Israeli 20mm and 23mm anti-aircraft guns
Historically, various types of 20mm anti-aircraft guns with magazine and belt feed formed the basis of the Israeli anti-aircraft artillery, available for combating air attack weapons operating at low altitudes. Due to their high rate of fire, the automatic 20mm cannons in service in the 1950s and 1960s delivered a density of fire comparable to 12,7-14,5mm machine gun mounts, and on the six-barreled Vulcan self-propelled anti-aircraft guns delivered in the mid-1970s, they had a significant advantage. In terms of accuracy and effective range, the 20mm and 14,5mm anti-aircraft guns are roughly equal, but the 20mm shell has a greater mass and internal volume, resulting in greater destructive power.
First towed, and then self-propelled, 20mm anti-aircraft guns were actively used in all Arab-Israeli wars. But while from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s, small-caliber automatic cannons were primarily designed to engage low-altitude aerial targets, subsequently, until their decommissioning in the 21st century, 20mm ZSUs primarily provided fire support to IDF ground units.
During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Israel Defense Forces captured a significant number of Soviet-made ZU-23 towed twin anti-aircraft guns and operated them until the mid-1980s. They also attempted to use the 23mm artillery guns to create self-propelled anti-aircraft guns based on American-made half-track armored personnel carriers.
20mm Polsten anti-aircraft guns
Several sources claim that even before the official formation of the State of Israel, Jewish armed forces were armed with 20mm Polsten anti-aircraft guns. However, it is unclear which specific guns are being referred to. The British Army had single- and quadruple-barreled guns in service during World War II.
The 20mm Polsten anti-aircraft gun is a member of a family of 20mm automatic cannons created by the Swiss company Oerlikon, which served in the arsenals of nearly all combatant countries during World War II. It's very interesting. story The development of this artillery system. The Polsten was initially developed in Poland, which is reflected in its name. Polish engineers were attempting to simplify the design of the Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun, making it faster-firing, lighter, and cheaper. However, before Poland fell to the Nazis, they were unable to produce the design in metal, and the developers fled to the UK, taking the technical documentation with them.
Production of the single-barrel mount began in the first half of 1944. The Polsten was significantly simpler and less expensive than its prototype, while remaining equally capable. At the same time, the gun retained the ability to be mounted on the Oerlikon mount.
Polsten towed single-barrel 20mm anti-aircraft gun
The British-made 20mm anti-aircraft gun, chambered for the 20×110mm cartridge weighing 246g, had a rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute. Its maximum range against aerial targets was 2000 m, and its altitude reach was 1500 m. Its effective range against fast-moving aerial targets was just over 1000 m. The muzzle velocity of the armor-piercing shell, weighing 122g, was 845 m/s. The gun was capable of successfully engaging not only aircraft but also lightly armored ground vehicles. The gun had a record-breaking light weight, weighing only 231 kg in its firing position. Ammunition was fed from 30-round magazines.
The Canadian company John Inglis Limited produced the Polsten quadruple units, of which approximately 500 units were manufactured.
The quadruple Polsten gun produced a high density of fire, but due to its considerable weight and size, such mounts were primarily used stationary. A post-war "electrified" quadruple mount, similar to the American M45 Quadmount, is also known.
There are reports that the Israelis operated over a hundred Polstens, but no confirmation has been found, and it's also unclear how and where these guns came from. It's possible these were anti-aircraft guns captured from the British in Palestine, but if so, then the IDF had few captured 20mm anti-aircraft guns.
20mm quadruple anti-aircraft gun 2 cm Flakvierling 38
The Israeli Air Force Museum, located at the active Hatzerim Air Base, houses a quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 anti-aircraft gun, produced in Germany during World War II, as an exhibit.
A 20mm quadruple anti-aircraft gun, the 2 cm Flakvierling 38, is on display at the Israeli Museum.
This mount was developed in 1938 using the 2,0 cm Flak 38 artillery piece, which in turn traced its lineage back to the 2,0 cm FlaK 30. The 2,0 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun, like its predecessor, utilized short-stroke recoil. An increased rate of fire was achieved by reducing the weight of the moving parts and increasing their speed, necessitating the use of special buffers and shock absorbers. Furthermore, the introduction of a space-saving accelerator allowed for the simultaneous unlocking of the breech and the transfer of kinetic energy to it.
