USSR/Iraq ZSU 23-4M Model 1977 - Military Ground Equipment Displays on Waymarking.com

USSR/Iraq ZSU 23-4M Model 1977 Self-Propelled Antiaircraft Gun on display at Rock Island Arsenal Memorial Park, was last used during the Gulf War and was abandoned west of Kuwait City

Deatiiled information below is from (visit link)

"ZSU 23-4 Self-Propelled Antiaircraft Gun

The ZSU-23-4 is a fully integrated, SP AA system with four liquid-cooled 23-mm automatic cannons mounted on the front of a large, flat, armored turret. The chassis has many components borrowed from other Soviet armored vehicles. The suspension system resembles that of the PT-76 and ASU-85; that is, it has six road wheels and no track support rollers. The driver sits in the left front of the hull; the rest of the crew (the commander, gunner, and radar operator) sit in the turret. The GUN DISH fire control radar mounted on the rear of the turret can fold down during travel. The ZSU-23-4 has the capability to both acquire and track low-flying aircraft targets, with an effective AA range of 2,500 meters. It also is capable of firing on the move because of its integrated radar/gun stabilization system. The high-frequency operation of the GUN DISH radar emits a very narrow beam that provides excellent aircraft tracking while being difficult to detect or evade. However, such a frequency also dictates a limited range; linking the system to other long-range acquisition radars in the area can compensate for this. The ZSU-23-4 can also engage lightly armored ground vehicles. The four guns are water-cooled and have a cyclic rate of fire of 800 to 1,000 rounds per minute each. However, the gunner normally fires them in bursts (2 to 3 rounds per barrel) to reduce ammunition expenditure and prolong barrel life. Each ZSU-23-4 carries about 2,000 rounds onboard. Supply trucks, which follow the ZSUs at a distance of 1.5 to 2.5 kilometers, carry an estimated additional 3,000 rounds for each of the four ZSUs. Electronic target acquisition, tracking, and ranging is automated; an onboard computer determines super elevation and azimuth lead. Conventional optical sights also are available. The onboard load normally mixes two types of ammunition at a ratio of three HEI-T rounds per one API-T round. An HEl round is also available. The HEI-T and HEl rounds are intended for defeating aircraft by blast, fragmentation, or incendiary effect. However, they may also be used against personnel in a ground role. The API-T round can penetrate lightly armored ground targets and aircraft and defeat them by an incendiary effect. Tracers facilitate correction of fire. The ZSU-23-4 is not amphibious, but has a fording capability of just over one meter. During river assault operations, the ZSU-23-4s would be ferried to the far bank immediately after the leading companies. The crew of the ZSU-23-4 receives a degree of protection from the thin armor (maximum thickness 9.4 millimeters in the hull, 8.9 millimeters in the turret). A radiation detection and warning system and an air filtration and overpressure system provide collective NBC protection.

VARIANTS: At least nine identifiable separate versions of the ZSU-23-4 have been seen. These include the ZSU-23-4 model 1965 (pre-series version), the ZSU-23-4 model 1965 (initial production version), the ZSU-23-4V model 1968, the ZSU-23-4V1 model 1972 and the ZSU-23-4M model 1977. Most differ only in stowage, external fittings or cooling vents. Large ammunition panniers, mounted on the turret sides, were introduced in an intermediate production model. The latest variant, the ZSU-23-4M features these panniers, three (instead of two) access ports on each side of the hull and an armored cover for the guns. It also has a digital computer, an improved Gun Dish radar and can be linked to off-carriage radar and fire control equipment if required. The Gun Dish radar on the ZSU-23-4M is capable of being used independently in the search mode whereas on previous versions it had been slaved to the gun tubes. In 1985 a modified ZSU-23-4M was seen with protrusions on the right and left sides of the Gun Dish radar dome and vanes down its center. The vanes are side-lobe clutter-reducing devices and the protrusions are IFF receivers. The most significant changes in late production versions of the ZSU-23-4 have included a major change to the air cooling supply system as well as the radio and electronic systems of the vehicle....

Location restrictions: Located on a military installation, Rock Island Arsenal. Open to the public.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/21/2014 4spring visited it