Profile
- Type
- Towed twin 23 mm anti-aircraft autocannon
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- Soviet Union
- Service note
- Cold War design; in service from 1960 to present
Air Defense
ZU-23-2
The 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. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Ukrainian units have kept the system relevant in mobile and positional air-defense teams.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
Service History
- In service
- Entered Soviet service in 1960; still fielded by many operators
- Used by
- Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- KBP Instrument Design Bureau
- Designed
- Late 1950s
- Produced
- 1960 to present
- Variants
- ZU-23M, ZUR-23-2S Jod, ZUR-23-2KG Jodek-G, Type 85
Specifications
- Crew
- 5 total; 2 seated on the weapon
- Armament
- Two 23 mm 2A14 autocannons firing 23x152 mm ammunition
- Weight
- 950 kg with ammunition
- Rate of Fire
- About 2,000 rounds per minute combined cyclic; about 200 rounds per minute practical
- Effective Range
- About 2.5 km against air targets and 2 km practical horizontal range
- Elevation and Traverse
- -10 to +90 degrees elevation; 360 degrees traverse
- Emplacement Time
- About 30 seconds from travel to firing position
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Ukrainian National Guard and border-guard units have used ZU-23-2 guns in short-range air-defense and direct-fire roles, including combined air-defense teams against Russian helicopters, drones, and ground targets.
ZU-23-2 Images
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ZU-23-2Publisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports origin, developer, production background, layout, armament, crew, rate of fire, range, and mobility specifications. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Air Defense Weapons of the Former USSR and RussiaPublisher: GulfLINK, U.S. Department of Defense | Note: Supports ZU-23-2 configuration, optical-mechanical sight, effective anti-aircraft range, and ground-target role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ZU-23-2Publisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports current reference specifications and background for the Soviet twin 23 mm anti-aircraft gun. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Combined Units Tactics: How National Guard Servicemen With MANPADS And the ZU-23-2 Guns Clear the Sky From Russia's Helicopters And Other TargetsPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War use of ZU-23-2 guns by Ukrainian National Guard air-defense teams against Russian helicopters and drones. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Border Guards of the Pomsta Brigade, Together With Grenade Launchers and Mortars, Eliminated 11 Russian Soldiers in Luhansk RegionPublisher: ArmyInform, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine | Note: Supports Russia-Ukraine War direct-fire use of a ZU-23-2 by Ukrainian border guards in Luhansk region. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Ukrainian ZiL-131 With ZU-23-2 Anti-Aircraft GunPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance source: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine photograph, reviewed on Wikimedia Commons as CC BY-SA 2.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20ZU 23-2.JPGPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Gallery image licensing source for a ZU-23-2 photograph available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike terms. | Accessed: 2026-06-20