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@@adude8424 China definitely emphasises economic soft power but most wars throughout history started as economic wars. Sadly often disguised as ideological wars by the ruling class to trick the masses into agreeing to fight.
Technicaly we are still "summing up" WW2(which was the sum up of WW1) - The contest of USA for the zones of influence in Europe and Asia started with invasion in the Normandy and nuclear bombing of Japan and it's still going.
I served in the East German army as an radar operator in a ZSU 23/4 from 1985 until 1988. At that time we had trouble keeping the systems running. The electronics were shaky after years of abuse by conscripts. This was still vacuum tube type electronics and it was really hard to service. But when they were running they did amazing. Still, I had already the fear that we would be outmatched by anti radar missiles. I'm really, really glad I didn't have to find out how these things might have performed. At 0:56 the numbering shows 4612 and 4613. I served on a 2602 and I think the systems at 0:56 must be from troops nearby (I was stationed in Torgelow in the north of Germany).
You could always surrender or hide instead of fighting for your conquerors... but thanks for sharing the anecdote. Nowadays, I think people forget about vacuum tube use in electronics.
Sure, they may be obsolete against modern manned aircraft, but with some modernization they could be very useful against drones. Anti-drone weapons need cheap, small caliber, rapid firing guns - all the Shilka needs to be useful again is to be able to detect them reliably.
@@EnhancedNightmare Rockets would be expensive overkill for drones, but energy weapons have real advantages. They don't have projectile flight time so you can hit a fast small drone more reliably, firing them is much cheaper than firing bullets/shells, and they can't fall down and hurt your own soldiers. If the entire system can be made cheap and reliable energy weapons will be clearly superior. I'm just not sure we're at that point yet.
You can see that some of the newly proposed integrated AA systems are quite similar: they have autocanons BUT they also get limited missile capabilities, all mounted on something like an ASCOD. Modernising Shilka is pointless (you would have to basically scrap the whole thing anyway) but the newly developed and constructed systems are not that different, but much better.
@@TheoEvian Can you give a bit more info on those newly proposed AA systems? The ones I know with both autocannons and missiles - Tunguska and Pantsir, have 30mm cannons that were designed to take out A-10s and are not suitable against drones. Tunguska is 70s-80s tech and Pantsir showed itself unready in Syria. I'd love to learn more about new approaches.
@@lukam8815 I'm not saying you're wrong, but these guns have been seen in use in an anti-infantry role all over 3rd world nations. When you lose competency and radar technicians, the shilka becomes nothing more than a heavy autocannon tank.
@@jhelmut2624 You said it Third world countries No one cares what happenes there But I don't think a real country can use it as an anti infantry weapon and get away with it
@@lukam8815 Well... i think some are misspelling Geneva Convention as Geneva Sugestion a lot. :D To be fair first vids i ever watched of ZSU 23 4, it was firing on ground targets. There are ton of them around. My fav is this one: ruclips.net/video/idUO16hqDWs/видео.html where gunner stops to let trafic go through. War is war but shit needs to be deliverred.
This and the Hind were the coolest weapons the soviets had,back in early '80's...Both were unique,ultra effective and simply had no peer in western arsenals.
frankly Hind still has no direct equivalent, and shiulka is still very effective if modernized or in ground fire support. against Helicopters it is a murder machine
Excellent presentation, excellent weapon system. My favorite Soviet piece of battlefield hardware. It was my main target as an Heavy Anti Tank Weapon System T.O.W. gunner back in 1977 in W.Germany. We feared it and your Hind Attack Helicopter. Much respect for both.
In Somalia we use it as ground assualt. We mount them on an ural truck or Iveco. The shilka is just a shilka and the 37 twin barrel is called taranta sate. Which means 37 in italian. I tell you man you do not wanna be at the receiving end of either guns. Especially the 37ml, it explodes multiple times and if it hits you its gonna mess you up really good.
@@inamacalin1 The US was also doing this with half-tracks armed with quad-mounted M2 Brownings in WW2. It's not a new idea, and German AA vehicles like the Ostwind and Wirbelwind were extensively used in the same role.
Many people think if something's obsolete, that it has no value, or isn't a reasonable choice. Many militaries either decided to stick with older tech before adopting newer age tech because of a variety of reasons. Some did it because the soldiers were used to that tech and thus if a new weapon was to replace it it'd have taken alot of training to become accustomed to it. Others did it by accident(like the Thompson smg, which was invented in 1918, but came too late in the First World War to take part. And so when it was formally adopted it was already obsolete, and especially by the time of the Second World War. Yet America, and many other nations like the British/Commonwealth, Soviets and Chinese used it to great extents). And lastly, others do it because they simply can't afford the newest tech, and thus have to make due with their current arms(like the Koreans between 1890-1920, or Egypt).
Greetings! Many pleasant memories from the Operation Flashpoint game... Since you are a Czech guy, I assume you to know a thing or two about the further development of the game? Like the Arma series and possibly some more recent version? Thanks mate!
I think you did say it in the video, but I just want to emphasize the point. Shilka was not designed to shoot down aircraft. It was designed to protect vehicles on the move. If an aircraft trying to bomb your tanks is forced to release bombs early or abort a run because there is a wall of tracers in his way, Shilka did it's job. It's not supposed to contribute to air superiority, it's supposed to make sure that your tanks and infantry get to where they are going and do their mission. When the front line/order of battle is established there are dedicated forces that provide long/medium range AA defense. Like you mentioned, USA/UK/Japan had to establish air and naval supremacy before getting ground troops involved. Most other countries could prioritize ground troops. Great video btw.
