Derivatsiya-PVO
57 mm anti-aircraft gun (manoeuvre, counter-drone)
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with a remotely operated turret and a 57 mm automatic cannon on the BMP-3 chassis, intended against drones, cruise missiles and low-flying aircraft in the very-short layer. It aims passively with an electro-optical system (TV and thermal) instead of radar, so it emits no radar signal. In Jan. 2025 Rostec said deliveries were being accelerated for use in Ukraine; at Tsentr-2026 the Russian Ministry of Defence said it covered tanks against drones. Values are manufacturer figures.
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- Vehicle
- 2S38 on BMP-3 chassis
- L × W × H
- ≈ 7.2 × 3.2 m; height not found (database source, uncertain)
- Weight
- ≈ 21.5 t (Russian media)
- Dimension source
- ArmsNet database; www1.ru
General
- Role
- Counter-drone / SHORAD for manoeuvre units
- Vehicle
- Tracked (BMP-3 chassis), uncrewed turret; crew in the hull
- Manufacturer
- Uralvagonzavod (Rostec); developed by the Burevestnik institute
Weapon
- Gun
- 57 mm 2A90 — up to ≈ 120 rds/min, ≈ 148 rounds on board
- Range
- Air targets ≈ 0.1–3.2 NM (200–6,000 m), up to ≈ 14,800 ft (4.5 km); ground targets ≈ 1.6 NM
- Ammunition
- Programmable fragmentation rounds with remote fuzing (airburst)
- Secondary
- 7.62 mm PKTM
- Fire control
- Electro-optical (TV + thermal) with laser rangefinder — passive, no radar of its own
Threat
- Employment
- Rostec: deliveries accelerated for Ukraine (Jan. 2025). Tsentr-2026: covered Arena-M-equipped tanks against drones (claim) — source: Krasnaya Zvezda, RU Mil Tracker e-20261006-s04; Russian state source. Defense Express (23 Oct 2026, Ukrainian source) reports, by contrast, that there is still no information that Russia is ready for series production — RU Mil Tracker e-20261026-s04
- Countermeasure
- Stay beyond ≈ 3.2 NM / above ≈ 15,000 ft; no RWR warning because fire control is passive EO
- Threat level
- Medium — dangerous to drones, helicopters and low flyers up close
News archive 2
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«What Is Currently Known About russia's 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO Anti-Aircraft Artillery System and Its Capabilities Against UAVs?» (Defense Express)
Defense Express wrote this explainer after a photo of the Russian 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO self-propelled anti-aircraft gun appeared online, reportedly taken during the Center-2026 exercises in early October 2026. The author, Ivan Kyrychevskyi, is a serviceman in the 413th Raid Regiment of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces and a weapons expert at Defense Expres…
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«От тактики роевого применения дронов до атак безэкипажных танков» (Krasnaya Zvezda: From swarm drone tactics to uncrewed tank attacks — Tsentr-2026 wrap-up)
Krasnaya Zvezda, the Russian Defence Ministry's newspaper, published an overview of the main phase of the strategic command-staff exercise Tsentr-2026, which ended on 2 October at the Central Military District's 255th Chebarkul range, watched by President Putin and with Defence Minister Belousov reporting. According to the paper, more than 6,000 troops took…