61-K 37 mm anti-aircraft gun

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War

Side: Houthi-aligned forcesRole: Short-range anti-aircraft and ground fireair defense

Yemen's pre-2015 anti-aircraft artillery inventory included 37 mm 61-K guns alongside 57 mm S-60/AZP-57 pieces; reporting on Houthi-controlled air-defense forces describes small-caliber anti-aircraft guns being fired mainly against personnel and equipment, while still posing a short-range threat to aircraft and drones.

61-K 37 mm anti-aircraft gun Images

Related Weapon Systems

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 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 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 DefenseZSU-23-4 ShilkaTracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gunThe ZSU-23-4 Shilka is a Soviet tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built around a radar-directed turret with four 23 mm autocannons. Designed to accompany maneuver forces against low-flying aircraft and helicopters, it remains relevant in Ukraine as a short-range air-defense and direct-fire platform, with visually documented losses on both Russian and Ukrainian sides.

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.

Air Defense2K12 Kub / Kvadrat / SA-6 GainfulTracked medium-range surface-to-air missile systemThe 2K12 Kub, exported as Kvadrat and known to NATO as SA-6 Gainful, is a Soviet tracked medium-range surface-to-air missile system built around 3M9 missiles, 2P25 launch vehicles, and the 1S91 Straight Flush radar. In recent conflict archives it appears as a legacy medium-range air-defense system, including Syrian use during the 2018 missile strikes, Armenian use in Nagorno-Karabakh, and a Houthi SA-6/Kub-family engagement that downed a U.S. MQ-9 over Yemen in 2019.

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