@@sameerthakur720 Or even just the ZU twin on a 'technical'...way back in the college days in Greece, we had 'kids' who where veterans of the Lebanese Civil War and they used to say the 23mm x 2 On the back of a truck was truly a 'hellish' weapon in built up areas.
As an ex infantryman, I would not want that thing firing on my position. Those guns are scary. Still, I doubt it would last long on a modern battlefield.
As the video said, they are still useful as fire support vehicles in low intensity/counter insurgency scenarios. High barrel elevation is good for urban fighting and those high explosive rounds will chew through brick walls (seen that done in training with a Gatling gun), mud huts and even low quality concrete. they are good against jihadis taking pot shots at you from a roof top. Against an Apache...mmm... not so much.
2X30mm Praga is even worse. One 30mm she'll can penetrate almost any ifv (except for ones based on MBT chassis ) . Definitely reason why VRS controled 74% of bosnia in 1993.
Shilka is still perfect weapon. If stationary for a while (no excessive heat), camouflaged, with communication turned off, there's no chance to detect it. And it can shred to pieces any transport/support plane or helicopter before pilot/gunner knows what's happening. Also, it's very effective weapon for ground combat, even if poorly armored, ... it can easily obliterate or atleast disable any opponent.
For many countrys, Shilka is still 1 defense tool to use during war. Still today is nightmare for helicopters and close air support airplanes. Shilka done a great job which supposed to do.
Мой дядя служил в ВДВ, воевал в Афганистане в Кандагаре, насколько помню, в 82-83 годах. Основные их " рабочие лошадки" были Ми-8 на которых их забрасывали в горы. А на земле непосредственной поддержкой пехоты были Шилки. Их уровень подъема стволов позволял зачищать вершины, на которых обычно устраивали засады афганцы.
In the day when I was flying AH-1P attack helicopters in German we where highly concerned about the SP ZSU-23. This is part of the reason for the increased range of the TOW missile to keep us out of range of the Shika guns. We where told that the radar on the Shilka radiated the vehicle commander when the commander exposed himself from the turret when the radar was operating.
Too nice video which introduced shortcuts historically anti-aircraft systems of several countries...this video mainly about ZSU-23-4 shilka system characters and its abilities against enemies airforces..excellent describe and labelling its characteristics from Soviet and Russia today's
Put an RPG cage and some reactive armor on the roof and you got yourself a great anti infantry vehicle for city operations in cities with high rises etc.
They used them in Syria against snipers in an urban setting, a one second burst from one barrel would punch a decent sized hole though the wall where the sniper was suspected to be
@@TheAmazingCowpig that's an expensive solution and nobody bought them, even the Russians don't seems to be interested to make a lot of them. Because that vehicle has only one purpose and lacks the urgency when it will face a tank in the city as guided missiles aren't great in those situations. So why not just take pre-existing anti-air vehicles?
Give this thing a better radar and you have a self-propelled-CIWS-gun for land use! It can do what a Centurion-System (a land based Phalanx-CIWS) can do and it is available in large numbers - hell, combine it with Pantsir and the S400 and you make things very very very difficult for aircraft or missiles to get through and actually do damage!
That's exactly what India did. It equipped it with a relatively small AESA radar along with a IR tracking sight. Even though its old its perfect for shooting down small errant drones.
I genuinely think that in the case of a conventional land war in Europe during the 60's or 70's, the USSR would have emerged as the winner. It just seems to me that the Red Army learned a lot of hard lessons from WWII that they took to heart very dearly. They had the dubious privilege of being handily defeated several times, and defeat is an exacting teacher. Whereas the US basically went from strength to strength, victory to victory (not to say that some of those victories weren't very bitterly bought with blood), and never had to interrogate the reality that they might ever lose. I think this difference is really well illustrated in the design philosophy on display in the shilka. The soviets had to countenance the idea of not having an air force, like they did in the darkest days of WWII, compared to the US which just assumes its own air superiority. I think it's preparation and thinking like that that would have seen the soviets win. A bit of a moot point though for a number of reasons. Not the least of which being nukes, and the fact that the soviets never would have been able to invade the US to seal the deal. I don't think even another United States could invade the continental United Staes. That geography is OP.
I believe the Indian army made lots of improvements to it and gurned it into an anti drone and light aircraft weapon. Sure it cannot take down modern fighters, though.
We had some of these at Red Flag (one was drivable and the General loved to drive it) ... one of the tactics they used to great effect was to optically aim them with the radar off ... the pilots did not get a threat warning from their radar warning system ... came back for debrief ... and were dumbfounded when they learned that the ZSU23 nailed them ....
Those twin 57mm blasters for ground fire today with modern and standard ammunition would be very popular with the troops in an infantry support role The 23/4 is often seen in troop support role
I wouldn't be so hasty in calling Russian AA systems obsolete, in 1991, a drunken, poorly trained Serbian missile crew blew a US F-117 "stealth" fighter out of the sky using a Soviet SA-3 NEVA missile given to them by the Russians in 1959, in an "apology" to the US, the Serbs said, "So sorry, we didn't know it was invisible".
