She captivated 39 states
With the design and technical features of the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" the reader has already met in detail in the 5 number of our magazine for the 1996 year. Today, we will look at a unique anti-aircraft defense system from a slightly different angle ..
SOVIET self-propelled anti-aircraft installation ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" NATO experts began to be interested from the moment when the first data on its capabilities appeared in the West. And in 1973, the NATO members were already “groping” the Shilka sample. Israelis got it - during the war in the Middle East. At the beginning of the eighties, the Americans began a reconnaissance operation with the aim of acquiring another sample of the Shilka, coming out on the brothers of the Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu. What is so interested in NATO Soviet self-propelled unit?
I really wanted to know: are there any major changes in the modernized Soviet ZSU? It was possible to understand the interest. "Shilka" was the most unique weapons, did not concede superiority in its class for two decades. Its contours were clearly outlined in the 1961 year, when Soviet science celebrated the victory of Gagarin's flight.
So what is the uniqueness of the ZSU-23-4? The retired colonel Anatoly Dyakov, whose fate is closely connected with this weapon, tells that he served for decades in the Air Defense Forces of the Ground Forces:
“If we talk about the main thing, for the first time with“ Shilka ”we began to systematically hit air targets. Prior to this, the 23- and 37-mm ZN-23 and ZP-37 anti-aircraft complexes, 57-mm C-60 guns hit speed targets only by accident. Projectiles to them - percussion, without a fuse. To hit a target, it was necessary to hit the projectile directly. The probability of this is scanty. In short, the previously created anti-aircraft weapons could only put a barrier in front of the aircraft, force the pilot to drop bombs away from the planned location ...
Kandahar Nagaha turn. 1986 ZSU-23-4 ... "SHILK" ... "SHAYTAN-ARBA"
The commanders of the units expressed delight when they saw how “Shilka” not only directly hits the targets, but also moves after the subunits, in the battle formations of the covered troops. This revolution. Imagine, do not roll the guns ... By arranging an ambush of batteries of anti-aircraft guns C-60, you torment yourself - it is difficult to hide guns on the ground. And what does it cost to build a battle formation, to “become attached” to the terrain, to connect all points (power units, cannons, gun-laying stations, fire control devices) by a large cable farm. What populous calculations were! .. And then a compact mobile installation. I came, shot away from the ambush and left, look for the wind in the field ... The officers of the present day, those who think in the categories of the nineties, otherwise perceived the phrase "autonomous complex": 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 self-propelled "Shilka" really a lot. The general designer, Doctor of Technical Sciences Nikolai Astrov, as they say, not a round anti-aircraft gunner, managed to create a machine that showed itself in many local wars and military conflicts.
To clarify what is at stake, let's say about the purpose and composition of the 23-mm quadruple self-propelled anti-aircraft installation ZSU-23-4 Shilka. It is designed to protect the combat forces of troops, columns on the march, stationary objects and railway trains from attacking an air enemy at altitudes from 100 to 1500 meters, at ranges from 200 to 2500 meters at target speeds up to 450 m / s. "Shilka" can also be used to hit mobile ground targets at a distance of up to 2000 meters. It is firing from a standstill 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 control.
"Shilka" in the Middle East
The ZSU-23-4 consists of an 23-mm quad-automatic AZP-23 anti-aircraft gun, power drives designed for targeting. The next most important element is the radar-instrumentation complex RPU-2. It serves, of course, to control the fire. Moreover, the Shilka could work both with the radar and with a conventional optical sight 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 airplanes, which could locate a radar beam and hit it. And the sight is a sight. Disguised, saw the plane - immediately immediately opened fire. And no problem. Tracked vehicle GM-575 ZSU provides high speed, maneuverability and increased maneuverability. Day and night surveillance devices allow the driver and commander of the ZSU to monitor the road and environment at any time of the day, and communications 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 - the gunner, the operator of the range and the driver.
Iraqi ZSU-23-4М damaged during Operation Desert Storm
"Shilka" was born, as they say, in a shirt. Its development began in 1957 year. In 1960, the first prototype was ready, in 1961, state tests took place, in 1962, on October 16, the order of the USSR Minister of Defense was accepted for acceptance, and after three years its mass production began. A little later - the test of battle.
Let's give the floor again to Anatoly Dyakov:
“In the 1982 year, when there was a Lebanese war, I was on a business trip to Syria. At that time, Israel made serious attempts to strike at troops stationed in the Bekaa Valley. I remember that immediately after the raid, Soviet specialists brought the wreckage of the F-16 aircraft, the most modern at that time, shot down by Shilka.
I can also say that the warm fragments pleased me, but I was not surprised at the fact. He knew that Shilka could suddenly open fire in any locality and give an excellent result. For I had to conduct electronic duels with Soviet aircraft at a training center near Ashgabat, where we trained specialists for one of the Arab countries. And not even the pilots in the desert could find us. They themselves were targets, and only, take and open fire on them ... ”
But the memories 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 newly created college,” he said, “American and Soviet specialists taught. The material part was represented by the American anti-aircraft installations Typhoon and Vulkan, as well as our Shilki. Initially, Yemeni officers and cadets were pro-American, considering that everything American was the best. But their confidence was thoroughly shaken during the first combat shooting that the Cadets carried out. The American "Volcanoes" and our "Shilks" were installed at the site. And the American installations served and prepared for firing only the American experts. On the "Shilkah" all operations performed by the Arabs.