Automatic sights generated vertical and lateral leads and allowed the gun to be aimed directly at the target. Input data was entered into the sights manually and determined visually, with the exception of range, which was measured with a stereo rangefinder. The mount had a triangular base with jacks for leveling. In transport mode, the mount was transported on a four-wheeled cart. In combat mode, it weighed over 1500 kg. Feed was from 20-round box magazines. The total rate of fire was up to 1800 rounds per minute. The combat rate of fire was up to 500 rounds per minute.
Firing was carried out with 20×138 mm (Lang Solothurn) rounds. A 115 g fragmentation-tracer round left the FlaK 30 barrel at a velocity of 900 m/s. The ammunition complement also included armor-piercing incendiary-tracer and armor-piercing-tracer rounds. The latter weighed 140 g and, with a muzzle velocity of 830 m/s, penetrated 20 mm of armor at a range of 300 m. Theoretically, it was possible to engage targets at altitudes above 3000 m, and the maximum firing range was up to 4800 m. However, the effective firing zone was approximately half that size. In combat, the system was manned by eight personnel.
Serial production of the Flakvierling 38 continued until March 1945, with a total of 3768 mounts delivered to the troops. Overall, the quadruple 2 cm Flakvierling 38 mount was very effective for its time, but its one significant drawback was its high weight for a 20 mm caliber.
It was not possible to reliably establish the source of the Flakvierling 38 anti-aircraft guns. But it was most likely Czechoslovakia, which supplied Israel with large quantities of various weapons and equipment. Yugoslavia could also have been a possible supplier of the Flakvierling 38.
20-mm Hispano-Suiza HS-804 anti-aircraft guns
Representatives of the numerous "Oerlikon" family in the IDF also included the Flab Kan 43 and Flab Kan Dril 43 anti-aircraft guns with 20-mm Hispano-Suiza HS-804 cannons. The automatic 20-mm HS-804 cannon was designed as aviation, but it was much more widely used in land and naval anti-aircraft mounts. This gun was based on the previous pre-war model, the HS-404, with a combined gas-operated and blowback-operated system. The gas bleed was used only to unlock the bolt, after which the bolt reciprocated under the action of a return spring.
Compared to the HS-404, which used a cam-operated bolt lock, the HS-804 utilized a tilting bolt lock. A more efficient hydraulic buffer was also employed. This reduced the system's weight to 52 kg and increased the rate of fire to 750 rounds per minute. The effective rate of fire was 160 rounds per minute. Firing from an open bolt was with 20×110 mm rounds. Feed was from a 60-round drum magazine. The effective range against aerial targets did not exceed 1200 m.
20mm Flab Kan 43 anti-aircraft gun in combat position
The 80-caliber cannon was mounted on a lightweight mount with three folding supports and a detachable wheeled chassis. The mount could be operated by a single gunner. Elevation angles ranged from -5° to +83°. In combat position, the mount weighed approximately 400 kg. If necessary, it could be disassembled into individual components suitable for transport in packs.
20mm Flab Kan 43 anti-aircraft gun in transport position
Typically, light jeeps were used to tow installations of this type, but in Israel they were sometimes mounted on various vehicles and armored cars.
The first 25 Flab Kan 43 guns arrived by sea from France before independence. The IDF had a total of 77 of these guns.
The Israelis also received six triple Flab Kan Dril 43 mounts or their Yugoslavian counterpart, the Zastava M55. The combined rate of fire of such a mount reached 2250 rounds per minute, but the effective rate of fire with efficient loaders did not exceed 700 rounds per minute. In combat position, a triple Flab Kan Dril 43 weighed about a ton. The elevation angles and effective range were comparable to those of a single-barrel mount.
A 20mm Flab Kan Dril 43 anti-aircraft gun is on display at the Israeli Museum.
Single- and triple-barreled anti-aircraft guns with automatic 20-mm Hispano-Suiza HS-804 cannons served until 1973.