I've seen videos of these used against Syrian opposition positions. They might heavily fortify a building to use as a strong point, putting tons of work in moving sandbags and other defensive measures. And it would be proof against most small arms. Then this shows up and they are no longer safe behind their sandbags and concrete walls.
Bring up some good missiles alongside your shilka and it will still do it´s job. Unless it is spotted aand engaged over aa long distance but that goes for essentially all weapons
A fine Weapons platform...filled the gap in anti air...and was a feared close combat shredder! Based on quad mount. My favorite is the quad .50 cal. Dusters of WWII. Mounted on a simple halftrack...it came in handy for lots of roles. Still a serious threat to drones...it’s been superseded but its legacy continues.
Again...a rotating barrel of the Gatling works better....and discharges even misfires rounds. Each barrel...cools. Highly effective. Sea whiz is my favorite version. But it’s the teeth of A10’s as well. Either way...it’s a lot of lead. Nice video.
If I could have any Russian Weapon...hmmmmmm. Hind Helicopter. T-90 Black Eagle. T-35/85. JS3. And...you have great heavy trucks! So.....you have a huge field mortar. That’s kinda neat! And a turboprop Bear. And could you build a mock-up...of the world’s largest Rocket! I know it didn’t work...trust me.the Saturn five had a lot of people praying. But it was Huge! And these no good footage of this. Another...hidden history. Interesting nevertheless.
Four 23mm autocannons mounted on a tracked vehicle are the most textbook example of soviet engineering ever. Maximum firepower with minimal cost and effort.
All they gotta do to make the Shilka relevant again is slap some long range AA missiles on it for helicopter defense. The main gun is for 2-3km and in while the rockets are for 3km+. Sure the Tunguska exists as it's successor but owners of the Shilka can definitely keep it modernized for many more years.
You remember that American leadership in 2014/15 "announced" the start of the New or Second Cold War and blamed Russia for starting it(by rapidly arming it's armed forces)? That's the tactic of Americans and their blind followers namely when Russia or any other country become stronger but at the same time they fail to point to themselves when doing the same!!??
There is one in private ownership in Florida and another in Nevada. There is a couple more but they have deactivated guns or were replaced with smaller caliber gun systems. They also didn't mention that you can run a centralized network cable and firing station between up to 8 of them and the Radar will gain more efficiency and the centralized station can fire all 8 at once. They were limited to 400 to 800m this allowed stand alone radar systems to be linked in line. During Desert Storm the system was used in Iraq and was a part of the "Upgraded Air Defense" that Russia installed in Iraq. It was considered the outer ring of the famous "Golden BB" system.
These things are very impressive. I don't know why the U.S. doesn't build something like it? I know we tried it was called "Sergeant York" AA tank but it was a massive failure.
The ZSU can also track and engage Grad missiles. The Russians used to shoot Grad's past them to calibrate the radar to the guns. Cheap target drones! Israel should get them instead of wasting huge sums on the Iron Dome missiles.
The challenge in the anti-drones warfare is probably in finding them and tracking them. To actually shoot them down, the 23mm quad cannons are sufficient for the low flying drones. You'll need 100mm AA cannons to shoot the high flying drones. Of course, you want to use AA missiles to shoot the high-flying and high-value drones. There's no single wonder weapon that can do it all. The air defense is layered starting with stealth fighter jets.
Found one in a shot-up column in Fox Sector in Western Kuwait on the third day of the ground war. The column had been heading for Iraq and was a few miles from a Kuwaiti Air Force base that was all shot up southwest of Kuwait City. For some reason, our Air Force guys had only destroyed the tanks in that particular column and left the troop transport and the ZSU23-4 alone and allowed the troops and the crew of the ZSU23-4 to walk away. I climbed up onto it and looked inside. It was pristine inside, the engine wasn't holed like most tanks destroyed by smart bombs and the ammo racks inside were chock full of ammo. Apparently, it hadn't fired a shot at the aircraft that had attacked that column. Go figure.
Middle Eastern countries cannot fight properly, give that to Vietnam or south asean countries and try to do the same, you will get different results, go figure it out.
Республика Беларусь провела модернизацию Шилки - теперь эта версия называется ЗСУ-23-4БМ. Поставили новую систему прицеливания, новую связь и совресенный радар. И в принципе теперь это вполне современная система ПВО ближнего радиуса действия. Может роименятся против крылатых ракет, вертолетов и дронов.
Hey Pentagon, i hope your paying attention (7:44) i'm thinking of a very large and populous Asian power in place of the Yahtzees, and US/JSDF in place of the Reds. The Pacific is a lot of water to cross, the straits and seas aren't, and that aforementioned power has a whole lot of surface to surface rockets and more.
Замечательная статья о замечательном, хоть ныне и устаревшем вооружении. Живом воплощении неофициального девиза советских/российских зенитчиков: "Сами не летаем, и другим не даём!".
23mm AP Shells - Yes, they go trough light Armor! HE Shells - Yes they make Confetti out of Infantry. And -4 Elevation means it can shoot below the Horizont!
Absolut overkill. In Syria they use it with only one barrel firing and it's still too much. For reference autocannon on a Bradly or BMP fires 200-500 rounds per minute. The ONE autocannon on Shilka fires 800-1000 rpm. With all four cannons firing it can tear down a house faster than a tank and the BRRRRT alone will make people sh*t their pants, but it's just not practical. It's not armored enough for ground combat and it devours ammunition.
