Shilka (anti-aircraft self-propelled gun). "Shilka" - anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery mount Anti-aircraft division dra zsu 23.4

12.03.2020

Today we will look at the unique anti-aircraft defense system from a slightly different angle. NATO specialists began to be interested in the SOVIET self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" from the moment when the first data about its capabilities appeared in the West. And in 1973, NATO members were already "feeling" the Shilka sample. The Israelis got it - during the war in the Middle East.

In the early eighties, the Americans launched a reconnaissance operation to acquire another Shilka model, reaching out to the brothers of Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu. Why was the Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun so interested in NATO?

I really wanted to know: are there any major changes in the modernized Soviet ZSU? It was possible to understand the interest. ZSU "Shilka" was a unique weapon, not inferior to the championship in its class for two decades. Its contours were clearly outlined in 1961, when Soviet science was celebrating the victory of Gagarin's flight.

So, what is the uniqueness of the ZSU-23-4? Retired colonel Anatoly Dyakov, whose fate is closely connected with this weapon, says - he served for decades in the air defense forces of the Ground Forces: “If we talk about the main thing, then for the first time we began to systematically hit air targets with Shilka. Prior to this, anti-aircraft systems of 23-mm and 37-mm ZU-23 and ZP-37 guns, 57-mm S-60 guns hit high-speed targets only by accident. The shells for them are percussion, without a fuse. To hit the target, it had to be hit directly by the projectile. The likelihood of this is low. In a word, the previously created anti-aircraft weapons could only put up a barrier in front of the aircraft, force the pilot to drop bombs away from the planned place ...

Kandahar. Nagahan turn. 1986 ZSU-23-4 ... "SHILKA" ... "SHAYTAN-ARBA".

And here is a compact mobile unit. She came, fired back from an ambush and left, then look for the wind in the field ... Today's officers, those who think in terms of the nineties, perceive the phrase “autonomous complex” differently: they say, what is unusual here? And in the sixties it was a feat of design thought, the pinnacle of engineering solutions.

The advantages of the self-propelled "Shilka" are really many. The General Designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences Nikolai Astrov, as they say, not a round anti-aircraft gunner, managed to create a machine that proved itself in many local wars and military conflicts. To clarify what we are talking about, let's say about the purpose and composition of the 23-mm quad self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka".

"Shilka" is intended to protect the combat formations of troops, columns on the march, stationary objects and railway echelons from an attack by an air enemy at altitudes from 100 to 1500 meters, at ranges from 200 to 2500 meters, at a target speed of up to 450 m / s.

ZSU "Shilka" can also be used to destroy mobile ground targets at ranges up to 2000 meters. It fires from a place and on the move, equipped with equipment that provides an autonomous circular and sector search for targets, their tracking, the development of gun pointing angles and its control.

Shilka in the Middle East.

But at that time, the Americans began to install missiles on planes that could find a locator using a radar beam and hit it. A visor is a visor. He disguised himself, saw the plane - immediately opened fire immediately. And no problem.

The GM-575 tracked vehicle provides ZSU with high movement speed, maneuverability and increased cross-country ability. Day and night observation devices allow the driver and commander of the ZSU to monitor the road and the environment at any time of the day, and the communication equipment provides external communication and communication between crew numbers. The crew of the self-propelled unit consists of four people: the commander of the ZSU, the search operator - gunner, the range operator and the driver.

Iraqi ZSU-23-4M damaged during Operation Desert Storm

"Shilka" was born, as they say, in a shirt. Its development began in 1957. In 1960, the first prototype was ready, in 1961 they passed state tests, in 1962, on October 16, an order was issued by the Minister of Defense of the USSR to put it into service, and three years later its mass production began. A little later - a test of combat.

Let us again give the floor to Anatoly Dyakov: “In 1982, when the Lebanese war was going on, I was on a business trip in Syria. At the time, Israel was making serious attempts to strike at the troops stationed in the Bekaa Valley. I remember that immediately after the raid, Soviet specialists were brought fragments of the F-16 aircraft, the most modern at that time, shot down by Shilka.
Still, one might say, the warm wreckage pleased me, but I was not surprised at the very fact. I knew that "Shilka" could suddenly open fire in any area and give an excellent result. For I had to conduct electronic duels with Soviet aircraft in a training center near Ashgabat, where we trained specialists for one of the Arab countries. And not once could pilots in the desert area find us. They themselves were targets, and only, take and open fire on them ... "

Here are the memories Colonel Valentin Nesterenko, who in the eighties was an adviser to the head of the Air Force and Air Defense College in North Yemen. “In the college being created,” he said, “American and Soviet specialists taught. The material part was represented by the American anti-aircraft installations "Typhoon" and "Volcano", as well as our "Shilki". Initially, Yemeni officers and cadets were pro-American, believing that everything American is the best.

But their confidence was thoroughly shaken in the course of the first combat shootings, which were carried out by the cadets. American "Volcanoes" and our "Shilkas" were installed at the training ground. Moreover, American installations were serviced and prepared for firing only by American specialists. On Shilki, all operations were carried out by the Arabs.

Both the warning about security measures and requests to set targets for the Shilok much further than for the Volcanoes were perceived by many as propaganda attacks by the Russians. But when our first installation fired a volley, belching out a sea of fire and a hail of spent cartridges, the American specialists darted into the hatches with enviable haste and took their installation away. And on the mountain, the targets, scattered to pieces, burned brightly. For all the time of firing, "Shilka" worked flawlessly. "Volcanoes" had a number of serious breakdowns. One of them was managed only with the help of Soviet specialists ... "

ZSU-23-4M of the GDR army

It is appropriate to say here: Israeli intelligence sniffed out that the Arabs used the Shilka for the first time back in 1973. At the same time, the Israelis quickly planned an operation to capture Soviet-made ZSU and successfully carried it out. But Shilka was investigated primarily by NATO specialists. They were interested in how it is more effective than the American 20-mm Vulkan ZSU XM-163, whether it is possible to take into account its best design features when fine-tuning the West German 35-mm Gepard twin self-propelled gun, which had just begun to enter the troops.

The reader will surely ask: why did the Americans need another sample later, already in the early eighties? "Shilka" was rated very highly by specialists, and therefore, when it became known that modernized versions had begun to be produced, they decided to get another car overseas.

Our self-propelled unit was really constantly modernized, in particular, one of the options even acquired a new name - ZSU-23-4M Biryusa. But fundamentally, she didn't change. Unless, over time, a commander's device appeared - for the convenience of pointing, transferring the tower to the target. Blocks became more perfect, more reliable every year. Locator, for example.

And, of course, the authority of "Shilka" has grown in Afghanistan. There were no commanders there who would have been indifferent to her. There is a column along the roads, and suddenly there is fire from an ambush, try to organize a defense, all the cars have already been shot. Salvation is one - "Shilka". A long queue into the enemy camp, and a sea of \u200b\u200bfire in position. They called the self-propelled unit "shaitan-arba". The beginning of her work was determined immediately and immediately began to retreat. Shilka saved the lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers.

