# ZU-23-2 (ЗУ-23-2)
**ZU-23-2** (ЗУ-23-2) is a Soviet-designed, towed, twin-barrel 23 mm light anti-aircraft gun consisting of two 2A14 autocannons on a two-wheeled 2A13 carriage, entered service with the [Soviet Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/soviet-army) in 1960 and still in widespread use.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) The designation comes from *Zenitnaya Ustanovka*, Russian for "anti-aircraft mount"; the GRAU index of the mount itself is 2A13, the autocannon 2A14, and the sight 2Ts27.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) • [3](https://ru.djvu.online/file/4lFfF1rYE9mQx) It is one of the most widely employed anti-aircraft guns in the world.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 1960, Soviet Army; designed in the Soviet Union in the mid-to-late 1950s by KBP Instrument Design Bureau[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) |
| Armament | Two 2A14 23 mm automatic cannons firing the 23×152 mm cartridge[4](https://server.3rd-wing.net/public/Bureau_4thMEG/Procedures_communes/476TTP3-1.Threat_Guide-Public_Release.pdf) |
| Rate of fire | 1,000 rpm cyclic per gun, but a practical rate of only 400 rpm because each gun is fed from a 50-round box and bursts must be short to let the air-cooled barrels cool[4](https://server.3rd-wing.net/public/Bureau_4thMEG/Procedures_communes/476TTP3-1.Threat_Guide-Public_Release.pdf) • [15](https://mail.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?printmode=1&prodID=1788) |
| Ranges | Tactical anti-aircraft 2,500 m; maximum vertical 5,100 m; maximum horizontal 7,000 m[5](https://info.publicintelligence.net/MCIA-MozambiqueHandbook.pdf) |
| Weight and crew | 950 kg; crew of 5; 4.60 × 1.86 × 2.07 m[5](https://info.publicintelligence.net/MCIA-MozambiqueHandbook.pdf) |
| Elevation / traverse | −10° to +90°; 360° traverse at 74°/s[5](https://info.publicintelligence.net/MCIA-MozambiqueHandbook.pdf) |
| Ammunition | 23.0 × 152B mm API-T, HEI, HEI-T[5](https://info.publicintelligence.net/MCIA-MozambiqueHandbook.pdf) |
## Design
The ZU-23 is a towed, twin-barrel light anti-aircraft gun built around a wheeled carriage, the gun mount, and the two barrels.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) • [6](https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=277) Its carriage is derived from the earlier ZPU-2 twin 14.5 mm heavy machine gun mount, from which the ZU-23 can be distinguished by the positioning of the ammunition boxes, at right angles to the carriage, and by muzzle flash suppressors.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) • [2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) Each 2A14 cannon is fed by a conveyor belt from its own 50-round ammunition box mounted on the side of the twin mount, and firing fumes are partly removed through side openings in the barrels.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) The guns are air-cooled and fitted with a quick-change barrel mechanism.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2)
The weapon is manually aimed, without radar. A US threat guide notes that its small size and lack of radar or laser signature let it engage slow-moving aircraft with accuracy at close range, but that below 500 feet its effectiveness against high-speed aircraft drops because the high line-of-sight rate makes targeting difficult.[4](https://server.3rd-wing.net/public/Bureau_4thMEG/Procedures_communes/476TTP3-1.Threat_Guide-Public_Release.pdf) The same guide judges that the sheer volume of fire can produce hits despite the low accuracy of the individual system.[4](https://server.3rd-wing.net/public/Bureau_4thMEG/Procedures_communes/476TTP3-1.Threat_Guide-Public_Release.pdf)
The 23 mm gun uses the same 23×152B case as the wartime VYa aircraft cannon, but in steel rather than brass; because of different loadings and primers the ammunition is not interchangeable, and the anti-aircraft rounds are identified by their steel cases.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf)
## Mobility and employment
The mount can be towed by many vehicles; in Soviet and later Russian service the most frequent towing vehicles were GAZ-66 and GAZ-69 four-wheel-drive trucks.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) It is also commonly mounted on trucks for both anti-aircraft and ground fire-support roles, and single-barrel and four-barrel versions of the ZU-23 were developed but never entered service.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) In Soviet service it was mounted on [BTR-152](https://www.edgepedia.org/btr-152) armored personnel carriers in place of the earlier ZPU-2 machine guns.[7](https://www.russianwarrior.com/1969vehicle_ZSU232hist.htm)