@@uegvdczuVF Just that the BMP2 fires bigger 30mm instead of 23mm Projectiles! Funny thing is that the Bradley fires slower than the BMP even having 25mm instead of 30mm. Somehow it seems the Russians do Guns better.
Just a correction it destroyed the Syrian Air defense units in Lebanon, it didn't attack Syria proper as they were afraid their anti-aircraft umbrella was too strong. Also seen as we only have isreal reports saying they destroyed everything and how wrong every air attack has ever been on it's success, it probably didn't even come close.
Very interesting AA vehicle. The Shilka will always remind me of playing Operation Flashpoint and sneaking up with satchel charges to blow them up before bringing in air power.
Pathfinder , god I loved that mission , first shilka in the village then push on the second village shoot the second one and call in for the air support before T72 and Bmp's come at you and resist the last wave of enemy from behind the village (also always stole the Dragunov from the sniper in the first village)
Like the tank in general never say it's done or over helicopters and drones of all varieties will keep these type of weapon systems in the fight tho they will need a complete modernization
It might be obsolete against jets, but still good against Helicopters and infantry. As a former infantry man i was more afraid of the shilka and tonguska then the Tanks and APC/IFV's
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"One of the symbolic weapon systems of the 1st Cold War"
This guy knows what's up.
i mean hes right weve been in a cold war with china for 20 years now
@@Phlyinhigh It's more of a economy war.
@@adude8424 China definitely emphasises economic soft power but most wars throughout history started as economic wars. Sadly often disguised as ideological wars by the ruling class to trick the masses into agreeing to fight.
He's not wrong
Technicaly we are still "summing up" WW2(which was the sum up of WW1) - The contest of USA for the zones of influence in Europe and Asia started with invasion in the Normandy and nuclear bombing of Japan and it's still going.
I served in the East German army as an radar operator in a ZSU 23/4 from 1985 until 1988. At that time we had trouble keeping the systems running. The electronics were shaky after years of abuse by conscripts. This was still vacuum tube type electronics and it was really hard to service. But when they were running they did amazing. Still, I had already the fear that we would be outmatched by anti radar missiles. I'm really, really glad I didn't have to find out how these things might have performed.
At 0:56 the numbering shows 4612 and 4613. I served on a 2602 and I think the systems at 0:56 must be from troops nearby (I was stationed in Torgelow in the north of Germany).
still useful for shooting drones, helicopters and the Taliban
Thank you for your service
You could always surrender or hide instead of fighting for your conquerors... but thanks for sharing the anecdote. Nowadays, I think people forget about vacuum tube use in electronics.
It is extremely pleasant to get some decent factual analysis without the nationalistic BS. Thank you.
Lmao... 'Arjun tank is bestest tank...' 'Arjun tank is bizdetz...'
Sure, they may be obsolete against modern manned aircraft, but with some modernization they could be very useful against drones. Anti-drone weapons need cheap, small caliber, rapid firing guns - all the Shilka needs to be useful again is to be able to detect them reliably.
I've been telling this for years now. Why bother with energy weapons and expensive rockets.
@@EnhancedNightmare 💰💰💰💰💰💰
That gravy train doesn't stop for reasons.
@@EnhancedNightmare Rockets would be expensive overkill for drones, but energy weapons have real advantages. They don't have projectile flight time so you can hit a fast small drone more reliably, firing them is much cheaper than firing bullets/shells, and they can't fall down and hurt your own soldiers.
If the entire system can be made cheap and reliable energy weapons will be clearly superior. I'm just not sure we're at that point yet.
You can see that some of the newly proposed integrated AA systems are quite similar: they have autocanons BUT they also get limited missile capabilities, all mounted on something like an ASCOD. Modernising Shilka is pointless (you would have to basically scrap the whole thing anyway) but the newly developed and constructed systems are not that different, but much better.
@@TheoEvian Can you give a bit more info on those newly proposed AA systems?
The ones I know with both autocannons and missiles - Tunguska and Pantsir, have 30mm cannons that were designed to take out A-10s and are not suitable against drones. Tunguska is 70s-80s tech and Pantsir showed itself unready in Syria. I'd love to learn more about new approaches.
You can turn off the radar aiming and fire them manually. Used very effectively in urban settings as a infantry protection vehicle.
It's a war crime, engaging infantry with weapons of excess caliber, or weapons that cause unnecessary suffering
@@lukam8815 I'm not saying you're wrong, but these guns have been seen in use in an anti-infantry role all over 3rd world nations. When you lose competency and radar technicians, the shilka becomes nothing more than a heavy autocannon tank.
@@lukam8815 Why the hell then such things as M3 Bradley exists ?
@@jhelmut2624 You said it
Third world countries
No one cares what happenes there
But I don't think a real country can use it as an anti infantry weapon and get away with it
@@lukam8815 Well... i think some are misspelling Geneva Convention as Geneva Sugestion a lot. :D To be fair first vids i ever watched of ZSU 23 4, it was firing on ground targets. There are ton of them around. My fav is this one: ruclips.net/video/idUO16hqDWs/видео.html where gunner stops to let trafic go through. War is war but shit needs to be deliverred.