Female crew of the 20mm Flab Kan 43 anti-aircraft gun
According to Israeli sources, during the War of Independence, they shot down four Egyptian Spitfires and two Syrian Texans, and in 1967, a Syrian MiG-17. Flab Kan 43 installations were often manned by female crews.
20-mm anti-aircraft guns TCM-20
After the 1967 war, the Israeli military concluded that the American-made M45 Quadmount 12,7mm anti-aircraft gun, while delivering high firepower, had insufficient range. Consequently, RAMTA (based in Be'er Sheva), a subsidiary of the state-owned Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) and specializing in the production of armored vehicles, patrol boats, and railcars based on anti-aircraft mounts with high-speed electric drives, developed the TSM-20 mount, which replaced four 12,7mm Browning M2HB machine guns with two 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404 aircraft cannons salvaged from decommissioned fighter aircraft.
20-mm anti-aircraft gun TSM-20
The 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404 cannon chambered for the 20×110mm cartridge weighed approximately 50 kg. It was fed from a 60-round drum. The rate of fire of a single cannon was up to 650 rounds per minute. The effective rate of fire of the twin mount was up to 350 rounds per minute. The carried ammunition complement was 360 rounds. The effective range was 1200 m. Elevation angles ranged from –10° to +90°. The mount weighed 1350 kg in its firing position. The crew consisted of three men. The sighting devices were modified to accommodate the increased firing range.
The TSM-20 anti-aircraft gun entered service with the IDF in 1969, and by October 1973, the 20mm twin-barreled guns had completely replaced the M45 Quadmount ZPU.
According to reference data, the industry supplied at least three hundred 20mm TSM-20 mounts. The first Egyptian MiG-17 was shot down by such a mount during the War of Attrition in February 1970. These twin-barreled anti-aircraft guns were also actively used in the Yom Kippur War, destroying two dozen Arab combat aircraft.
When covering stationary targets, towed TSM-20s were typically deployed in prepared, dug-in or berm-lined positions. When deployed in the field, the mounts and crews were protected from shrapnel with sandbags or rocks.
The TSM-20 mounts were a favorite among the troops; in addition to their intended purpose, they were often used to reinforce checkpoints to repel ground attacks. Significantly surpassing all types of light small arms in effective fire range, the 20mm twin-barreled mounts were a powerful means of engaging enemy personnel within line of sight.
Since the mid-1970s, RAMTA RAM all-wheel-drive armored vehicles have been used to tow TSM-20 anti-aircraft guns. The vehicle, protected by 8mm armor, housed the crew, communications equipment, and additional ammunition.
Mounting the TSM-20 on a self-propelled chassis was entirely logical. Initially, captured Soviet-made wheeled armored personnel carriers were used for this purpose.
Captured BTR-40s with TSM-20 anti-aircraft mounts
During the Six-Day War of 1967, the Israel Defense Forces captured 87 BTR-40s, 54 of which were accepted into service, while the remainder were used for spare parts. Approximately 15 captured BTR-40s were armed with anti-aircraft mounts. The first of these vehicles were delivered to the troops in 1970. However, the compact 4x4 BTR-40, designed to carry eight infantrymen, was too cramped to accommodate the twin 20mm anti-aircraft mount, the crew, and additional ammunition. Therefore, the Israelis decided to use the more spacious 6x6 BTR-152 BTR-40.
A captured BTR-152 with a TSM-20 anti-aircraft mount.
By the start of the Yom Kippur War, the IDF operated 210 Soviet-made BTR-152 armored personnel carriers, some of which were armed with TSM-20 anti-aircraft guns. Currently, one such ZSU, based on the BTR-152, is on display at the Israel Air Force Museum at Hatzerim Air Base.
In 1972, the TSM-20 began to be mounted on American M3 half-track armored personnel carriers, which remained in service until 1992.
The M3 tracked and wheeled armored personnel carrier with a TSM-20 anti-aircraft mount.
After the 20mm TSM-20 anti-aircraft guns were decommissioned by the IDF in the early 1990s, they were purchased by several Central and South American countries: El Salvador, Haiti, Guatemala, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Chile. In Africa, Cameroon and Congo also operate the TSM-20.
