Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), an Indian state defence business, has enhanced the ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (AA) in service with the country’s ground forces by outfitting them with new equipment. At the Aero India 2023 international show in Bangalore, a model of the updated AA is on display.
The ZSU-23-4 Shilka’s armament comprises four 23mm gas-operated cannons with a vertically moving breechblock locking system that drops to unlock and a cyclic rate of fire of 800 to 1,000 rounds per barrel per minute. Only one or two of the ZSU-23-four 4’s cannons can be used to engage targets at a time.
The ZSU-23-4 is built on the chassis of the GM-575 tracked armoured vehicle, which was built with components from the PT-76 light-tracked amphibious tank. It has a top speed of 50 km/h and a maximum cruising range of 450 km.
The BEL updated ZSU-23-4 has replaced the previous RPK 2 radar with a new 3D Active Phased Array Radar placed at the rear of the roof turret. While operating in an ECM (Electronic Counter-Measure) environment, the upgraded Shilka provides more precise target identification, acquisition, and tracking. It can now engage aerial targets at any time of day or night and in any weather condition.
The updated ZSU-23-4 Shilka additionally has multiple targets tracking thanks to electronic elevation steering, new air conditioning, user-friendly operator displays, a new engine with significantly lower fuel consumption, and a new CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) protection system.
BEL general manager Rajneesh Sharma told a TASS correspondent on Wednesday that 48 units [of such AA] have already been supplied to the Indian Army, and they are quite delighted with the quality of the equipment [they have been using them since the 1980s]. The company is really pleased with the quality of the Russian-supplied installations. Despite the fact that this is Soviet-era equipment, BEL believes it still has potential and is worth updating to the most contemporary condition.
According to a BEL spokesperson, the Soviet-made AA acquired a new three-coordinate radar station equipped with an active phased antenna array (radar with AFAR) and an optoelectronic fire control system capable of detecting, capturing, and tracking targets both during the day and at night.
According to Rajneesh Sharma, these modifications allow for a variety of functions, including the fast acquisition of a high-speed target, determination of the aiming point and shot trajectory and rapid pointing at the target. ZSU may accomplish all of these at the same time, including marching.
The Indian “Shilka” also gained a radio beam control system and the capacity to detect targets with simultaneous circular or sectoral radar coverage, increasing the efficiency of tracking numerous air targets. The AA also had electronic warfare equipment on board, a GPS and inertial navigation receiver, a powerful new engine, an enhanced internal and external communication system, air conditioning, and a built-in virtual simulator for training anti-aircraft operators.
For some years, BEL has been updating the Soviet Shilka, which entered service with the Indian ground forces in the 1980s. According to the reference book The Military Balance of the International Institute for Strategic Studies IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies), the country’s army had 75 such facilities at its disposal as of the end of 2022.
