"Fire support means": how the legendary ZU-23 is used during a special operation

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has published footage of the combat work of the calculation of the ZU-23 of the Southern Military District in the special operation zone.

The video is posted on the website and in the Telegram channel of the military department.

“The anti-aircraft gunners of the Southern Military District continue to carry out combat missions to cover the airspace from attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles of Ukrainian nationalists,” the website of the military department says.

The commander of the anti-aircraft missile squad was awarded the Suvorov medal, junior sergeant Semyon Knyazkin.

During the fighting, he repelled a raid by enemy UAVs, in addition, together with motorized rifle and tank units, he repulsed two offensives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“We work all the time: a large number of drones fly.

We try to suppress quadrocopters and drones.

We are working from a portable anti-aircraft complex, from a gun that suppresses copters, and from a ZU-23 anti-aircraft artillery installation, ”the commander explained.

Mobile weapon

As military expert Yuri Lyamin said in a comment to RT, the ZU-23 is an extremely useful weapon in the NVO zone.

The installation allows you to fire at a variety of targets in visual visibility: small drones, manpower, automotive and lightly armored vehicles of the enemy.

“The ZU-23 has a good rate of fire and fairly powerful ammunition.

It copes well with low-flying aircraft: in Ukraine, these are copters and all other UAVs that are in the affected area.

Often the ZU-23 is used as a means of infantry fire support.

On direct fire, it can fire at a variety of ground targets, except, of course, well-protected ones, ”Lyamin explained.

• Shooting from the ZU-23-2 from the back of a truck

• © Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation

The expert noted that the ZU-23 is not a new weapon, however, in the NMD zone, the anti-aircraft gun is widely in demand as an inexpensive, mobile and effective means of destroying air and ground targets.

The ZU-23, or Zushka, has been a participant in countless armed conflicts over the past 60 years.

The weapon is very mobile, popular with both regular army units and illegal armed groups.

There are a lot of these weapons in our country.

It, of course, must be used, ”Lyamin emphasized.

Recall that the ZU-23 was adopted by the Soviet army in March 1960.

The installation is a cradle with two automatic guns of 23 mm caliber and various mechanical devices.

In the stowed position, the ZU-23 rests on two wheels with a torsion bar suspension.

It can also be installed on SUVs, trucks, armored vehicles on tracked and wheeled chassis.

The mass of the ZU-23 in the stowed position is 950 kg, width - 2.88 m, height - 1.22 m, rate of fire - 1600-2000 rounds per minute, range - 2-3 km.

For firing from the installation, unitary cartridges with a single steel sleeve, high-explosive fragmentation and armor-piercing tracer shells are used.

• MT-LB armored personnel carrier with a ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun in the NVO zone

“The ZU-23 installation was delivered to dozens of countries and participated in many local wars.

Since 1991, the ZU-23 has been intensively used in all hostilities taking place on the territory of the former USSR, ”the materials of the Russian Defense Ministry say.

In the Russian army, the ZU-23-2 modification is common, which is installed on various mobile platforms, including tracked models of such armored vehicles as the MT-LB multi-purpose tractor and the Rakushka BTR-MDM.

Now the management of the ZU-23-2 is being mastered by the mobilized.

In a RT commentary, the former head of the anti-aircraft missile forces of the special forces command of the Russian Air Force, reserve colonel Sergei Khatylev, said that a standard training course in firing and operating an anti-aircraft gun takes about one month.

"Zushka" is very easy to maintain and does not require much time for training calculations.

The ZU-23 is also convenient in that it is easy to install on any off-road truck - it turns out to be a powerful enough mobile self-propelled gun to hit targets in the visibility zone, ”Khatylev said.

According to the expert, military personnel often adapt the installation to the conditions of hostilities, and the SVO was no exception.

“The problem with the ZU-23 is that it is most often mounted openly in the back of a truck or on armor (on the body of an armored vehicle. -

).

As a result, the calculation is noticeable to the enemy, he is poorly protected.

In this regard, in the combat zone, if the carrying capacity of the carrier allows, the military personnel try to protect themselves by installing metal shields, although this sometimes impairs visibility, ”says Khatylev.

Modernization potential

Recently, the domestic industry has developed several options for upgrading the ZU-23-2.

In particular, it is proposed to change sights, means of observation, guidance and tracking of targets.

For example, JSC "Design Bureau of Precision Engineering named after.

A.E.

Nudelman developed the ZU-23M, in which the Soviet ZAP-23 sighting system and the operator's workplace were replaced by an optoelectronic module and a container with electronic control equipment.

New equipment significantly increased the likelihood of hitting air targets.

• Servicemen of the RF Armed Forces at the ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun based on the Tornado-U vehicle

• RIA News

There is also a modification of the ZU-23 / 30M1 with a module for two anti-aircraft guided missiles of the Igla-S type, capable of intercepting aircraft at a distance of up to 6 km.

This version of the anti-aircraft installation is heavier than the basic model, however, it increases the ability to deal with enemy aircraft.

Experts hold different points of view on the issue of upgrading the ZU-23-2, including on the basis of experience gained in the special operation.

For example, Yuri Lyamin does not see the need for a significant improvement in the characteristics of the Zushka.

According to the expert, Russia has much more modern anti-aircraft systems with cannon weapons, the production of which makes sense to significantly increase, based on the needs of units on the line of contact and rear units of the RF Armed Forces.

One of them is the anti-aircraft missile and gun complex (ZRPK) "Pantsir".

This air defense system is equipped with 12 anti-aircraft guided missiles and two double-barreled 30-mm 2A38 cannons, the firing rate of which reaches 5 thousand rounds per minute.

The maximum height of the missiles is 15 km, the range is 20 km.

The guns can fire at enemy targets at a distance of up to 4 km and at a height of up to 3 km.

In the special operation "Pantsir-S1" is fighting with various UAVs, ballistic missiles "Tochka-U" and shells of the American MLRS HIMARS.

“The ZU-23 certainly has a modernization potential, but there are problems that cannot be solved.

For example, it is almost impossible to reliably protect the calculation.

After all, Russia has equipment that has uninhabited combat modules and more serious firepower.

The advantages of "zushka" are precisely in its simplicity, unpretentiousness, mobility and economy of anti-aircraft missiles in the defeat of small-sized UAVs.

Our anti-aircraft gunners, in my opinion, use them well, ”says Lyamin.

At the same time, Sergey Khatylev considers it quite expedient to modernize the ZU-23 by installing new sighting equipment, thermal imagers, a laser rangefinder and fire control equipment.

“It is clear that Russia has significantly more modern air defense systems.

But the ZU-23 has not lost its significance as a means of destroying low-altitude, suddenly appearing targets.

It covers our air defense systems well, facilitates their work, and saves expensive anti-aircraft guided missiles.

I think that the legendary installation needs to be updated.

Her battle path is clearly not over, ”summed up Khatylev.