In Afghanistan, "Shilka" fully realized the ability to fire at ground targets in the mountains. Moreover, a special "Afghan version" was created. A radio instrument complex was seized from the ZSU. Due to him, the ammunition load was increased from 2000 to 4000 rounds. A night sight was also installed.

An interesting touch. The columns escorted by the Shilka were rarely attacked not only in the mountains, but also near settlements. The ZSU was dangerous for the manpower hidden behind the adobe duvals - the fuse of the "Sh" projectile worked when it hit the wall. Effectively "Shilka" also hit lightly armored targets - armored personnel carriers, vehicles ...

EACH weapon has its own destiny, its own life. In the post-war period, many types of weapons quickly became obsolete. 5 ... 7 years - and a more modern generation appeared. And only "Shilka" has been in combat formation for more than thirty years. It justified itself during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, where the Americans used various means of air attack, including the B-52 bombers known from Vietnam. There were very confident statements: they, they say, will smash the targets to smithereens.

And here is the next B-52 approach at low altitudes, the Shilka ZSU, together with the Strela-3 complex, open fire. One plane's engine immediately caught fire. No matter how hard the B-52 tried to reach the base, it was not possible.

Egyptian "Shilki" at the parade in 1973

And one more indicator. "Shilka" is in service in 39 countries. Moreover, it was bought not only by the allies of the USSR under the Warsaw Pact, but also by India, Peru, Syria, Yugoslavia ... And the reasons are as follows. High fire efficiency, maneuverability. "Shilka" is not inferior to foreign analogues. Including the well-known American installation "Volcano".

The Vulkan, put into service in 1966, has a number of advantages, but in many respects it is inferior to the Soviet Shilka. The American ZSU can shoot at targets that move at a speed of no more than 310 m / s, while the Shilka works at faster ones - up to 450 m / s. My interlocutor Anatoly Dyakov said that he acted in a training battle on the "Volcano" in Jordan and cannot say that the American machine is better, although it was adopted later. About the same opinion and Jordanian experts.

ZSU-23-4 cover T-55 tanks during exercises.

However, the "Gepard" has a lower rate of fire compared to the "Shilka" - 1100 rounds per minute against - 3400 ("Volcano" - up to 3000), it is more than twice as heavy - 45.6 tons. And we note that the Gepard was put into service 11 years later than the Shilka, in 1973, this is a later generation machine.

In many countries, the French Tyurren AMX-13 anti-aircraft artillery system and the Swedish Bofors EAAK-40 are known. But even they do not surpass the ZSU, created by Soviet scientists and workers. "Shilka" and today is in service with parts of the ground forces of many armies of the world, including the Russian one.

The self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" was put into service more than 50 years ago, but despite this, it still does its job perfectly and even surpasses much later foreign-made vehicles. What is the reason for such a success of "Shilka", let's try to figure it out further.

Shooting ZSU-23-4 Shilka - video

NATO specialists began to be interested in the Soviet anti-aircraft self-propelled gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" from the moment when the first data about its capabilities appeared in the West. And in 1973, NATO members were already "feeling" the Shilka sample. The Israelis got it - during the war in the Middle East. In the early eighties, the Americans launched a reconnaissance operation to acquire another Shilka model, reaching out to the brothers of Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu. Why was the Soviet self-propelled unit so interested in NATO?

I really wanted to know: are there any major changes in the modernized Soviet ZSU? It was possible to understand the interest. "Shilka" was a unique weapon, not inferior to the championship in its class for two decades. Its contours were clearly outlined in 1961, when Soviet science was celebrating the victory of Gagarin's flight.

So, what is the uniqueness of the ZSU-23-4? Retired Colonel Anatoly Dyakov, whose fate is closely connected with this weapon, says - he served in the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces for decades:

“If we talk about the main thing, then for the first time we began to systematically hit air targets with Shilka. Prior to this, anti-aircraft systems of 23- and 37-mm ZU-23 and ZP-37 guns, 57-mm S-60 guns hit high-speed targets only by accident. The shells for them are percussion, without a fuse. To hit the target, it had to be hit directly by the projectile. The likelihood of this is low. In a word, the previously created anti-aircraft weapons could only put up a barrier in front of the aircraft, force the pilot to drop bombs away from the planned place.

The commanders of the units expressed delight when they saw how the Shilka not only hit targets right before their eyes, but also moved after the units, in the battle formations of the covered troops. Real revolution. Imagine, you don’t have to roll the guns ... Setting up an ambush for batteries of S-60 anti-aircraft guns, you suffer - it is difficult to hide guns on the ground. And what is it worth to build a battle formation, "attach" to the terrain, connect all the points (power units, guns, a gun-guidance station, fire control devices) with a large cable facility. What crowded calculations were! .. And here is a compact mobile installation. She came, fired from an ambush and left, then look for the wind in the field ... Today's officers, those who think in terms of the nineties, perceive the phrase “autonomous complex” differently: they say, what is unusual here? And in the sixties it was a feat of design thought, the pinnacle of engineering solutions.

To clarify what we are talking about, let's say about the purpose and composition of the 23-mm quad self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka". It is intended to protect combat formations of troops, columns on the march, stationary objects and railway echelons from attack by an air enemy at altitudes from 100 to 1500 meters, at ranges from 200 to 2500 meters at a target speed of up to 450 m / s. "Shilka" can also be used to destroy mobile ground targets at ranges up to 2000 meters. It fires from a place and on the move, equipped with equipment that provides an autonomous circular and sector search for targets, their tracking, the development of gun pointing angles and its control.

The ZSU-23-4 consists of a 23-mm AZP-23 quadruple automatic anti-aircraft gun, power drives designed for guidance. The next most important element is the RPU-2 radar-instrument complex. It serves, of course, to control fire. Moreover, "Shilka" could work both with the radar and with a conventional sighting optical device. The locator is, of course, good, it provides search, detection, automatic tracking of the target, determines its coordinates. But at that time, the Americans began to install missiles on planes that could find a locator using a radar beam and hit it. A visor is a visor. He disguised himself, saw the plane - immediately opened fire immediately. And no problem. The GM-575 tracked vehicle provides ZSU with high movement speed, maneuverability and increased cross-country ability. Day and night observation devices allow the driver and commander of the ZSU to monitor the road and the environment at any time of the day, and the communication equipment provides external communication and communication between crew numbers. The crew of the self-propelled unit consists of four people: the commander of the ZSU, the search operator - gunner, the range operator and the driver.

Let us again give the floor to Anatoly Dyakov:

“In 1982, when the Lebanese war was going on, I was on a business trip in Syria. At the time, Israel was making serious attempts to strike at the troops stationed in the Bekaa Valley. I remember that immediately after the raid, Soviet specialists were brought fragments of the F-16 aircraft, the most modern at that time, shot down by Shilka.

