The Soviet Union was recognized in the world as a master in the creation of weapons. The list of the best weapons for the defense complex of the USSR, as expected, also includes self-propelled guns. Well-made and efficiently working, some of them still stand guard over national security. One such example is the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka", which, despite its quite innocuous name, drove the Israeli army and Afghan dushmans into fear.
The history of this gun began in the late 1950s, when the Soviet command decided to create a self-propelled installation that would replace the existing ZSU-57-2, since the latter did not meet the requirements of the then leadership. So, two weapons were designed at once under the "river" names - "Shilka" and "Yenisei".
The first was developed to provide air defense for motorized riflemen, the second - with the same goals, but for tankers, so they slightly differed from each other in technical characteristics. Ultimately, the command opted for the Shilka.
The prototypes of the installation were ready at the end of 1960, and after a series of tests, the Shilka was introduced into the armament of the USSR army on September 5, 1962. The main tasks of the ZSU were: to protect the combat formations of troops, columns on the march, as well as stationary objects and railway echelons from an attack by an air enemy from different heights.
The Shilka's armament is a 23-mm quadruple automatic anti-aircraft gun AZP-23 Amur and power drive systems for guidance. Ammunition of one gun was 2000 rounds. In addition, the presence of a lever assault rifle made it possible to fire at a high rate - 3400 rounds per minute from all barrels.
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The installation, with its technical characteristics and effective work, fully satisfied the requests of Soviet military officials. And soon "Shilka" passed its baptism of fire - the USSR included it in the list of weapons that were supplied by the air defense of Egypt during the so-called "War of Attrition" 1967-1970. But the full power of the "Shilka" unfolded a little later, participating in the Arab-Israeli "Yom Kippur War" in 1973. According to the Soviet General Staff, 27 Israeli aircraft were shot down by the Shilkami.
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In total, before the collapse of the USSR, "Shilka" was noted in more than twenty local conflicts. Separately, it is worth noting her participation in the war in Afghanistan, where, unlike other clashes, she worked exclusively on ground targets. The installations were introduced into the territory of the state almost from the beginning - in 1979, and literally immediately instilled fear in the dushmans, who called her "Shaitan-arba". The Soviet soldiers spoke about the Shilka like this: “It doesn’t fly by itself and doesn’t give to others”.
"Shilka" is still in service with the army of the Russian Federation. Of course, in comparison with more modern tools, it is considered morally obsolete. However, they are in no hurry to shift the legendary attitude to the periphery of history. Moreover, measures are being taken to modernize the ZSU, so that "Shilka" continues to occupy a well-deserved place among the guards of domestic air borders.
It's not so easy to understand why a powerful weapon has such an unusual nickname, but it turns out that there are reasons for this: Why do military equipment have such strange names, and on what basis are they given
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/200220/53506/