2A14 23 mm cannon

Conflict Usage

Mali War

Side: Rebel and jihadist armed groupsRole: Vehicle-mounted direct fire and short-range air defenseair defensestrike

Conflict Armament Research and Small Arms Survey documented a 2A14-pattern single-barrel 23 x 152B mm cannon in service with rebel forces in Gao in April-May 2012, while related ZU-23-2-pattern twin mounts appeared with rebel forces in Gao and Aguelhok.

2A14 23 mm cannon Videos

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Related Weapon Systems

Air Defense61-K 37 mm anti-aircraft gunTowed 37 mm automatic anti-aircraft gunThe 61-K is a Soviet 37 mm automatic anti-aircraft gun built as a mobile, clip-fed short-range air-defense weapon. In the Yemen Civil War context, open-source reporting places 37 mm 61-K guns in Yemen's inherited anti-aircraft artillery inventory and describes Houthi-aligned forces using small-caliber anti-aircraft guns for both low-altitude air defense and ground fire.

Air DefenseS-60Towed 57 mm anti-aircraft gunThe S-60 is a Soviet 57 mm towed anti-aircraft gun adopted in 1950 for low- and medium-altitude air defense. Armenian/Artsakh forces fielded MT-LB-mounted AZP S-60 guns in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, while Ukrainian and Syrian examples show the same gun family often repurposed as mobile direct-fire or fire-support weapons.

Air DefenseZU-23-2Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannonThe ZU-23-2 is a Soviet twin 23 mm towed anti-aircraft autocannon built around two 2A14 guns on a light carriage. Its manual sighting, rapid emplacement, and high volume of fire make it a close-range air-defense weapon against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and drones, while many operators also use it for direct fire against light vehicles and infantry positions. Armenian-side losses in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting included towed and vehicle-mounted ZU-23 guns, Ukrainian units have kept the system relevant in mobile and positional air-defense teams during the Russia-Ukraine War, and UN reporting documented Houthi ZU-23 gun fire during the Yemen Civil War.

Air Defense100 mm KS-19 anti-aircraft gunTowed 100 mm anti-aircraft gunThe KS-19 is a Soviet 100 mm towed anti-aircraft gun designed for high-altitude air defense with radar-directed fire-control support, but its range and fixed ammunition also made it usable as a ground-fire artillery piece. In the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, open-source loss documentation identified Armenian/Artsakh KS-19 guns used as howitzers during the 2020 war.

Air DefenseM167 VulcanTowed 20 mm short-range anti-aircraft gunThe M167 Vulcan is a U.S.-origin towed short-range air-defense gun built around the 20 mm M168 six-barrel rotary cannon. In Yemen, Houthi forces have been documented using captured Vulcan guns on improvised vehicle mounts, giving the system a mobile direct-fire role alongside its original close-in air-defense function.

Air DefenseMesbah 123 mm anti-aircraft gun systemMesbah 1 is an Iranian short-range anti-aircraft gun system built around 23 mm autocannons, radar, and optical guidance for low-altitude threats. Open reporting describes it as part of Iran's gun-based air-defense layer against cruise missiles, helicopters, and drones, with production starting in 2010.

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