Still, one might say, the warm wreckage pleased me, but I was not surprised at the very fact. I knew that "Shilka" could suddenly open fire in any area and give an excellent result. For I had to conduct electronic duels with Soviet aircraft in a training center near Ashgabat, where we trained specialists for one of the Arab countries. And not once could pilots in the desert area find us. They themselves were targets, and only, take and open fire on them ... "

And here are the memoirs of Colonel Valentin Nesterenko, who in the eighties was an adviser to the head of the Air Force and Air Defense College in North Yemen. “In the college being created,” he said, “American and Soviet specialists taught. The material part was represented by the American anti-aircraft installations "Typhoon" and "Volcano", as well as our "Shilki". Initially, Yemeni officers and cadets were pro-American, believing that everything American is the best. But their confidence was thoroughly shaken in the course of the first combat shootings, which were carried out by the cadets. American "Volcanoes" and our "Shilkas" were installed at the training ground. Moreover, American installations were serviced and prepared for firing only by American specialists. On Shilki, all operations were carried out by the Arabs.

And on the mountain, the targets, scattered to pieces, burned brightly. For all the time of firing, "Shilka" worked flawlessly. "Volcanoes" had a number of serious breakdowns. One of them was managed only with the help of Soviet specialists ... "

ZSU-23-4 Shilka shot down in Iraq

And, of course, the authority of "Shilka" has grown in Afghanistan. There were no commanders there who would have been indifferent to her. There is a column along the roads, and suddenly there is fire from an ambush, try to organize a defense, all the cars have already been shot. Salvation is one - "Shilka". A long queue into the enemy camp, and a sea of \u200b\u200bfire in position. They called the self-propelled unit "shaitan-arba". The beginning of her work was determined immediately and immediately began to retreat. Shilka saved the lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers.

In Afghanistan, "Shilka" fully realized the ability to fire at ground targets in the mountains. Moreover, a special "Afghan version" was created. A radio instrument complex was seized from the ZSU. Due to him, the ammunition load was increased from 2000 to 4000 rounds. A night sight was also installed.

Each weapon has its own destiny, its own life. In the post-war period, many types of weapons quickly became obsolete. 5-7 years - and a more modern generation appeared. And only "Shilka" has been in combat formation for more than thirty years. It justified itself during the Persian Gulf War in 1991, where the Americans used various means of air attack, including the B-52 bombers known from Vietnam. There were very confident statements: they, they say, will smash the targets to smithereens.

And now the next entry at low altitudes of the Shilka ZSU, together with the Strela-3 complex, open fire. One plane's engine immediately caught fire. No matter how hard the B-52 tried to reach the base, it was not possible.

And one more indicator. "Shilka" is in service in 39 countries. Moreover, it was bought not only by the allies of the USSR under the Warsaw Pact, but also by India, Peru, Syria, Yugoslavia ... And the reasons are as follows. High fire efficiency, maneuverability. "Shilka" is not inferior to foreign analogues. Including the well-known American installation "Volcano".

The fundamental difference from the "Shilka" has ZSU "Gepard" (Germany). The large caliber of the gun (35 mm) makes it possible to have shells with a fuse and, accordingly, greater destruction efficiency - the target is hit by shrapnel. West German ZSU can hit targets at altitudes up to 3 kilometers, flying at speeds up to 350-400 m / s; its firing range is up to 4 kilometers. However, the "Gepard" has a lower rate of fire compared to the "Shilka" - 1100 rounds per minute against - 3400 ("Volcano" - up to 3000), it is more than twice as heavy - 45.6 tons. And we note that the Gepard was put into service 11 years later than the Shilka, in 1973, this is a later generation machine.

Modifications ZSU-23-4 Shilka

ZSU-23-4V- modernization in order to increase the reliability of the operation of the installation, improve living conditions for calculation, increase the life of the gas turbine unit (GTA) from 300 to 450 hours.

ZSU-23-4V1- modernization of the calculating device in the ZSU-23-4V, which increased the accuracy and efficiency of shooting, the reliability of auto-tracking of the target with an increase in the speed of the installation from 20 to 40 km / h, the GTA resource was increased from 450 to 600 hours.

ZSU-23-4M1- modernization of 2A7 assault rifles and 2A10 guns to 2A7M and 2A10M in order to increase the reliability and stability of the complex. Increased barrel survivability from 3000 to 4500 shots. Radar reliability improved and GTA resource increased from 600 to 900 hours.

ZSU-23-4M2- modernization of the ZSU-23-4M1 for use in the mountainous conditions of Afghanistan. The RPK was excluded from the installation, due to which the ammunition load of shells was increased from 2000 to 3000 pieces, the radar station was dismantled, armor protection was strengthened, night vision equipment was introduced for firing at night at ground targets.

ZSU-23-4M3 "Turquoise"- ZSU-23-4M1 with the installation of the ground-based radio interrogator "Luk" of the radar system for identifying air targets on the basis of "friend or foe".

ZSU-23-4M4 "Shilka-M4"- modernization with the installation of a radar control system and the possibility of installing the Sagittarius air defense system. The introduction of a mobile reconnaissance and control center (PRRU) "Assembly M1" into the battery as a command post (CP) and the introduction of a telecode communication channel for the exchange of information between the ZSU and the CP in the ZSU. Replacement of the analog counting device with a modern TsVS. A digital tracking system is being installed. Modernization of the caterpillar chassis, aimed at improving the controllability and maneuverability of the self-propelled gun and reducing the complexity of its maintenance and operation. The active night vision device is replaced by a passive one. Radio stations are being replaced. An air conditioner is being installed, a system for automated monitoring of the performance of radio-electronic equipment.

ZSU-23-4M5 "Shilka-M5"- modernization of the ZSU-23-4M4 with the installation of a radar and optoelectronic control system.

ZSU-23-4M-A- Ukrainian modification. The base radar was replaced by a multifunctional radar with the Rokach-AS CAR, a new optical-location system and a missile channel, a digital computer system, and new control algorithms were installed.

The performance characteristics of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Developer: KBP (TKB-507), OKB-357 (optics), OKB-40 (chassis), VNII "Signal" (guidance drives)
- Manufacturer: UMZ, MMZ (chassis), GMZ (AZP-23 "Amur"), Tulamashzavod (2A7), LOMO (optics): MTZ (repair and modernization)
- Years of production: 1964-1982
- Years of operation: since 1965
- Number of issued, pcs.: about 6500

Crew, people: 4

Weight ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Combat weight, t: 21

Dimensions ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Case length, mm: 6495
- Width, mm: 3075
- Height, mm: 2644-3764
- Base, mm: 3828
- Track, mm: 2500
- Clearance, mm: 400

Booking ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Armor type: rolled steel bulletproof (9-15 mm)

Armament ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Gun caliber and brand: 4 × 23 mm AZP-23 "Amur"
- Type of gun: rifled small-caliber automatic guns
- Barrel length, calibers: 82
- Gun ammunition: 2000
- Angles HV, degrees: −4…+85°
- GN angles, degrees: 360°
- Firing range, km: 0.2-2.5
- Sights: optical sight, radar RPK-2

Engine ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Engine type: V-6R
- Engine power, l. p.: 280

Speed ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Highway speed, km/h: 50
- Cross-country speed, km/h: up to 30

Power reserve on the highway, km: 450
- Power reserve over rough terrain, km: 300
- Specific power, l. s./t: 14.7
- suspension type: individual torsion bar

Climbability, degrees: 30°
- overcome wall, m: 0.7
- Crossable ditch, m: 2.5
- Crossable ford, m: 1.0

Photo ZSU-23-4 Shilka

In September 1962, by order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR, an all-weather self-propelled 23-mm artillery anti-aircraft system (self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" (complex 2A6) was adopted for arming the air defense of the Ground Forces). ZSU "Shilka" was intended to provide air defense units motorized rifle (tank) regiments in various combat conditions, including on the march, at different times of the year and day, in any weather.The main characteristics of the "Shilka" and its foreign analogue are given in the table.The main developer of the installation was the design bureau of the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant (chief designer N.A. Astrov).