This and the Hind were the coolest weapons the soviets had,back in early '80's...Both were unique,ultra effective and simply had no peer in western arsenals.
frankly Hind still has no direct equivalent, and shiulka is still very effective if modernized or in ground fire support. against Helicopters it is a murder machine
Thanks I needed this laugh….NOTHING the soviets ever constructed could ever match the weaponry of the West it’s been battle proven time and time again
Excellent presentation, excellent weapon system. My favorite Soviet piece of battlefield hardware. It was my main target as an Heavy Anti Tank Weapon System T.O.W. gunner back in 1977 in W.Germany. We feared it and your Hind Attack Helicopter. Much respect for both.
Excellent documentary,, well written and factual. Like the T54/55 and the T62 this weapons will continue in service for many decades to come.
Like the B52 in the USAF? The shilka has been in front line service for over 50 years.
In Somalia we use it as ground assualt. We mount them on an ural truck or Iveco.
The shilka is just a shilka and the 37 twin barrel is called taranta sate. Which means 37 in italian. I tell you man you do not wanna be at the receiving end of either guns. Especially the 37ml, it explodes multiple times and if it hits you its gonna mess you up really good.
I think most militaries right now also used automatic grenade launcher/ grenade machine gun for exactly the same purpose.
The US has used the M163 VADS with its 20mm Gatling cannon in the same role. Guns like this can chew through concrete and brick in moments.
@@Morrigi192 well the only learned it during the battle of mogadishu. We have been using this since 1977.
@@inamacalin1 The US was also doing this with half-tracks armed with quad-mounted M2 Brownings in WW2. It's not a new idea, and German AA vehicles like the Ostwind and Wirbelwind were extensively used in the same role.
Obsolete or not it is still a formidable piece of hardware.
Many people think if something's obsolete, that it has no value, or isn't a reasonable choice. Many militaries either decided to stick with older tech before adopting newer age tech because of a variety of reasons. Some did it because the soldiers were used to that tech and thus if a new weapon was to replace it it'd have taken alot of training to become accustomed to it. Others did it by accident(like the Thompson smg, which was invented in 1918, but came too late in the First World War to take part. And so when it was formally adopted it was already obsolete, and especially by the time of the Second World War. Yet America, and many other nations like the British/Commonwealth, Soviets and Chinese used it to great extents). And lastly, others do it because they simply can't afford the newest tech, and thus have to make due with their current arms(like the Koreans between 1890-1920, or Egypt).
Hell, even if it can't be used again aircraft in the future, it could still be employed against infantry to devastating effect.
can still shred infantry
Nowadays .... anything which doesn't leave detectable electronic footprint is obsolete, but it's exact opposite.
@@malikirfan561 Can disable (damage tracks, IR, optics, barrel, barrel elevation) literally any tank within few seconds.
My nightmare from Operace Flashpoint... Greetings from Czech =)
Greetings! Many pleasant memories from the Operation Flashpoint game... Since you are a Czech guy, I assume you to know a thing or two about the further development of the game? Like the Arma series and possibly some more recent version?
Thanks mate!
I think you did say it in the video, but I just want to emphasize the point. Shilka was not designed to shoot down aircraft. It was designed to protect vehicles on the move. If an aircraft trying to bomb your tanks is forced to release bombs early or abort a run because there is a wall of tracers in his way, Shilka did it's job. It's not supposed to contribute to air superiority, it's supposed to make sure that your tanks and infantry get to where they are going and do their mission. When the front line/order of battle is established there are dedicated forces that provide long/medium range AA defense. Like you mentioned, USA/UK/Japan had to establish air and naval supremacy before getting ground troops involved. Most other countries could prioritize ground troops. Great video btw.
If you found yourself within the effective range of these guns you were going to have a very bad day.
For the fire support, low flying aircraft, and direct fire at enemy fortifications it still works.
I'd bet a Shilka would be devastating in the ground support role
The WW2 "precursor", German the quad/20mm 'wirblewind was incredibly effective against 'soft' targets as well as aircraft.
Indeed. I've seen them doing a demo. Long ago, but the impact is still the same.
The ZSU-23-2 is used in that role by so many forces.
@@sameerthakur720 Or even just the ZU twin on a 'technical'...way back in the college days in Greece, we had 'kids' who where veterans of the Lebanese Civil War and they used to say the 23mm x 2 On the back of a truck was truly a 'hellish' weapon in built up areas.
watch video from sirya they using it very efectiwe
As an ex infantryman, I would not want that thing firing on my position. Those guns are scary. Still, I doubt it would last long on a modern battlefield.
As the video said, they are still useful as fire support vehicles in low intensity/counter insurgency scenarios. High barrel elevation is good for urban fighting and those high explosive rounds will chew through brick walls (seen that done in training with a Gatling gun), mud huts and even low quality concrete. they are good against jihadis taking pot shots at you from a roof top. Against an Apache...mmm... not so much.
@@SDK2584 The Soviets and Russians loved to use it in Afghanistan and the Chechen Wars for that very reason.
It could be usefull against drones.
You will face a tunguska instead, much scarier 30mm cannons instead of 23mm with twice the rate of fire
2X30mm Praga is even worse. One 30mm she'll can penetrate almost any ifv (except for ones based on MBT chassis ) . Definitely reason why VRS controled 74% of bosnia in 1993.
Shilka is still perfect weapon. If stationary for a while (no excessive heat), camouflaged, with communication turned off, there's no chance to detect it.
