 2017 Zenitnaya samohodnaya ustanovka ZSU 23 4 Shilka Archived from the original on 5 January 2008 Retrieved 15 May 2008 Zenitnaya Samohodnaya Ustanovka ZSU 23 4 PVZRKKU ZSU 23 4 Archived from the original on 25 May 2010 Retrieved 22 May 2017 a b ZSU 23 4 Shilka Archived 7 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Cancelled on 20 September 1962 Russian General Staff translated and edited by Lester Grau and Michael Gress 2002 The Soviet Afghan War How a Superpower Fought and Lost University Press of Kansas p 38 ISBN 0 7006 1185 1 a b c d e Ohotniki za samoletami Archived from the original on 7 December 2008 Retrieved 22 May 2017 a b V Boyah Na Shilke Archived 25 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Morskaya Pehota Baltiki ZSU 23 4MZ i M2 belostokskaya ru Archived from the original on 10 October 2017 Retrieved 22 May 2017 a b c ZSU 23 4 Shilka Archived from the original on 23 July 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b Williams Anthony G An introduction to collecting 23 28mm cartridges Archived 12 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e f g h Russian Ammunition Page Archived from the original on 19 October 2009 Retrieved 11 November 2014 a b ORDATA Ordnance Identification Tool ORDATA Online International Deminer s Guide to UXO Identification Recovery and Disposal Archived from the original on 28 August 2008 Retrieved 25 January 2010 ZSU 23 4 Shilka Army lv lt Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine Savelov Alexey 8 April 2019 Boj na fone kamchatskih sopok raschety ZSU Shilka i ZRK Strela 10 predotvratili aviaudar protivnika Zvezda TV in Russian Retrieved 1 June 2022 Defense amp Security Intelligence amp Analysis IHS Jane s IHS Archived from the original on 20 March 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Defense amp Security Intelligence amp Analysis IHS Jane s IHS Archived from the original on 20 March 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2014 ZSU 23 4 Shilka Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun SPAAG Archived from the original on 10 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Mikhnenko Anton 22 December 2017 NEW CAPABILITIES FOR THE ZSU 23 4 SHILKA defence ua com Archived from the original on 4 May 2018 Retrieved 6 November 2022 Poland is Looking For Technical Support for the ZSU 23 4MP Anti Aircraft Systems Defence24 com Archived from the original on 28 January 2019 Tlumacz Google Schilka ZSU 23 4 Upgrade thumkar blogspot ro 14 February 2014 Archived from the original on 4 May 2018 Retrieved 4 May 2018 Defense News Archived from the original on 25 February 2011 Retrieved 11 November 2014 ZSU 23 4 Upgrade Archived from the original on 11 November 2014 Retrieved 11 November 2014 Defense amp Security Intelligence amp Analysis IHS Jane s IHS Archived from the original on 20 March 2013 Retrieved 11 November 2014 admin 15 December 2022 Vietnam People s Army Upgrades ZSU 23 4M Shilka Self propelled Anti aircraft Guns MilitaryLeak Retrieved 29 March 2023 Viet Offensive 10 December 2022 Descriptions of the Vietnamese Improved ZSU 23 4 Facebook Retrieved 29 March 2023 Fiszer Michal 1 October 2004 A Soviet look at Eldorado Canyon Soviet sources say April 1986 US raid on Libya revealed incompetence rather than technical failings The Free Library Farlex Inc Retrieved 12 November 2021 The second Karma aircraft was much less lucky It was hit by a ZSU 23 4 Shilka according to Soviet sources US sources though claim it was hit by a SAM and crashed in the sea EXCLUSIVE Lt Col Abu Ali s Death Why Boko Haram is killing more Nigerian soldiers Top Military Officer Premium Times 7 November 2016 Archived from the original on 2 October 2018 Retrieved 1 October 2018 Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine SMM based on information received as of 19 30 15 February 2018 Archived 29 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine In government controlled areas the SMM saw two anti aircraft guns ZU 23 on the western outskirts of Avdiivka two IFVs one BMP 2 and one BMP variant near Bohdanivka and five IFVs two BMP 1 and