It is interesting to note that at the final stage of the development of the Shilka ZSU, clouds hung over its fate. This is how the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper of September 12, 1992 describes it in the article “The proud secret of Almaz (telling for the first time)”. The fact is that in March 1961, state tests of the S-125 Neva anti-aircraft missile system developed by Design Bureau No. 1 (now the Almaz Research and Production Association) were successfully completed. The S-125 air defense system being developed was intended to combat low-flying air targets flying at altitudes of 200 meters and above at a distance of up to 10 km.

This served as the basis for ambiguous assessments of the need to complete the development of an anti-aircraft artillery system (ZSU "Shilka"), also designed to combat low-flying targets. In particular, in the governing bodies of the country, which at that time determined the prospects for the development of domestic weapons, a draft decision was prepared to stop the development of the Shilka ZSU. When this decision was shown to the general designer of the S-125 air defense system, Academician A.A. Raspletin, he wrote on this document: “... Strongly against. ZSU can perform tasks in parallel with the S-125 air defense system. Work on the creation of the Shilka ZSU continued, and in 1962 it was put into service.

Since then, for many years, the S-125 air defense system and the Shilka ZSU have participated in real hostilities on different continents, have been operated by the troops, are still in service with the armies of many countries of the world, and have been repeatedly modernized. And almost forty years later, their last (in terms of time) modifications met at the international aerospace shows MAKS-99 and MAKS-2001, which were held in the city of Zhukovsky near Moscow. Words by Academician A.A. The scatter turned out to be prophetic: the S-125 air defense system, the Shilka ZSU and their modifications have been regularly serving in the military for almost half a century.

"Shilka" was the first self-propelled gun in the history of the development of domestic anti-aircraft weapons, which could effectively fire at air targets on the move. This quality was ensured by the presence of gyro stabilization along the line of sight and shot. The installation could also fire at ground targets, including lightly armored ones. ZSU-23-4 replaced the towed small-caliber anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft guns used in motorized rifle and tank regiments.

The following organizations participated in the development of the main elements and components of the ZSU-23-4:

OKB-40 of the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant of the Ministry of Transport Engineering of the USSR - the lead developer of the ZSU as a whole and the developer of the tracked chassis (the chief designer of the installation as a whole is N.A. Astrov);
Leningrad Optical and Mechanical Association - developer of a radio instrument complex (RPK-2 "Tobol"), consisting of a tracking radar, a calculating device and optical means (chief designer of the RPK - V.E. Pikkel);
the design bureau of the Tula plant of radioelements (later the Research Institute "Strela" of the Ministry of Radio Industry of the USSR) - the developer of the tracking radar (chief designer of the radar - Ya.I. Nazarov);
Central Design Research Bureau of Sports Small Arms (Tula) - developer of a quadruple 23-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun;
All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Electromechanical Instruments of the USSR Ministry of Electrical Industry - developer of electrical equipment for the power supply system of ZSU and electric motors for drives;
the Automotive Research Institute and the Kaluga Experimental Motor Plant of the USSR Ministry of the Automotive Industry are the developers of a gas turbine engine for the power supply system.

The composition of the ZSU "Shilka" includes the following elements:

23-mm quadruple automatic anti-aircraft gun (AZP-23-4) with ammunition;
radio instrument complex (RPK);
electrohydraulic power servo drives;
day and night observation devices;
means of communication.

All of the above ZSU equipment was placed on a tracked chassis with high cross-country ability. The combat operation of the anti-aircraft installation under all weather conditions was provided by a radio instrument complex, consisting of: a gun-guided radar, a calculating device and a sighting device. The radar made it possible to detect an air target in a circular or sector (within 30–80 degrees) search in azimuth and simultaneous search in elevation (within 30 degrees). Target capture was possible at ranges of at least 10 km at a flight altitude of 2000 m and at least 6 km at a flight altitude of 50 m. advance data for aiming guns at a predetermined point using hydraulic power drives.

ZSU-23-4 ensured the defeat of air targets flying at speeds up to 450 m / s, in a circular firing zone in range - up to 2500 m, in height - up to 2000 m. The AZP-23-4 anti-aircraft gun had a rate of fire of up to 4000 rounds per minute, ammunition installation - 2000 rounds. ZSU-23-4 was in service with motorized rifle (tank) regiments. It was part of an anti-aircraft missile and artillery battery, which consisted of two platoons: a platoon of the Strela-1 air defense system and a platoon of the Shilka ZSU, and later - a part of the anti-aircraft battery (six ZSU) of the anti-aircraft battalion of a motorized rifle (tank) regiment. The battery was controlled by the air defense chief of the regiment through the automated control post PU-12 (PU-12M). Commands, orders and target designation data were received by the ZSU using radio stations installed at the command post and combat vehicles. "Shilka" could be used not only to cover the units of the regiment from attacks by an air enemy operating at low and extremely low altitudes, but also to fight a ground enemy, including lightly armored targets.

It should be noted that simultaneously with the development of the ZSU-23-4, the design of an installation equipped with a twin 37-mm gun (ZSU-37-2 "Yenisei") was going on. The creation of this sample was entrusted to NII-20 of the USSR State Committee for Radio Electronics. For fire control, the Baikal radio-instrument complex was developed. Tests of prototypes of self-propelled anti-aircraft guns ZSU-23-4 and ZSU-37-2 were carried out at the Donguz test site in 1961. As a result of the tests, the ZSU-37-2 was not recommended for adoption due to the low survivability of guns and the lack of reliability of guns in general. It was also planned to install a 37-mm Shkval quad assault rifle on the Yenisei, which was not put into service due to low reliability.

The closest foreign analogue of the ZSU-23-4 in the 1960s was the American 20-mm six-barreled installation M163 ("Volcano"). It consisted of a 20-mm Vulkan six-barrel gun and fire control equipment, located on the basis of the M113A1 tracked armored personnel carrier. The fire control system included: a gyro-stabilized sight with a calculating device, a radar rangefinder and sighting devices. "Shilka" was in service with the armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, as well as many states of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In combat conditions, it was used in the Arab-Israeli wars in the 1960s and 1970s.