The Uruguayan 20mm TSM-20 anti-aircraft gun, mounted in the back of a Russian Ural truck.
In Uruguay, seemingly outdated anti-aircraft guns are used in conjunction with modern Elta EL/M-2106 three-coordinate radars.
20mm M163 VADS self-propelled anti-aircraft guns
The towed and self-propelled 20mm TSM-20 anti-aircraft guns were popular with the Israeli military, but in the early 1970s it became clear that they no longer fully met modern requirements, and for reliable cover tank Armored and motorized infantry units require self-propelled guns equipped with a modern sighting system and rapid-fire artillery, ensuring a high probability of engaging aerial targets. For this reason, in 1974, an agreement was reached with the United States to supply M163 VADS self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. In total, Israel received over 100 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. In the IDF, these vehicles were designated "Hovet."
Israeli 20mm ZSU Hovet
In the US Army, the M163 VADS served in anti-aircraft battalions along with the M48 Chaparral (MIM-72) self-propelled short-range air defense system, but in the IDF these systems Defense were operated separately.
The M163 VADS SPAAG is based on a modified M113 APC chassis, retaining the mobility and protection of an armored personnel carrier. Its combat weight is 12,7 tons. The rotating, open-topped turret, armed with a 20mm six-barrel M61 Vulcan cannon, has an elevation range of –5° to +80°. The crew consists of four.
20mm six-barreled cannon M61A1 Vulcan
The 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon with a rotating barrel block fires 20x102mm rounds. Its 3000-round ammunition complement includes 100g high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing tracer rounds with a muzzle velocity of 1030 m/s. The cannon's automatic system is electrically powered. The rate of fire is 1000 and 3000 rounds per minute. Fire is delivered in fixed bursts of 10, 30, 60, or 100 rounds. The effective range against aerial targets is up to 1500 m.
Target acquisition is performed visually by the operator. External target designation can be provided via the radio network. Gun aiming is accomplished using an automated anti-aircraft sight combined with a radar rangefinder, the antenna of which is located to the right of the gun mount.
Information from the rangefinder was fed to the sight's control unit. An analog ballistic computer calculated the lead and fed the necessary information to the sight, after which the gunner opened fire.
Hovet self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, accompanying Israeli tank and motorized infantry units, have been used in all IDF ground operations since the early 1980s. However, they were rarely used for their intended purpose, primarily targeting ground targets. However, ZSU crews claim to have shot down three Syrian aircraft in 1982. The last combat episodes involving these self-propelled guns occurred in 2006.
In the 1990s, some of the least worn Hovet SPAAGs were modernized by Israeli arms giant Israeli Aircraft Industries. During the modernization, combined with a major overhaul, the main changes were made to the turret. The modernized version was designated Machbet.
Optoelectronic cameras with day and night channels, as well as a laser rangefinder, were mounted on the turret above the oscillating gun mount, eliminating the need for a radar rangefinder with a bulky parabolic antenna. The gunner and commander now have access to a new digital fire control system based on the Intel 486DX/33 processor. The onboard equipment includes a satellite navigation system and new communications equipment, allowing for closed-circuit target designation from higher-level air defense command posts or directly from surveillance radars. A launcher for four anti-aircraft guns has been installed in the place where the rangefinder antenna used to be. missiles FIM-92 Stinger, paired with a 20mm six-barrel cannon.
Given that the Stinger SAMs are capable of engaging targets at ranges of up to 4800 meters and an altitude reach of 3500 meters, the Machbet air defense missile and gun system's potential has significantly increased compared to the original ZSU. It has also been announced that it can simultaneously engage multiple targets with guns and missiles, which was previously unavailable. At the same time, due to the need to carry four spare missiles internally, the artillery round complement has been reduced from 2100 to 1800 rounds.
By 1998, the army had already received the first battalion of modernized self-propelled guns. According to reference data, the total number of Machbet air defense missile and gun systems was approximately 20.