And it can shred to pieces any transport/support plane or helicopter before pilot/gunner knows what's happening.
Also, it's very effective weapon for ground combat, even if poorly armored, ... it can easily obliterate or atleast disable any opponent.
Now in the ground its a bit more outdated since BMP-2 exists
@@Ahmed_Hasan_ and basically any other ifv with more than paper thin armor
I think the same. Shilka is the more versátile mobile. Just need upgrades
For many countrys, Shilka is still 1 defense tool to use during war. Still today is nightmare for helicopters and close air support airplanes. Shilka done a great job which supposed to do.
India upgraded shilka with Aesa radar with 40km detection and electro optics infrared LRF and thermal sights also cooling system of the guns
Are they deployed in northern disputed borders?
@@neiljasonvillanueva1864 yes deployed on borders facing China and Pakistan
PESA, not AESA, I think.
@@sameerthakur720 AESA by BEL
@@PatriotIndia Good to know.
An underrated documentary.
This channel should reach miles...good analysis
Мой дядя служил в ВДВ, воевал в Афганистане в Кандагаре, насколько помню, в 82-83 годах. Основные их " рабочие лошадки" были Ми-8 на которых их забрасывали в горы. А на земле непосредственной поддержкой пехоты были Шилки. Их уровень подъема стволов позволял зачищать вершины, на которых обычно устраивали засады афганцы.
In the day when I was flying AH-1P attack helicopters in German we where highly concerned about the SP ZSU-23. This is part of the reason for the increased range of the TOW missile to keep us out of range of the Shika guns. We where told that the radar on the Shilka radiated the vehicle commander when the commander exposed himself from the turret when the radar was operating.
Too nice video which introduced shortcuts historically anti-aircraft systems of several countries...this video mainly about ZSU-23-4 shilka system characters and its abilities against enemies airforces..excellent describe and labelling its characteristics from Soviet and Russia today's
I remember the 73 Arab-Israeli War and the West in those days was hysterical about the Shilka.
I learned about this from an Avalon Hill game called Arab Israeli Wars.
Put an RPG cage and some reactive armor on the roof and you got yourself a great anti infantry vehicle for city operations in cities with high rises etc.
The Russians learned this lesson long ago already and made the BMPTs; pretty much a set of autocannons in a remote turret slapped onto a T-72 chassis.
They used them in Syria against snipers in an urban setting, a one second burst from one barrel would punch a decent sized hole though the wall where the sniper was suspected to be
@@TheAmazingCowpig that's an expensive solution and nobody bought them, even the Russians don't seems to be interested to make a lot of them.
Because that vehicle has only one purpose and lacks the urgency when it will face a tank in the city as guided missiles aren't great in those situations.
So why not just take pre-existing anti-air vehicles?
I think the 37 mm one was supposed to be used alongside the 23 mm but the 37 would engage at around 3 km and the 23 mm would engage at around 1.5 km
glad I found your channel, excellent videos!
Give this thing a better radar and you have a self-propelled-CIWS-gun for land use! It can do what a Centurion-System (a land based Phalanx-CIWS) can do and it is available in large numbers - hell, combine it with Pantsir and the S400 and you make things very very very difficult for aircraft or missiles to get through and actually do damage!
That's exactly what India did. It equipped it with a relatively small AESA radar along with a IR tracking sight. Even though its old its perfect for shooting down small errant drones.
it works. but modern intelligent flak is much more effective for the aa role. and also getting to infantry behind cover
I genuinely think that in the case of a conventional land war in Europe during the 60's or 70's, the USSR would have emerged as the winner. It just seems to me that the Red Army learned a lot of hard lessons from WWII that they took to heart very dearly. They had the dubious privilege of being handily defeated several times, and defeat is an exacting teacher. Whereas the US basically went from strength to strength, victory to victory (not to say that some of those victories weren't very bitterly bought with blood), and never had to interrogate the reality that they might ever lose. I think this difference is really well illustrated in the design philosophy on display in the shilka. The soviets had to countenance the idea of not having an air force, like they did in the darkest days of WWII, compared to the US which just assumes its own air superiority. I think it's preparation and thinking like that that would have seen the soviets win.
A bit of a moot point though for a number of reasons. Not the least of which being nukes, and the fact that the soviets never would have been able to invade the US to seal the deal. I don't think even another United States could invade the continental United Staes. That geography is OP.
My favorite Cold War tracked vehicle (even as a former M-1 tank commander).
I believe the Indian army made lots of improvements to it and gurned it into an anti drone and light aircraft weapon. Sure it cannot take down modern fighters, though.
That's why SAMs are needed too. To protect ground troops from jets have long been a SAM's duty.
Yeah, that's true. Without SAMs you cannot take out jets these days.
We had some of these at Red Flag (one was drivable and the General loved to drive it) ... one of the tactics they used to great effect was to optically aim them with the radar off ... the pilots did not get a threat warning from their radar warning system ... came back for debrief ... and were dumbfounded when they learned that the ZSU23 nailed them ....
One of the finest pieces of military equipment ever made. Praise be the 23/4!
Those twin 57mm blasters for ground fire today with modern and standard ammunition would be very popular with the troops in an infantry support role
The 23/4 is often seen in troop support role
15:50 tactical two man saw is very useful for getting information on flight paths of enemy aircraft from captured low tier soldiers.
the amount of ammo those four guns go through in a given moment of time is just insane!...only surpassed by gatling-style guns I suppose...