In the Syrian army, batteries armed with the Shilka ZSU were part of the anti-aircraft divisions of tank divisions and individual tank brigades, and were also used to cover the batteries of the Kub (Square) air defense system. During the fighting, when repelling Israeli air raids, the Shilki operated autonomously. Fire on aircraft was opened from a range of 1500-2000 meters, as a rule, upon visual detection of an air target. However, it should be noted that radars were practically not used in combat conditions for a number of reasons. Firstly, the fighting was carried out mainly on rough terrain, including mountainous, where the terrain did not allow to fully realize the capabilities of the radar to detect air targets (the line-of-sight range was short). Secondly, the Syrian combat crews were not sufficiently prepared to work on complex equipment and the use of radars preferred visual detection of air targets. Thirdly, radar installations have limited search capabilities without preliminary target designation, which was absent in those conditions. Nevertheless, as the experience of hostilities has shown, the Shilka ZSU turned out to be quite an effective tool, especially for combating suddenly appearing low-flying air targets. The combat effectiveness of the ZSU-23-4 in these military conflicts was 0.15–0.18 per unit. At the same time, from 3300 to 5700 shells were taken for each downed air target. During October 1973, out of 98 aircraft shot down by Syrian air defense systems (ZRK Kvadrat, MANPADS Strela-2M, ZSU Shilka), ZSU accounted for 11. In April-May 1974, out of 19 shot down, the share of Shilok ” amounted to 5 aircraft. In addition, the ZSU-23-4 proved to be a highly maneuverable vehicle with good maneuverability in desert and mountainous terrain.

"Shilka" was widely used in combat operations in Afghanistan. However, here it was used not as an anti-aircraft weapon, but as a highly effective weapon to destroy ground targets. In this regard, it should be noted that the ZSU fire, in addition to the actual combat effect (fire destruction of objects, including lightly armored ones), also had a strong psychological impact on the enemy. A sea of fire and a flurry of fragments created by the firing of a rapid-fire anti-aircraft gun often caused panic in the enemy and led to a temporary loss of combat capability.

After the ZSU-23-4 was adopted by the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces (in 1962), this complex went through several upgrades. The first was carried out in 1968–1969, as a result of which the operational and ergonomic characteristics of the installation were improved, the living conditions for the calculation were improved, and the resource of the gas turbine unit was increased (from 300 to 450 hours). To guide the tracking radar to a visually detected air target, a commander's guidance device was introduced. The upgraded installation was named ZSU-23-4V.

Further modernization of the ZSU was carried out in the direction of improving the calculating device and increasing the reliability of the electronic equipment. The resource of the gas turbine unit was also increased from 450 to 600 hours. ZSU with these improvements received the name ZSU-23-4V1. The next modernization of the installation, carried out in 1971-1972, ensured an increase in the survivability of cannon barrels (from 3000 to 4500 shots), the resource of the gas turbine unit was also increased (from 600 to 900 hours). In 1977-1978, Shilka was equipped with the Luk interrogator of the friend-or-foe radar identification system for air targets. This modification was named ZSU-23-4M3.

The next modernization (1978–1979) was aimed at reorienting the installation to combat ground targets in any combat conditions. For this purpose, the radio instrument complex and associated equipment were removed from the installation housing. Due to this, the transportable ammunition load was increased (from 2,000 to 3,000 rounds), and night vision equipment was introduced, which makes it possible to fire at ground targets at night. This option was named ZSU-23-4M2.

Many years of experience in the operation and combat use of the Shilka ZSU showed its certain shortcomings:

a small zone of effective shelling of air targets;
insufficient projectile power to hit new types of targets;
passing air targets unfired due to the impossibility of their timely detection by their own means.

Based on a generalization of the operating experience and combat use of ZSU, it was concluded that a new complex of this class should be as autonomous as possible, provide independent detection of low-flying targets using its own detection tools, and have more long-range weapons to destroy aircraft and helicopters. In order to expand the zone of fire of air targets (ensure the defeat to the line of use of airborne weapons by them at covered objects), it was considered expedient to put additional missile weapons on the ZSU with an optical sighting and radio control system for missiles. As a result of the analysis of these conclusions, the requirements for a new complex of this type were formed. They became the Tunguska anti-aircraft gun-missile system.

At the same time, life has shown that the modernization potential of the ZSU-23-4, which was put into service back in 1962, has not yet been exhausted. So, at the international aerospace show MAKS-99, held in the city of Zhukovsky near Moscow in August 1999, a new installation (ZSU-23-4M5) was presented. As a result of this modification, the Shilka turned into a cannon-missile system, since in addition to the standard cannon armament, the Strela-2 anti-aircraft guided missiles were installed on the combat vehicle.

It should be noted that there are two options for such an upgrade: "Shilka-M4" (with a traditional radar control system) and "Shilka-M5" (with a radar and optical-location control system). The main enterprises for the modernization of the ZSU "Shilka" are the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Ulyanovsk Mechanical Plant" and the Minsk company "Minotor-service". In the course of these upgrades, the ZSU equipment was transferred to a new element base, which has improved operational, weight and size characteristics and lower power consumption.

Optical-location system ZSU "Shilka-M5" provides search, detection, automatic and semi-automatic tracking of air targets. The company "Minotor-service" provided the modernization of the chassis and power plant. By changing the layout of the engine compartment, it was possible to place an auxiliary diesel engine that provides electricity in the parking lot. As a result, there is no power take-off from the main engine and its resource is not consumed. The ergonomic characteristics of the ZSU have been significantly improved: instead of traditional control levers, a motorcycle-type steering column has been installed. Improved overview of the environment, which is carried out using a video camera. This ensures driving the car and maneuvering in reverse in combat conditions. In order to increase the survivability of the installation, its thermal visibility has been reduced, for which the most heated elements of the hull (engine compartment, exhaust pipes) are covered with heat-absorbing material. Sensors are installed on the body that record the irradiation of the machine with a laser beam. The signals coming from such sensors are used to generate commands for shooting smoke grenades in the direction of the radiation source in order to disrupt the guidance of ATGMs with laser guidance systems. To increase the safety of the crew, seats with increased mine resistance are installed.

It is interesting to note that the waves of political transformations that shook our country at the end of the 20th century (the collapse of the USSR, the formation of independent states with their own armies in its place, etc.) reached the long-lived complex ZSU-23-4. In Ukraine, in the late 1990s, on the basis of "Shilka" at the Kharkov Tractor Plant. Malyshev developed the Donets missile and artillery complex. It uses the main elements of the following types of Soviet military equipment: the ZSU-23-4 Shilka turret, Strela-10SV short-range air defense missiles, and the chassis of the T-80UD tank.

A distinctive feature of this complex is that on the sides of the tower with four 23-mm guns, two twin launchers with Strela-10SV air defense missiles are installed. Artillery weapons ensure the defeat of air targets at a distance of up to 2.5 km at a height of up to 2 km, missiles - at a distance of up to 4.5 km at a height of up to 3.5 km. Cannon ammo load increased to 4000 rounds.

The complex has equipment that provides reception of target designation from external sources. Changes were also made to the chassis - an APU appeared, which ensures the operation of the equipment of the combat vehicle in the parking lot with the main engine turned off. Crew - three people, weight - 35 tons. Organizationally, the anti-aircraft missile battery includes six Donets combat vehicles and one control vehicle on the chassis of the T-80 tank. It has a three-coordinate detection radar. When creating the complex, it was assumed that it would be exported to countries that had previously purchased tanks made in Kharkov. In particular, Pakistan, which purchased 320 T-80UD tanks from Ukraine.

