Air Defense

ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Also known as
  • ZSU-23-4
  • Shilka
  • Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 23-4

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 became a widely exported low-altitude air-defense system and remains visible in modern wars as both a short-range air-defense and direct-fire platform.

ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense
Image source: File:Zsu-23-4 shilka.jpg

Role in Conflicts

1973 Yom Kippur War
Side
Egypt
Role in conflict
Mobile low-altitude air defense

The National Air and Space Museum describes Egypt's 1973 air-defense network as including radar-equipped ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery alongside Soviet-supplied SAM systems during the Yom Kippur War.

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict
Role in conflict
Short-range air defense

Open-source loss records list eleven Armenian/Artsakh ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns destroyed, damaged, or captured during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh fighting, including one destroyed by a TB2.

2009 Boko Haram Insurgency
Role in conflict
Refurbished anti-insurgency fire support and base defense

Nigerian military officers reported that refurbished Shilka guns were deployed by Nigerian troops in the North-East anti-insurgency war against Boko Haram and ISWAP, while a separate security report cited an ISWAP claim that a Nigerian Shilka ZSU-23-4 was destroyed during a June 2019 attack on a forward operating base in Kareto, Borno.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union
Type
Tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
Service note
Cold War design still fielded in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Designer
KBP Instrument Design Bureau
Designed
Late 1950s to early 1960s
Unit cost
Not publicly standardized
Produced
1960s-1980s
Number built
About 6,500

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
Radar-Directed Quad 23 mm Layout

The Shilka combined a tracked chassis, a radar-directed turret, and four 23 mm automatic cannons so maneuver formations had a mobile low-altitude air-defense weapon instead of a static gun position.

ElementFunctionReader note
Quad 23 mm cannon armamentHigh-volume fire against low-flying aircraft, helicopters, and close ground targets.The standard vehicle carried four AZP-23 guns with 2,000 ready rounds.
RPK-2/Gun Dish radarTarget detection and fire-control support for the turret.The radar-directed layout distinguished the Shilka from simpler towed 23 mm mounts.
Tracked chassisMovement with armored and mechanized formations.Road speed and range figures vary by source and variant, but the system was built for mobile short-range coverage.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 Shilka; National Defence University of Ukraine ZSU-23-4 Shilka; Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka.

Variants

The Shilka designation covers the original radar-directed ZSU-23-4 and later Soviet, Russian, and Ukrainian modernization paths that kept the same basic tracked quad-23 mm layout while changing fire-control, night-fighting, and missile-support equipment.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
ZSU-23-4M / ZSU-23-4M3Soviet service upgrades

Modernized Soviet-era versions improved reliability and operating equipment while retaining the quad 23 mm gun armament.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka

ZSU-23-4M2Afghanistan-oriented fire-support adaptation

Often described as an Afghan-war adaptation that traded some radar-directed air-defense equipment for more practical ground-fire and night-fighting utility.

Sources: Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka

ZSU-23-4M4Russian modernization package

Modernized branch associated with upgraded fire-control equipment and an option to add short-range surface-to-air missiles.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka

ZSU-23-4M-A1 RokachUkrainian modernization

Ukrainian modernized Shilka configuration associated with updated radar, electro-optical equipment, and digitalized fire-control work.

Sources: National Defence University of Ukraine ZSU-23-4 Shilka

Timeline

ZSU-23-4 Shilka Key Events

  1. Tracked quad-gun SPAAG enters Soviet development path

    Open technical references place the Shilka's late-1950s and early-1960s development around a radar-directed tracked vehicle intended to replace older self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

    Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka

  2. Egypt fields radar-equipped Shilkas in the Yom Kippur War

    The National Air and Space Museum identifies Egyptian ZSU-23-4s as part of the Soviet-supplied air-defense network surrounding the 1973 war.

    Sources: Rescue Mission

  3. Iraqi Shilka abandoned west of Kuwait City

    A U.S. Army museum article identifies an Iraqi Army Shilka from Operation Desert Storm that was found abandoned west of Kuwait City.

    Sources: RIA Self-Guided Tour: The Shiika

  4. Bellingcat documents an opposition Shilka in Daraa

    Bellingcat documented the al-Bunyan al-Marsous opposition coalition using at least one Shilka during the Battle for Manshiyah.