I fell in love with the Shilka when i first saw it on Operation Flashpoint
That thing is scary in OPF... If it see you on foot prepare for loading screen 🙈
These things were the arch nemesis of every 90s combat flight simulator.
World in Conflict cinematics, it was horrifying.
World in Conflict gameplay, it was mediocre.
I wouldn't be so hasty in calling Russian AA systems obsolete, in 1991, a drunken, poorly trained Serbian missile crew blew a US F-117 "stealth" fighter out of the sky using a Soviet SA-3 NEVA missile given to them by the Russians in 1959, in an "apology" to the US, the Serbs said, "So sorry, we didn't know it was invisible".
👏🤣
I've seen videos of these used against Syrian opposition positions. They might heavily fortify a building to use as a strong point, putting tons of work in moving sandbags and other defensive measures. And it would be proof against most small arms. Then this shows up and they are no longer safe behind their sandbags and concrete walls.
Anyone who thinks it obsolete has little imagination. Good video going to look for 57-2 video next.
Very well done video thank for using your own voice and not a robot rubbish voice
Bring up some good missiles alongside your shilka and it will still do it´s job. Unless it is spotted aand engaged over aa long distance but that goes for essentially all weapons
Great channel and videos
A fine Weapons platform...filled the gap in anti air...and was a feared close combat shredder! Based on quad mount. My favorite is the quad .50 cal. Dusters of WWII. Mounted on a simple halftrack...it came in handy for lots of roles. Still a serious threat to drones...it’s been superseded but its legacy continues.
Again...a rotating barrel of the Gatling works better....and discharges even misfires rounds. Each barrel...cools. Highly effective. Sea whiz is my favorite version. But it’s the teeth of A10’s as well. Either way...it’s a lot of lead. Nice video.
If I could have any Russian Weapon...hmmmmmm. Hind Helicopter. T-90 Black Eagle. T-35/85. JS3. And...you have great heavy trucks! So.....you have a huge field mortar. That’s kinda neat! And a turboprop Bear. And could you build a mock-up...of the world’s largest Rocket! I know it didn’t work...trust me.the Saturn five had a lot of people praying. But it was Huge! And these no good footage of this. Another...hidden history. Interesting nevertheless.
When the quad barrels go off simultaneously on these. It looks like mg 42's shredding through the sky
Four 23mm autocannons mounted on a tracked vehicle are the most textbook example of soviet engineering ever.
Maximum firepower with minimal cost and effort.
Honestly theres something about this design that makes me happy
Mmmm remember the Operation flashpoint aka Arma 1? "Enemy, Shilka , 100". Gonna give us chill
Entire squad gets shreded by "Shilka" "100"
Good clear videos and info. K
All they gotta do to make the Shilka relevant again is slap some long range AA missiles on it for helicopter defense. The main gun is for 2-3km and in while the rockets are for 3km+. Sure the Tunguska exists as it's successor but owners of the Shilka can definitely keep it modernized for many more years.
Great video - thanks.
pretty intresting, big fan of the shilka here
Amazing video!!!
"Clip their wings!"
- Quad Cannon
"Down to our level"
-Also Quad Cannon
I SEE THEM.
ANNOYING PESTS!
What do you mean by first cold war? Are you a time traveler?
We define the period we live in today as the Second Cold War.
@@WeaponDetective oh. 🙁
@@WeaponDetective brah wtf, you on crack
@@possiblyadickhead6653 No. Not really.
You remember that American leadership in 2014/15 "announced" the start of the New or Second Cold War and blamed Russia for starting it(by rapidly arming it's armed forces)?
That's the tactic of Americans and their blind followers namely when Russia or any other country become stronger but at the same time they fail to point to themselves when doing the same!!??
that was a very good Video, u got my like :)
things like SHilka are definatly given a new life with the advent of drones and light proxy fighters.
There is one in private ownership in Florida and another in Nevada. There is a couple more but they have deactivated guns or were replaced with smaller caliber gun systems.
They also didn't mention that you can run a centralized network cable and firing station between up to 8 of them and the Radar will gain more efficiency and the centralized station can fire all 8 at once. They were limited to 400 to 800m this allowed stand alone radar systems to be linked in line. During Desert Storm the system was used in Iraq and was a part of the "Upgraded Air Defense" that Russia installed in Iraq. It was considered the outer ring of the famous "Golden BB" system.
These things are very impressive. I don't know why the U.S. doesn't build something like it? I know we tried it was called "Sergeant York" AA tank but it was a massive failure.
The ZSU can also track and engage Grad missiles. The Russians used to shoot Grad's past them to calibrate the radar to the guns. Cheap target drones! Israel should get them instead of wasting huge sums on the Iron Dome missiles.
The challenge in the anti-drones warfare is probably in finding them and tracking them. To actually shoot them down, the 23mm quad cannons are sufficient for the low flying drones. You'll need 100mm AA cannons to shoot the high flying drones. Of course, you want to use AA missiles to shoot the high-flying and high-value drones. There's no single wonder weapon that can do it all. The air defense is layered starting with stealth fighter jets.