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23-mm anti-aircraft self-propelled artillery mount ZSU-23-4 (2A6) "Shilka"

Our firms are gradually beginning to reopen. There was an opportunity to speak and write about things that previously had the seal of state secrets. Today we want to tell the story of the creation of the sighting system of the legendary Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, which was put into service exactly 40 years ago (this year is rich in anniversaries!). Before you is a short essay written by two veterans of our company who took part in the creation of the world famous self-propelled gun - Lidia Rostovikova and Elizaveta Spitsyna.

With the development of the air fleet, specialists faced the task of creating means of protecting ground troops from enemy air raids. During the First World War, in a number of European states, including Russia, anti-aircraft guns were adopted, which were constantly improved as technology developed. Entire anti-aircraft artillery systems were created.

Subsequently, it was recognized that artillery on mobile self-propelled chassis would cope most successfully with the tasks of protecting troops on the march from enemy aircraft. The results of the Second World War led to the conclusion that traditional anti-aircraft guns are quite effective in combating aircraft flying at medium and high altitudes, but are unsuitable for firing at low-flying targets with high speed, since in this case the aircraft instantly goes beyond the scope of fire . In addition, large caliber guns (eg 76 mm and 85 mm) bursts at low altitudes can cause significant damage to their own troops.

With the increase in the survivability and speed of aircraft, the effectiveness of small-caliber automatic anti-aircraft guns - 25 and 37 mm - also decreased. In addition, due to the increase in the speed of air targets, the consumption of shells per shot down aircraft increased several times.

As a result, an opinion was formed that in order to combat low-flying targets, it is most expedient to create an installation with a small-caliber automatic cannon and a high rate of fire. This should make it possible to fire with high accuracy with accurate guidance during those very short periods of time when the aircraft is in the affected area. Such an installation should quickly change aiming in order to follow a target moving at high angular speeds. Most of all, a multi-barreled installation was suitable for this, having a much larger mass of a second salvo than a single-barreled gun, mounted on a self-propelled chassis.

In 1955, the design bureau of the enterprise p / box 825 (the so-called Progress plant, which later became part of LOMO), led by the head of the design bureau Viktor Ernestovich Pikkel, was issued a technical assignment for the research work "Topaz". Based on the results of this development, the issue of the possibility of creating an automatic all-weather gun mount on a self-propelled chassis for firing at air targets was to be decided, which would ensure high efficiency in hitting low-flying air targets at speeds up to 400 m/s.

V.E. Pickel

In the process of doing this work, the OKB team of p / box 825 under the leadership of the chief designer V.E. Pickel and Deputy Chief Designer V.B. Perepelovsky, a number of tasks were solved in order to ensure the effectiveness of the developed gun mount. In particular, the choice of the chassis was made, the type of anti-aircraft installation, the maximum weight of the fire control equipment installed on the chassis, the type of targets served by the installation, as well as the principle of ensuring its all-weather capability were determined. This was followed by the choice of contractors and the element base.

In the course of design studies carried out under the guidance of the Stalin Prize laureate, the leading designer L.M. Braudze, the most optimal placement of all elements of the sighting system was determined: radar antenna, anti-aircraft gun barrels, antenna pointing drives, stabilization elements on one rotating base. At the same time, the issue of decoupling the sighting and gun lines of the installation was quite ingeniously resolved.

V.B. Perepelovsky

The formula and block diagrams of the complex were developed, which formed the basis of the R&D for the creation of the Tobol radio-instrument complex. The goal of the work was "Development and creation of the all-weather complex "Tobol" for the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka".

In 1957, after reviewing and evaluating the materials on the research work "Topaz", presented to the customer of the PO box 825, he was issued a technical assignment for the development work "Tobol". It provided for the development of technical documentation and the manufacture of a prototype of the instrumentation complex, the parameters of which were determined by the previous Topaz research project. The instrumentation complex included elements of stabilization of the sighting and gun lines, systems for determining the current and forward coordinates of the target, drives for pointing the radar antenna.

The components of the ZSU were delivered by counterparties to the enterprise p / box 825, where the general assembly and coordination of the components among themselves was carried out.

In 1960, on the territory of the Leningrad Region, factory field tests of the ZSU-23-4 were carried out, as a result of which a prototype was presented for state tests and sent to the Donguzsky artillery range.

In February 1961, specialists from the plant (N.A. Kozlov, Yu.K. Yakovlev, V.G. Rozhkov, V.D. Ivanov, N.S. Ryabenko, O.S. Zakharov) went there to prepare for the tests and presentation of ZSU to the commission. In the summer of 1961 they were successfully carried out.

It should be noted that simultaneously with the ZSU-23-4, a prototype ZSU was tested, developed by the State Central Research Institute TsNII-20, which in 1957 was also issued a technical assignment for the development of ZSU ("Yenisei"). But according to the results of state tests, this product was not accepted for service.

In 1962, "Shilka" was put into service and its mass production was organized at factories in a number of cities in the USSR.

For two years (1963-1964), teams of LOMO specialists from SKB 17-18 and workshops went to these plants to establish serial production and work out technical documentation for the product.

The first two serial samples of the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" in 1964 underwent full-scale tests by firing on a radio-controlled model (RCM) to determine the effectiveness of firing. For the first time in the practice of world anti-aircraft artillery, one of the "Shilok" RUM was shot down - the tests ended brilliantly!

In 1967, by decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the State Prize of the USSR was awarded to the Chief Designer of the ZSU-23-4 Instrumentation Complex Viktor Ernestovich Pikkel and his deputy Vsevolod Borisovich Perepelovsky, as well as to a number of specialists from serial plants and customers. On their initiative and with their active participation, the work on the creation of "Shilka" was started and completed.

In 1985, an article was published in the German magazine "Soldier and Technology" in which there is the following phrase: "The serial production of ZSU-23-4, which lasted 20 years, was stopped in the USSR. But despite this, the ZSU-23-4 installation is still considered the best means of combating high-speed low-flying targets.

Employees of the enterprise who participated in the creation of "Shilka"

L. Rostovikova, E. Spitsyna
Material provided by: Nikolay Vlasov, JSC "LOMO"

Attacks ... anti-aircraft gun

First, the blue rapiers of searchlights flashed. Cutting through the pitch darkness, the rays began a chaotic run across the night sky. Then, as if on command, they suddenly converged to a blinding point, tenaciously holding the fascist vulture in it. Immediately, dozens of fiery trails rushed to the discovered bomber, high in the sky the lights of explosions flashed. And now the enemy plane, leaving behind a smoky plume, rushes to the ground. A blow follows, and a booming explosion of unused bombs rolls around ...

This is how Soviet anti-aircraft gunners acted during the Great Patriotic War during the defense of many of our cities from raids by Luftwaffe bombers. By the way, the highest density of anti-aircraft artillery in the defense of, for example, Moscow, Leningrad and Baku was 8-10 times greater than in the defense of Berlin and London. And in just the years of the war, our anti-aircraft artillery destroyed more than 23,000 enemy aircraft, and this speaks not only of the selfless and skillful actions of fire crews, their high military skill, but also of the excellent combat qualities of domestic anti-aircraft artillery.

A lot of artillery anti-aircraft systems were created by Soviet designers in the post-war years. Various models of this kind of guns, fully meeting the modern requirements of combat operations, are in service with the Soviet Army and Navy at the present time.

