Profile
- Type
- Tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design still fielded in the Russia-Ukraine War
Air Defense
ZSU-23-4 Shilka
The 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.
- Built in
- Soviet Union
Service History
- In service
- Introduced in the 1960s and still in service with multiple former Soviet operators
- Used by
- Russian Armed Forces, Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- KBP Instrument Design Bureau
- Designed
- Late 1950s to early 1960s
- Built in
- Soviet Union
- Unit cost
- Not publicly standardized
- Produced
- 1960s-1980s
- Number built
- About 6,500
- Variants
- ZSU-23-4, ZSU-23-4M, ZSU-23-4M2, ZSU-23-4M4, ZSU-23-4M-A1 Rokach
Specifications
- Crew
- 4
- Armament
- Four 23 mm AZP-23 automatic cannons with 2,000 ready rounds on standard vehicles
- Effective range
- About 2.5 km against aerial targets with guns
- Fire control
- RPK-2/Gun Dish radar-directed fire-control system
- Weight
- About 20.5-21 tonnes combat load depending on source and variant
- Mobility
- Tracked chassis; about 50 km/h on road and about 450 km road range
- Protection
- Light welded steel armor, up to about 15 mm
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: RussiaUkraine
Open-source loss records document ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns in Russian and Ukrainian inventories during the full-scale invasion, including destroyed, damaged, abandoned, and captured vehicles.
ZSU-23-4 Shilka Images
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ZSU-23-4 Shilka Russian 23mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft GunPublisher: ODIN - U.S. Army TRADOC | Note: Supports general background on the Shilka as a Russian/former Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun still in service. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ZSU-23-4 ShilkaPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports manufacturer, developer, production, armament, fire-control, crew, weight, mobility, protection, and variant details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ZSU-23-4 ShilkaPublisher: National Defence University of Ukraine | Note: Supports Ukrainian military reference data for manufacturer, crew, ammunition, firing range, speed, road range, and modernized Shilka context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ZSU-23-4 ShilkaPublisher: Tank Encyclopedia | Note: Supports dimensions, crew, weight, powertrain, speed, range, and general Cold War service background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly documents Russian ZSU-23-4 Shilka losses in the Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Directly documents Ukrainian ZSU-23-4 Shilka losses in the Russia-Ukraine War. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:Zsu-23-4 shilka.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 licensing for the primary image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20File:ZSU-23-4 Shilka -03.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing context for the gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-20