72442 ZSU-23-4V "SHILKA" MOD.1967, SOVIET SPAAG

The prototypes of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft system were built in the years 1957-1961 at Zakłady Mechaniczne based in Ulianów. The set entered the service of the Soviet Army in the early 1960s, and serial production ended with the production of about 6,500 pieces of the vehicle. The ZSU-23-4 Szyłka is powered by a single 280 HP W-6R engine. The main armament of the vehicle is four 23mm AZP-23 automatic anti-aircraft guns. The ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft system was designed to replace the ZSU-57-2 set. It differed from its predecessor in many ways. First of all, a new chassis, a more perfect engine and much more modern main weapons and electronics. The ZSU-23-4 was also equipped with a radar with a parabolic antenna that allowed for independent target tracking. The process from detecting the target to opening fire was also largely automated. In the 1960s and 1970s, the ZSU-23-4 Szyłka was one of the most modern self-propelled anti-aircraft systems in the world. The ZSU-23-4 Szyłka was widely exported to the countries of the Warsaw Pact and the Arab countries of the Middle East. It proved its high efficiency especially during the Yom-Kippur War in 1973.