Dust swirls over the field road. The troops make a long march - as prescribed by the exercise plan. Columns of military equipment are moving in an endless stream: tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, artillery tractors, rocket launchers - all of them must arrive at the indicated places at exactly the calculated time.

And suddenly - the command: "Air!"

But the columns do not stop, moreover, they increase their speed, increasing the distance between the cars. Massive turrets of some of them moved, the barrels went up sharply, and now the shots merge into a continuous roaring rumble ... It is the ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns that are firing at the "enemy", covering the columns of troops in motion.

Before starting a story about this interesting armored vehicle, let's take a tour of ... a shooting range, yes, an ordinary shooting gallery. surely every boy once fired from an air rifle. Many apparently tried to hit moving targets as well. But few people thought that the brain in this situation calculates the most difficult mathematical problem in a fraction of a second. Military engineers say that this solves the prognostic problem of the approach and meeting of two bodies moving in three-dimensional space. In relation to the shooting gallery - a tiny lead bullet and a target. And it would seem so simple; caught a moving target on the front sight, took out the aiming point and quickly but smoothly pulled the trigger.

At low speeds of the target, you can hit it with just one bullet. But in order to hit, for example, a flying target (remember the so-called trap shooting, when athletes shoot at skeets launched at high speed by a special device), one bullet is not enough. At such a target, several are fired at once - a shot charge.

In fact, a space charge moving in space consists of dozens of damaging elements. It is worth one of them to hook the plate - and the target is hit.

We needed all these seemingly abstract arguments to find out: how to hit a high-speed air target, for example, a modern fighter-bomber, whose flight speed can exceed 2000 km / h! Indeed, this is a difficult task.

Serious technical conditions have to be taken into account by the designers of the anti-aircraft gun. However, for all the complexity of the problem, engineers solve it using, so to speak, the "hunting" principle. The anti-aircraft gun should be fast-firing and, if possible, multi-barreled. And its control is so perfect that in a very short period of time it was possible to fire the largest number of aimed shots at the target. Only this will achieve the maximum probability of defeat.

It should be noted that anti-aircraft weapons appeared with the advent of aviation - after all, already at the beginning of the First World War, enemy aircraft posed a real threat to both troops and rear facilities. Initially, the fight against combat aircraft was carried out with the help of conventional guns or machine guns, installing them in special devices so that they could shoot upwards. These measures proved to be ineffective, which is why the development of anti-aircraft artillery subsequently began. An example is the 76-mm anti-aircraft gun, created by Russian designers in 1915 at the Putilov factory.

Simultaneously with the development of air attack means, anti-aircraft artillery was also improved. Great success was achieved by Soviet gunsmiths, who created anti-aircraft guns with high firing efficiency before the Great Patriotic War. Its density also increased, and the fight against enemy aircraft became possible not only during the day, but also at night.

In the post-war years, anti-aircraft artillery was further improved due to the appearance of rocket weapons. At one time, it even seemed that with the advent of the era of ultra-high-speed and super-high-altitude aircraft, barrel mounts had outlived their time. However, the barrel and the rocket by no means negated each other, it was simply necessary to delimit the areas of their application ...

Now let's talk more about the ZSU-23-4. This is a self-propelled anti-aircraft installation, the number 23 means the caliber of its guns in millimeters, 4 - the number of barrels.

The installation is intended to provide air defense of various objects, combat formations of troops in a head-on battle, columns on the march from enemy aircraft flying at altitudes of 1500 m. The ZSU-23-4 can also fire at ground targets, and just as successfully as air. In this case, the effective fire range is 2500m.

The basis of the firepower of the self-propelled unit is a quadruple 23-mm automatic anti-aircraft gun. The rate of fire is 3400 rounds per minute, that is, every second a stream of 56 shells rushes towards the enemy! Or, if we take the mass of each of the shells equal to 0.2 kg, the second flow of this metal avalanche is about 11 kg.

As a rule, shooting is carried out in short bursts - 3 - 5 or 5 - 10 shots per barrel, and if the target is high-speed, then up to 50 shots per barrel. This makes it possible to create a high density of fire in the target area for its reliable destruction.

The ammunition load consists of 2 thousand rounds, and the shells are used in two types - high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing incendiary. Feed trunks tape. It is interesting that the belts are loaded in a strictly defined order - for three high-explosive fragmentation projectiles there is one armor-piercing incendiary.

The speed of modern aircraft is so high that even the most modern anti-aircraft guns cannot do without reliable and high-speed aiming equipment. This is exactly what the -ZSU-23-4 has. Precise instruments continuously solve the very predictive task of the encounter, which was discussed in the example of shooting from an air rifle at a moving target. In a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, the barrels are also directed not to the point where the air target is located at the time of the shot, but to another, called the pre-empted one. It lies ahead - in the path of the target. And the projectile must hit this point simultaneously with it. It is characteristic that the ZSU shoots without sighting - each burst is calculated and conducted as if it were a new target each time. And immediately to defeat.

But before hitting the target, it must be found. This task is assigned to the radar - radar station. She searches for the target, detects it and then automatically accompanies the air enemy. The radar also helps to determine the coordinates of the target and the range to it.

The radar antenna is clearly visible in the drawings of the self-propelled anti-aircraft gun - it is installed on a special column above the tower. This is a parabolic "mirror", but the observer sees only a flat cylinder ("washer") on the tower - an antenna housing made of radio-transparent material that protects it from damage and precipitation.

The very task of aiming is solved by the SRP - a calculating and decisive device, a kind of brain of an anti-aircraft gun. In essence, this is a small-sized on-board electronic computer, which solves the prognostic problem. Or, as military engineers say, PSA generates lead angles when aiming a gun at a moving target. This is how the line of the shot is formed.

A few words about the group of devices that form the system for stabilizing the line of sight of the shot line. The effectiveness of their action is such that, no matter how the ZSU is thrown from side to side when moving, for example, on a country road, no matter how it shakes, the radar antenna continues to track the target, and the gun barrels are accurately directed along the line of fire. The fact is that the automation remembers the initial aiming of the radar antenna and the gun "and at the same time stabilizes them in two guidance planes - horizontal and vertical. Therefore, the" self-propelled gun "is capable of accurate aimed shooting while moving with the same efficiency as from a standstill.

By the way, neither atmospheric conditions (fog, poor visibility) nor the time of day affect the accuracy of firing. Thanks to the radar station, the anti-aircraft installation is operational under any meteorological conditions. And she can move even in complete darkness - an infrared device provides visibility At a distance of 200 - 250 m.

The crew consists of only four people: commander, driver, search operator (gunner) and range operator. The designers very successfully arranged the ZSU, thought through the working conditions of the crew. For example, in order to transfer a gun from traveling to combat position, it is not necessary to leave the installation. This operation is performed directly from the spot by the commander or search operator. They control the cannon and shoot. It should be noted that much here is borrowed from the tank - this is understandable: the "self-propelled gun" is also an armored tracked vehicle. In particular, it is equipped with tank navigation equipment so that the commander can constantly monitor the location and the path traveled by the ZSU, and also, without leaving the car, navigate the terrain and plot movement courses on the map,

Now about ensuring the safety of the crew members. People are separated from the cannon by a vertical armored partition, which protects against bullets and shrapnel, as well as from flames and powder gases. Particular attention is paid to the functioning and combat operations of the machine in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons by the enemy: the design of the ZSU-23-4 includes anti-nuclear defense equipment and fire-fighting equipment. The FVU takes care of the microclimate inside the anti-aircraft gun - a filter-ventilation unit capable of cleaning the outside air from radioactive dust. It also creates excess pressure inside the combat vehicle, which prevents contaminated air from getting inside through possible gaps.

