Indian army presents new upgrade of ZSU-23-4 Shilka 23mm anti-aircraft tracked armored

During the Indian army day parade, which was held on January 15, 2021, the Indian army has presented a new upgrade of the Soviet-made ZSU-23-4 Shilka mobile air defence system based on tracked armoured chassis. According to the military balance 2020, the Indian army has a total of 75 ZSU-23-4 air defence vehicles.

New upgraded of ZSU-23-4 Shilka 23mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system mounted on tracked armoured

The ZSU-23-4 is a Soviet-made self-propelled anti-aircraft gun system produced by Russia in 1965 and unveiled the same year during the annual parade held in Red Square, Moscow.

The armament of the ZSU-23-4 Shilka consists of four 23mm gas-operated cannon with a vertically moving breechblock locking system, which drops to unlock and has a cyclic rate of fire of 800 to 1,000 rds/barrel/min. The ZSU-23-4 can engage targets using only one or two of the four cannons.

The weapons have a maximum effective range of 2,500 m against aerial targets and can be also used against land targets. A total of 2,000 rounds of 23 mm ammunition is carried in 40 box magazines containing 50 belted rounds each.

The RPK-2 radar mounted at the rear of the turret is used to perform search, detection, automatic tracking, and range to target and angular position. It has a maximum detection range of 20 km.

The ZSU-23-4 is based on the GM-575 tracked armoured vehicle chassis, which used components from the PT-76 light tracked amphibious tank. It can run at a maximum road speed of 50 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 450 km.

The ZSU-23-4 was upgraded in India by the company BEL (Bharat Electronics Limited), one of the main new features, is the replacement of the old RPK 2 radar with a new 3D Active Phased Array Radar mounted at the rear of the roof turret. The upgraded Shilka offers more accurate identification, acquisition, and tracking of targets while operating in an ECM (Electronic Counter-Measure) environment. It can now engage aerial targets during day or night as well as in all weather conditions.

The upgraded ZSU-23-4 Shilka also features multiple target tracking due to electronic steering in elevation, new air conditioning, user-friendly operator displays, a new engine with a drastic reduction in fuel consumption, and a new CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) protection system.