ZSU-23-4 Shilka
Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG), short range
Soviet armoured anti-aircraft gun (1965) with four 23 mm cannons and its own Gun Dish fire-control radar on a light tracked chassis. More than 6,500 were built and dozens of countries still operate it. Dangerous to low-flying helicopters, aircraft and drones within ≈ 2.5 km; in Afghanistan it was also widely used against ground targets on mountain slopes. Upgrades add MANPADS: ZSU-23-4M4/M5 with Igla, Ukraine's Rokach, Poland's Biała (Grom) and Iran's Soheil (Misagh-2).
Learn more in the AirDefense Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Vehicle
- GM-575 tracked chassis (PT-76 components)
- L × W × H
- 6.54 × 3.13–3.3 × 2.58 m (3.57–3.75 m radar raised)
- Weight
- 19–20.5 t (late versions up to 21 t)
- Dimension source
- Wikipedia; US Army TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)
General
- Role
- Air defence artillery, self-propelled — short range
- Manufacturer
- UMZ / MMZ (Soviet Union)
- In service
- 1965 (some sources: 1960–1962); ≈ 6,500 built 1964–1982
- Crew
- 4 (commander, driver, gunner, radar operator)
- Users
- incl. Russia, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Syria, Vietnam
Weapon
- Gun
- 4 × 23 mm 2A7 (AZP-23 Amur)
- Rate of fire
- 850–1,000 rds/min per barrel; 3,400–4,000 combined
- Ammunition
- 2,000 rounds — ≈ 30–35 s of continuous fire
- Range
- Effective ≈ 1.3 NM (2.5 km); maximum ≈ 3.8 NM (7 km)
- Altitude
- Effective ≈ 4,900 ft (1.5 km); maximum ≈ 16,700 ft (5.1 km)
- Elevation
- −4° to +85°, 360° traverse
Radar & threat
- Radar
- RPK-2 Tobol (1RL33), NATO: Gun Dish — Ku band, detection ≈ 11 NM (20 km)
- Target designation
- Battery acquisition radar Dog Ear (9S80 Sborka) on MT-LBu — WEG
- Limitation
- Heavy ground clutter below ≈ 200 ft (60 m)
- RWR
- Yes — the Gun Dish tracking radar
- Variants
- ZSU-23-4M4/M5 (+ Igla), Rokach (UA, 4 Igla), Biała (PL, 4 Grom, no radar), Soheil (IR, 4 Misagh-2)
- Combat record
- Yom Kippur War 1973, Afghanistan (also against ground targets), Ukraine since 2014
- Countermeasure
- Stay beyond ≈ 2.5 km and above ≈ 5,000 ft; ECM against Gun Dish; stand-off weapons
- Threat level
- Medium — short range, but deadly to low flyers
News archive 1
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
-
«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…