Reliability and survivability of the installation are quite high. Its nodes are very perfect and reliable mechanisms, it is armored. The maneuverability of the vehicle is comparable to the corresponding characteristics of tanks.

In conclusion, let's try to simulate an episode of the battle in modern conditions. Imagine that ZSU-23-4 is covering a column of troops on the march. But here the radar, continuously conducting a circular search, detects an air target. Who is it? Yours or someone else's? An inquiry about the ownership of the aircraft immediately follows, and if there is no answer to it, the commander's decision will be the only one - fire!

But the enemy is cunning, maneuvering, attacking anti-aircraft gunners. And in the midst of the battle, a fragment cuts off the antenna of the radar station. It would seem that the "blinded" anti-aircraft gun is completely disabled, but the designers provide for this, and even more difficult situations. A radar station, a calculating device and even a stabilization system may fail - the installation will still be combat-ready. The search operator (gunner) will fire using an anti-aircraft sight-understudy, and introduce lead through the foreshortening rings.

That's basically all about the ZSU-23-4 combat vehicle. Soviet soldiers skillfully manage modern technology, mastering such military specialties as have recently emerged as a result of the scientific and technological revolution. The clarity and consistency of their work allow them to successfully confront almost any air enemy.

We are smoothly moving from the ZSU-57-2 to the great (and I’m not at all afraid of this word) successor. "Shaitan-arbe" - "Shilke".

You can talk about this complex endlessly, but one short phrase is enough: "In service since 1965." And enough, by and large.

History ... The history of creation was replicated in such a way that it is unrealistic to add something new or piquant, but speaking of the Shilka, one cannot fail to note a few facts that simply enter the Shilka into our military history.

So, the 60s of the last century. Jet planes have already ceased to be a miracle, representing a very serious strike force. With completely different speeds and maneuverability. Helicopters also stood on the screw and were considered not only as a vehicle, but also as quite a decent weapon platform.

And most importantly, helicopters began to try to catch up with the planes of the Second World War, and the planes completely overtook their predecessors.

And something had to be done about all this. Especially at the army level, "in the fields."

Yes, anti-aircraft missile systems appeared. Still stationary. A promising thing, but in the future. But the main load was still carried by anti-aircraft guns of all sizes and calibers.

We have already talked about the ZSU-57-2 and the difficulties encountered by the calculations of installations when working on low-flying fast targets. Anti-aircraft systems ZU-23, ZP-37, ZSU-57 could hit high-speed targets by accident. Projectiles of installations, percussion, without a fuse, for a guaranteed defeat, had to hit the target itself. How high was the probability of a direct hit, I can not judge.

Things were somewhat better with batteries of S-60 anti-aircraft guns, which could be guided automatically according to the data of the RPK-1 radio instrument complex.

But in general, there was no longer any talk of any accurate anti-aircraft fire. Anti-aircraft guns could put a barrier in front of the aircraft, force the pilot to drop bombs or launch missiles with less accuracy.

"Shilka" was a breakthrough in the field of hitting flying targets at low altitudes. Plus mobility, which has already been evaluated by the ZSU-57-2. But the main thing is accuracy.

General Designer Nikolai Alexandrovich Astrov managed to create an incomparable machine that proved to be excellent in combat conditions. And more than once.

Small amphibious tanks T-38 and T-40, tracked armored tractor T-20 "Komsomolets", light tanks T-30, T-60, T-70, self-propelled gun SU-76M. And other, less known or not included in the series models.

What is the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka"?

Perhaps we should start with purpose.

"Shilka" is designed to protect the combat formations of troops, columns on the march, stationary objects and railway echelons from an attack by an air enemy at altitudes from 100 to 1500 meters, at ranges from 200 to 2500 meters at a target speed of up to 450 m / s. "Shilka" can fire from a place and on the move, equipped with equipment that provides an autonomous circular and sector search for targets, their tracking, and the development of gun pointing angles.

The armament of the complex consists of a 23-mm quad automatic anti-aircraft gun AZP-23 "Amur" and a system of power drives designed for guidance.

The second component of the complex is the RPK-2M radar-instrument complex. Its purpose is also clear. Guidance and fire control.

This particular machine was modernized in the late 80s, judging by the commander's triplex and night sight.

An important aspect: "Shilka" can work with both radar and conventional sighting optical aiming device.

The locator provides search, detection, automatic tracking of the target, determines its coordinates. But in the mid-1970s, the Americans invented and began arming aircraft with missiles that could find a locator using a radar beam and hit it. This is where simplicity comes in handy.

Third component. Chassis GM-575, on which everything, in fact, is mounted.

The Shilka crew consists of four people: a ZSU commander, a search-gunner operator, a range operator and a driver.

The driver is the most thieves member of the crew. It is in simply stunning luxury, compared to others.

The rest are in the tower, where not only is it cramped and, as in a normal tank, there is something to put your head on, it can also (it seemed to us) to apply a current easily and naturally. Very closely.

Places for range operator and gunner-operator. Top view in a hung condition.

Analog electronics... You look with awe. From the round screen of the oscilloscope, apparently, the operator determined the range ... Wow ...

Shilka received its baptism of fire during the so-called "War of Attrition" of 1967-70 between Israel and Egypt as part of the Egyptian air defense. And after that, the complex accounted for two dozen more local wars and conflicts. Mainly in the Middle East.

But Shilka received special recognition in Afghanistan. And the honorary nickname "Shaitan-arba" among the Mujahideen. The best way to calm an ambush organized in the mountains is to use the Shilka. A long burst of four barrels and the subsequent shower of high-explosive shells at the intended positions is the best means that saved more than one hundred lives of our soldiers.

By the way, the fuse worked quite normally when it hit an adobe wall. And the attempt to hide behind the duvals of the villages usually did not lead to anything good for the dushmans ...

Considering that the Afghan partisans did not have aviation, Shilka fully realized its potential for firing at ground targets in the mountains.

Moreover, a special "Afghan version" was created: a radio instrumentation complex was withdrawn, which was completely unnecessary in those conditions. Due to him, the ammunition load was increased from 2000 to 4000 rounds and a night sight was installed.

By the end of our troops' stay in the DRA, the columns escorted by the Shilka were rarely attacked. This is also a confession.

It can also be considered recognition that the Shilka is still in service in our army. Over 30 years. Yes, this is far from the same car that started its career in Egypt. "Shilka" underwent (successfully) more than one deep modernization, and one of these modernizations even received its own name, ZSU-23-4M "Biryusa".

39 countries, and not only our "true friends", have purchased these machines from the Soviet Union.

And today, the Shilki are also in service with the Russian army. But these are completely different machines, which are worth a separate story.

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