76mm spaa like the jrvg1
My favorite combat tracked vehicle
this is not as biased as expected
My favorite chambering. My favorite platform. My favorite auto loading cannon
Great video! Subscribed :)
I first learned what the Shilka is from the game Operation Flashpoint, because it would light my ass up anytime I tried to use a helicopter.
Anyone whose been to the NTC knows how savage this thing could be. Troops in the open.
the zsu-23-4 shilka is top world anti-aircraft-artillery system. is the ultimate weapon.
Thank you
Found one in a shot-up column in Fox Sector in Western Kuwait on the third day of the ground war. The column had been heading for Iraq and was a few miles from a Kuwaiti Air Force base that was all shot up southwest of Kuwait City. For some reason, our Air Force guys had only destroyed the tanks in that particular column and left the troop transport and the ZSU23-4 alone and allowed the troops and the crew of the ZSU23-4 to walk away. I climbed up onto it and looked inside. It was pristine inside, the engine wasn't holed like most tanks destroyed by smart bombs and the ammo racks inside were chock full of ammo. Apparently, it hadn't fired a shot at the aircraft that had attacked that column. Go figure.
Middle Eastern countries cannot fight properly, give that to Vietnam or south asean countries and try to do the same, you will get different results, go figure it out.
imagine the turret at a stationary spot or how it is already as an heavy anti-personell gun
Республика Беларусь провела модернизацию Шилки - теперь эта версия называется ЗСУ-23-4БМ. Поставили новую систему прицеливания, новую связь и совресенный радар. И в принципе теперь это вполне современная система ПВО ближнего радиуса действия. Может роименятся против крылатых ракет, вертолетов и дронов.
Proximity fuse and infra red guided fins on the AA rounds could make it more lethal but the technology did not exist at the time.
Proximity fuses exist since world War 2
@@samuelgordino Not small enough to fit in a AA round or perhaps the designers did not want it due to costs.
Hey Pentagon, i hope your paying attention (7:44) i'm thinking of a very large and populous Asian power in place of the Yahtzees, and US/JSDF in place of the Reds. The Pacific is a lot of water to cross, the straits and seas aren't, and that aforementioned power has a whole lot of surface to surface rockets and more.
Замечательная статья о замечательном, хоть ныне и устаревшем вооружении. Живом воплощении неофициального девиза советских/российских зенитчиков: "Сами не летаем, и другим не даём!".
You forgot the Prussian AA used during the the 1870-71 war against balloons
Very impressive firepower!
ZSU23-4 Shilka Carrier was replaced by Tunguska Anti Aircraft gun and then followed by the S1 Pantsir
Could this system be used against light ground armor and or personnel if leveled out and fired horizontally?
23mm AP Shells - Yes, they go trough light Armor! HE Shells - Yes they make Confetti out of Infantry. And -4 Elevation means it can shoot below the Horizont!
Absolut overkill. In Syria they use it with only one barrel firing and it's still too much. For reference autocannon on a Bradly or BMP fires 200-500 rounds per minute. The ONE autocannon on Shilka fires 800-1000 rpm.
With all four cannons firing it can tear down a house faster than a tank and the BRRRRT alone will make people sh*t their pants, but it's just not practical. It's not armored enough for ground combat and it devours ammunition.
@@uegvdczuVF Yeah same Problem the Vulcan and the LAV-AD had! But if you want to get rid of Infantry in a House... One Burst!
@@uegvdczuVF Just that the BMP2 fires bigger 30mm instead of 23mm Projectiles! Funny thing is that the Bradley fires slower than the BMP even having 25mm instead of 30mm. Somehow it seems the Russians do Guns better.
Still deadly.
you sound like budget binkov battleground, no offence. i'm happy for more guys that tries to make videos about war machines tho
Just a correction it destroyed the Syrian Air defense units in Lebanon, it didn't attack Syria proper as they were afraid their anti-aircraft umbrella was too strong. Also seen as we only have isreal reports saying they destroyed everything and how wrong every air attack has ever been on it's success, it probably didn't even come close.
Could be useful in urban combat roll, kind of like the Ontos that was designed for anti-tank roll but was more useful in urban warfare.
This weapon platform is what caused the A-10 Warthog to come into existence.
A beautiful machine.
I am thinking this old weapon could be useful to target advanced attacking drones.
@9.56 .."and the birds were long gone"...
Very interesting AA vehicle. The Shilka will always remind me of playing Operation Flashpoint and sneaking up with satchel charges to blow them up before bringing in air power.
Same!
Pathfinder , god I loved that mission , first shilka in the village then push on the second village shoot the second one and call in for the air support before T72 and Bmp's come at you and resist the last wave of enemy from behind the village (also always stole the Dragunov from the sniper in the first village)
I loved that game!
What is the "first cold War"?
These get hot barrels really quick thus caused lot of jams.
These one is needed against drone swarm, upgrading its targeting to shot drone
Like the tank in general never say it's done or over helicopters and drones of all varieties will keep these type of weapon systems in the fight tho they will need a complete modernization
It might be obsolete against jets, but still good against Helicopters and infantry. As a former infantry man i was more afraid of the shilka and tonguska then the Tanks and APC/IFV's
Did we try to make something similar to this but was unsuccessful?
how about their use in urban warfare as land support
What army was first at the parede?
any1 know a video on the history of training aa drones planes ?
'Look at this thing, it has 4 guns!'
Distributor cup connected to electronic fire control mechanism(s)