Direct proof of use
The clearest 2003 Iraq War evidence is a U.S. National Archives/DVIDS photographic record from Mosul Airport dated 27 April 2003. The record identifies an abandoned Russian 14.5 mm ZPU-4 anti-aircraft machine gun in the foreground and a Russian 14.5 mm ZPU-2 found at the airport, with U.S. Army HMMWVs in the background during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
That source supports abandoned or recovered Iraqi ZPU-4 presence in the 2003 campaign. It does not document the gun being fired, a specific engagement, or a confirmed aircraft-defense action during the war.
Sources: NARA Mosul Airport ZPU-4
Timeline
On 27 April 2003, the Mosul Airport image record placed the ZPU-4 at a captured or abandoned Iraqi airfield site during the U.S.-led invasion phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The ZPU-4's appearance in 2003 followed earlier documented Iraqi service. The National Museum of the United States Air Force identifies a Soviet-built ZPU-4 as a quadruple KPV 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun and states that Iraqi forces used the type during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. That earlier record supports Iraqi inventory and service background, while the 2003 Mosul record supplies the direct conflict-specific evidence for this page.
Sources: NARA Mosul Airport ZPU-4, USAF Museum ZPU-4
Battlefield role
For this conflict entry, the ZPU-4 is best treated as captured, seized, or recovered Iraqi air-defense materiel rather than as a confirmed firing system. The Mosul Airport record shows the gun after coalition forces were operating at the airport and does not describe who last operated it or whether it was serviceable.
The weapon's likely role in Iraqi service was low-altitude air defense around fixed sites or military positions. WeaponSystems.net describes the ZPU-4 as a four-KPV/KPVT 14.5 mm anti-aircraft mount on a four-wheel carriage, and the USAF Museum record describes the same quadruple 14.5 mm layout in Iraqi use during the previous Gulf War. The 2003 source confirms theater presence, not a detailed operational history.
Sources: NARA Mosul Airport ZPU-4, ZPU-4 WeaponSystems.net, USAF Museum ZPU-4