Both the warning about security measures and the requests to place targets for “Shilok” much further than for “Volcanoes” were perceived by many as Russian propaganda attacks. But when our first installation fired a volley, spewing a sea of fire and a hail of spent cartridges, the American specialists, with enviable haste, darted into the hatches and took their installation away.
ZSU-23-4М Army GDR
And on the mountain burned brightly spaced targets. For all the shooting time, Shilki worked flawlessly. "Volcanoes" had a number of serious damage. One of them was managed only with the help of Soviet specialists ... "
It is appropriate to say here: the intelligence of Israel has sniffed out that the Arabs first engaged the Shilka back in the 1973 year. At the same time, the Israelis quickly planned the operation to capture the Soviet-made ZSU and successfully conducted it. But the experts of NATO investigated “Shilka” first of all. They were interested in how effective it is of the American 20-mm ZSU Vulkan XM-163, can you take into account its best design features when refining the West German 35-mm paired self-propelled Gepard, which is just beginning to enter the troops.
The reader will surely ask: why, later, in the early eighties, did the Americans need another sample? "Shilka" was rated by experts very highly, and therefore, when it became known that they began to produce modernized versions, they decided to get another car across the ocean.
Our self-propelled unit really constantly modernized, in particular, one of the options even acquired a new name - ZSU-23-4М “Biryusa”. But elementally it did not change. Unless a device commander appeared over time - for the convenience of targeting, transferring the tower to the target. Every year, the blocks became more perfect and more reliable. Locator, for example.
And, of course, the authority of “Shilka” has grown in Afghanistan. There were no commanders there who would be indifferent to her. There is a column on the roads, and suddenly from an ambush fire, try to organize the defense, all the cars have already been shot. Salvation one - "Shilka". Long queue in the camp of the enemy, and the sea of fire in position. They called self-propelled installation "Shaitan Arb". The beginning of her work was determined immediately and immediately began to withdraw. Thousands of Soviet soldiers saved the life of "Shilka".
In Afghanistan, Shilka fully implemented the ability to fire at ground targets in the mountains. Moreover, a special “Afghan version” was created. In ZSU radio equipment complex was withdrawn. Due to him, the ammunition was able to increase from 2000 to 4000 shots. A night sight was also installed.
An interesting touch. Columns, accompanied by "Shilka", rarely attacked not only in the mountains, but also near the settlements. The ZSU was dangerous for manpower, hidden behind clay adolescents - the “Sh” projectile fuse triggered when it hit the wall. Effectively, Shilka beat and for lightly armored targets - armored personnel carriers, vehicles ...
EVERY weapon has its own destiny, its own life. After the war, many types of weapons quickly became obsolete. 5-7 years - and there was a more modern generation. And only "Shilka" for more than thirty years in the battle formation. She justified herself during the Gulf War in 1991, where the Americans used various means of air attack, including the well-known B-52 bombers in Vietnam. There were very confident statements: they, they say, would smash targets to pieces.
And now another approach at low altitudes of the Shilka ZSU together with the Strela-3 complex is opening fire. One aircraft immediately caught fire engine. No matter how hard B-52 tried to reach the base, it was not possible.
And one more indicator. "Shilka" is in service in the 39-countries. And it was bought not only by the allies of the USSR in 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 counterparts. Including the famous American installation "Volcano".
The Vulkan, put into service in the 1966 year, has a number of advantages, but in many respects it is inferior to the Soviet Shilka. The American ZSU can shoot at targets that go at a speed of no more than 310 m / s, while the Shilka operates at higher speeds - up to 450 m / s. My interlocutor, Anatoly Dyakov, said that he acted in a training battle at the Vulcan in Jordan and could not say that the American car was better, although it was adopted later. Approximately the same opinion and Jordanian experts.
Egyptian "Shilki" at the 1973 parade
The principal difference from the "Shilka" is ZSU "Cheetah" (Germany). The large caliber of the gun (35-mm) makes it possible to have projectiles with a fuse and, consequently, a greater effectiveness of destruction — the target is hit by fragments. 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 Cheetah has a lower rate of fire than the Shilka — 1100 shots per minute versus 3400 (Vulcan, up to 3000), it is more than twice as heavy as 45,6 tons. And we note that the “Cheetah” was adopted by the 11 years later “Shilka”, in the 1973 year, this is a machine of a later generation.
In many countries, the French anti-aircraft artillery complex "Turren" AMX-13 and Swedish "Bofors" EAAK-40 are known. But they do not exceed the ZSU, created by Soviet scientists and workers. "Shilka" and today is in service with parts of the land forces of many armies in the world, including the Russian.
ZSU-23-4 cover Tanks T-55 on exercises
Anti-aircraft self-propelled installation ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" Egypt 1973
Anti-aircraft self-propelled unit ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" Western group of troops. Germany 1985
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