three BMP variant two armoured reconnaissance vehicles BRDM 2 and an anti aircraft gun ZSU 23 4 Shilka 23mm in Popasna a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v ZSU 23 4 Jane s Information Group 30 October 2008 Retrieved 8 November 2008 a b c d e f g The World Defence Almanac 1995 1996 Military Technology 1996 a b International Institute for Strategic Studies The Military Balance 2012 London Routledge 2012 p 90 a b c d e International Institute for Strategic Studies IISS 14 February 2022 The Military Balance 2022 The Military Balance 122 doi 10 1080 04597222 2022 2022930 a b ZSU Shilka self propelled ADGM International Institute for Strategic Studies 2021 The Military Balance p 464 ISBN 9781032012278 Touchard Laurent 18 June 2013 Armee malienne le difficile inventaire Malian Army The difficult inventory Jeune Afrique in French Archived from the original on 8 April 2019 Retrieved 13 January 2019 a b Technical support anti ZSU 23 4MP BIALA Dziennikzbrojny pl Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 4 September 2015 Cooper Tom Grandolini Albert Fontanellaz Adrien 2019 Showdown in Western Sahara Volume 2 Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony 1975 1991 Warwick UK Helion amp Company Publishing p 70 ISBN 978 1 912866 29 8 Mitzer Stijn Oliemans Joost 29 October 2021 Kurdish Armour Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria Oryx Blog Herbi TV 31 October 2016 Turkmenistan Military Parade 2016 YouTube in Turkmen Ashgabat Archived from the original on 15 October 2017 Retrieved 7 August 2017 Zaloga ZSU 23 4 Shilka amp Soviet Air Defense Gun Vehicles 1993 pp 35 36 Archived copy Archived from the original on 27 July 2011 Retrieved 24 March 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link information on al Murabitoun Shilka vehicles Yann Mahe La Guerre Civile Libanese un chaos indescriptible 1975 1990 Trucks amp Tanks Magazine n º 41 January February 2014 ISSN 1957 4193 p 81 Kassis Invasion of Lebanon 1982 2019 pp 201 203 Sex amp Abi Chahine Modern Conflicts 2 The Lebanese Civil War From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond 2021 p 194 Sex amp Bassel Abi Chahine Modern Conflicts 2 The Lebanese Civil War From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond 2021 p 194 Abi Chahine The People s Liberation Army Through the Eyes of a Lens 1975 1991 2019 p 72 References EditKoll Christian 2009 Soviet Cannon A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12 7mm to 57mm Linz Austria Christian Koll ISBN 978 3 200 01445 9 OCLC 424511896 Perrett Bryan 1987 Soviet Armour Since 1945 London Blandford Press ISBN 0 7137 1735 1 OCLC 19847519 Shirokorad A February 1998 Bronekollektsiya Shilka i drugie otechestvennye ZSU Shilka and Other Native SPAAGs Issue of a Russian journal Bassel Abi Chahine The People s Liberation Army through the eyes of a lens 1975 1991 Editions Dergham Jdeideh Beirut 2019 ISBN 978 614 459 033 1 Samer Kassis Invasion of Lebanon 1982 Abteilung 502 2019 ISBN 978 84 120935 1 3 1 Mike Guardia and Henry Morshead Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Guns of the Soviet Union New Vanguard series 222 Osprey Publishing Ltd Oxford 2015 ISBN 9781472806222 Zaloga Steve Steven J 1993 ZSU 23 4 Shilka amp Soviet Air Defense Gun Vehicles Hong Kong Concord Publications ISBN 962 361 039 4 OCLC 48683481 Zachary Sex amp Bassel Abi Chahine Modern Conflicts 2 The Lebanese Civil War From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond Modern Conflicts Profile Guide Volume II AK Interactive 2021 ISBN 8435568306073External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to ZSU 23 4 Shilka Federation of American Scientists page GulfLINK Soviet air defence vehicles Archived 10 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine In Russian Description and photos In Russian Short info and several photos In Russian Description specifications photos In Russian ZSU 23 4 during the Soviet War in Afghanistan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title ZSU 23 4 Shilka amp oldid 1147378364, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.