However, the Machbet's service life was short-lived—by 2006, all self-propelled guns were removed from active anti-aircraft units and sent to storage. Subsequently, many in Israel questioned the rationale for this decision, and in 2024, due to the increasing unmanned aerial threat, the return of the self-propelled guns to service was considered.
23-mm towed and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns
After the end of hostilities in 1973, among the numerous trophies captured by the IDF were several dozen towed 23mm ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns and several ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The Israelis captured at least nine more Syrian ZSU-23-4s in Lebanon in 1982.
ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", captured by the Israelis in 1973
During the Yom Kippur War, self-propelled Shilkas, along with the Kvadrat air defense missile system (an export modification of the Kub air defense missile system), inflicted heavy losses on Israeli aircraft, shooting down, according to American data, 27 and 28 aircraft, respectively.
The self-propelled Shilka was designed to provide air defense for tank and mechanized regiments and was equipped with the RLK-2 radio system, which could detect a fighter at a range of up to 18 km and track it from 12 km away. An analog computer calculates the projectile's impact point with the target based on data received from the RLK-2. The system can fire at aerial targets automatically—the target is tracked by range and angular coordinates, the computer determines the required lead and issues the command to open fire when the target reaches the effective firing range, and ceases fire when the target leaves the engagement zone.
It was claimed that, at a range of 500 meters, using the RLK-2, an F-4 Phantom II fighter flying at 250 m/s at an altitude of 1000 meters could be hit with a probability of 0,4. The 250-horsepower diesel engine can accelerate the 21-ton aircraft to 50 km/h on the road. The cruising range is up to 450 km. The crew is four. Steel armor 9–15 mm thick provides protection from bullets and light fragments.
ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" captured by the Israelis in 1982 in Lebanon.
Initially, the IDF command planned to form a self-propelled anti-aircraft battalion from captured Shilokas, designated "Gun Dish" in Israel. However, lacking technical documentation and spare parts, Israeli specialists were unable to maintain the RPK-2's vacuum-tube-based radio system. Subsequently, some of the vehicles were equipped with radar simulators that transmitted on the same frequency as the RPK-2. These converted Shilokas, also equipped with air conditioning, were used during Israeli Air Force exercises to identify enemy air defenses.
An Israeli ZSU-23-4 Shilka air defense self-propelled gun simulator equipped with air conditioning.
While the Israelis didn't have much success with the Shilkas, the captured towed ZU-23s were widely used in reserve anti-aircraft units.
Israeli reservists train with a captured ZU-23.
Unlike the 20mm towed anti-aircraft mounts used by the IDF, the ZU-23 was belt-fed, giving it a total rate of fire of up to 1800 rounds per minute and a practical rate of fire of 400 rounds per minute. It was fed from 50-round belt boxes. A 23mm projectile weighing 200 grams, leaving the barrel at a muzzle velocity of 970 m/s, is capable of penetrating 15 mm of high-hardness armor at a 60° angle at a distance of 700 meters. The firing range against aerial targets is up to 2500 meters. The altitude reach is 1500 meters. The mount weighs 950 kg. The crew is 5.
Towed anti-aircraft guns captured by the IDF in Lebanon in 1982
According to available information, the Israel Defense Forces possessed several dozen serviceable ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns and a large supply of ammunition in the mid-1980s. These anti-aircraft guns were likely kept in reserve until the early 1990s.
In addition to the direct use of towed ZU-23s, the Israelis experimented with 23mm machine guns removed from captured anti-aircraft guns.
Half-track armored personnel carrier M3 with a 23-mm anti-aircraft mount
For example, there is evidence that in the 1980s, a hybrid self-propelled gun was developed based on the M3 armored personnel carrier (APC), using elements of the TSM-20 and 23mm Soviet 2A14 cannons. The rationale for creating such a self-propelled gun was explained by the fact that the use of electric drives from the American M45 Quadmount anti-aircraft gun allowed for a significant increase in aiming speed and reduced the physical workload on the crews. The 23mm projectile has significantly higher kinetic energy, effective range, and destructive power. Furthermore, 23mm automatic guns have a higher rate of fire than the 20mm Hispano-Suiza HS-404 cannons. However, it appears that this was limited to a prototype, and the system was never accepted into service.
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