    Sources: The Battle for Manshiyah: A Victory in 100 Pictures

  5. Full-scale Ukraine war records show Shilkas on both sides

    Oryx loss records document Russian and Ukrainian ZSU-23-4 vehicles destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured during the full-scale invasion.

    Sources: Attack On Europe: Documenting Russian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine

Modernization Paths

Later Shilka upgrades kept the compact quad-gun vehicle relevant by improving fire control, night operation, crew usability, and in some packages short-range missile integration.

PathMain changeWhy it matters
Soviet M-series updatesReliability and equipment improvements over the baseline ZSU-23-4.These upgrades kept the original radar-directed gun system in service after early production.
ZSU-23-4M2Afghanistan-oriented adaptation emphasized practical ground-fire and night-fighting utility.The variant reflects how the Shilka was used as direct-fire support as well as air defense.
ZSU-23-4M4 and M-A1 RokachPost-Soviet modernization packages added newer fire-control, optical, radar, or missile-related equipment.Modernization explains why a 1960s gun system still appears in twenty-first-century inventories.

Sources: WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 Shilka; National Defence University of Ukraine ZSU-23-4 Shilka; Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-23-4 Shilka.

Media

ZSU-23-4 Shilka Images

ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense - view 1
Source: File:ZSU-23-4 Shilka -03.jpg
ZSU-23-4 Shilka, Tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense - view 2
Source: File:Iraqi ZSU-23-4 self-propelled 23mm anti-aircraft system.JPEG
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Sources

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: 2026-06-20WeaponSystems.net ZSU-23-4 ShilkaPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports manufacturer, developer, production, armament, fire-control, crew, weight, mobility, protection, and variant details. | Accessed: 2026-06-20National Defence University of Ukraine ZSU-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: 2026-06-20Tank Encyclopedia ZSU-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: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct use; documents ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns used by Russian forces through visually recorded losses. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Attack On Europe: Documenting Ukrainian Equipment Losses During The Russian Invasion Of UkrainePublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct use; documents ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns used by Ukrainian forces through visually recorded losses. | Accessed: 2026-06-20The Fight For Nagorno-Karabakh: Documenting Losses On The Sides Of Armenia And AzerbaijanPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict direct use; documents ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns fielded by Armenia / Artsakh through visually recorded destroyed, damaged, and captured vehicles. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Research Center: 2014 Was Yemen's Bitter HarvestPublisher: Al Jazeera Arabic | Note: Supports 2014 Yemen Civil War direct use; reports Shilka guns captured by Houthi-aligned forces from Yemeni state military camps in 2014. | Accessed: 2026-06-20We Need Better Arms to Fight Boko Haram - Military CommandersPublisher: Punch Newspapers | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct use; reports Shilka guns used by Nigerian troops deployed in the North-East anti-insurgency war and says Boko Haram recently stole one from the troops. | Accessed: 2026-06-21Armed Opposition Group Attacks - Borno State, NigeriaPublisher: SpearFish Security | Note: Supports 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct use; reports ISWAP claimed a Nigerian Shilka ZSU-23-4 was fielded at Kareto and destroyed during a June 2019 attack. | Accessed: 2026-06-21File: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: 2026-06-20Rescue MissionPublisher: National Air and Space Museum | Note: Supports 1973 Yom Kippur War direct use; describes radar-equipped ZSU-23-4 self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery fielded by Egypt in its 1973 air-defense network. | Accessed: 2026-06-30RIA Self-Guided Tour: The ShiikaPublisher: U.S. Army | Note: Supports 1990 Gulf War direct use; identifies a Shilka fielded by the Iraqi Army during Operation Desert Storm and found abandoned west of Kuwait City. | Accessed: 2026-06-30The Battle for Manshiyah: A Victory in 100 PicturesPublisher: Bellingcat | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use; documents the al-Bunyan al-Marsous opposition coalition employing at least one Shilka in the Manshiyah battle in Daraa. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Nine Years of War: Syrian Arab Army Armored Vehicle LossesPublisher: Bellingcat | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use; documents two ZSU-23-4 Shilkas captured by opposition forces in Daraa governorate on December 16, 2013. | Accessed: 2026-07-05File:Iraqi ZSU-23-4 self-propelled 23mm anti-aircraft system.JPEGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and public-domain U.S. Navy/NARA context for the Gulf War gallery image. | Accessed: 2026-06-30