## Production and variants
Production began in 1960 and continues; besides the Soviet Union and Russia, licensed and copy producers include Bulgaria (Arsenal), Poland (ZMT, licensed production since 1972), Egypt (Abu Zaabal, with the alternative name SH-23M for the Egyptian ZU-23M), and China (a direct copy, Type 85).[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2) In Finnish service the gun is designated 23 ItK 95.[2](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2)
The **ZU-23-2M** is a Russian upgrade variant that replaces the optical sight with an electro-optical fire control system using a ballistic computer, day TV, a thermal night channel, a laser rangefinder, and an auto-tracker; the gun fires the same ammunition as the ZSU-23-4 self-propelled system.[8](https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p4013coll11/id/2090/download) Commercial modernizations go further: the Polish ZU-23-2 CERBER combines an automated twin 23 mm mount with an electro-optical module, the CERBER-23 fire-control system, and a RADA RPS-42 S-band AESA radar on a mobile platform, with electric triggering replacing mechanical pedals and levers and remote operation from a protected position.[9](https://www.pa-ko.com.pl/en/cerber/)
## Service history
The ZU-23-2 entered service with the Soviet Army in 1960.[1](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf) In East Germany, the 23 mm twin gun was introduced in the early 1960s as the low-level gun alongside the S-60; in the flak batteries of the motorized rifle regiments it was soon replaced by the ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" self-propelled gun, but it remained in various anti-aircraft platoons until 1990, and the East German army still held 924 ZU-23-2 in 1990, most of which were delivered to Greece.[10](https://www.tla-der-nva.de/TLA-flak.html) • [11](https://www.flak11.de/Flak-4.htm)
## Use against drones
The war in Ukraine since 2022 has given the ZU-23-2 a renewed role. Four-person mobile fire teams operating ZU-23-2 cannons and MANPADS from pickup trucks represent cost-effective point defense against drones.[12](https://hcss.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Lessons-from-the-Jungle-for-the-Zoo-HCSS-2026-V2.pdf) A 2025 study of lessons from Ukraine notes that Soviet-made ZU-23-2 guns have come back into favor and proved very effective against drones and cruise missiles.[13](https://ine.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Revolution-on-the-battlefield-%E2%80%93-lessons-from-Ukraine-in-2025-and-2024.pdf) Russian long-range one-way attack UAVs have adapted in response, flying higher and faster; the jet-powered Shahed-238/Geran-3 variant reaches 300–600 km/h with dive speeds above 700 km/h, speeds that render traditional manually aimed air-defense guns ineffective.[12](https://hcss.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Lessons-from-the-Jungle-for-the-Zoo-HCSS-2026-V2.pdf) Modernization programs address this gap by pairing the old guns with new sensors: at ADEX 2026, a Turkish firm displayed four ZU-23-2 guns linked to modern detection, tracking, and engagement technology rather than replacing the guns themselves.[14](https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-defense-exhibitions/2026-archives-news-defense-exhibitions/adex-2026-defense-news/tuerkiye-turns-four-zu-23-2-anti-aircraft-guns-into-mobile-modern-counter-drone-defense-system)
## References
1. [Vietnam Glossary and Some History, ZU-23-2 development and service history](https://northwestvets.com/spurs/vietnamglossary.pdf)
2. [ZU-23-2, Weaponsystems.net](https://weaponsystems.net/system/116-ZU-23-2)
3. [23-мм спаренная установка ЗУ-23. Руководство службы, часть 1 (Вавилов А.Д., 1977)](https://ru.djvu.online/file/4lFfF1rYE9mQx)
4. [476 TTP 3-1 Threat Guide (public release)](https://server.3rd-wing.net/public/Bureau_4thMEG/Procedures_communes/476TTP3-1.Threat_Guide-Public_Release.pdf)
5. [MCIA Mozambique Handbook, 23-mm Towed Twin Air-Defense Artillery ZU-23-2](https://info.publicintelligence.net/MCIA-MozambiqueHandbook.pdf)
6. [ZU-23-2 / ZU-23 Towed Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Military Factory](https://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.php?armor_id=277)
7. [23mm ZU-23 Anti-Aircraft Gun History, RussianWarrior](https://www.russianwarrior.com/1969vehicle_ZSU232hist.htm)
8. [WEG 2011 Vol 2, Airspace and Air Defense Systems, CGSC ContentDM](https://cgsc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p4013coll11/id/2090/download)
9. [ZU-23-2 CERBER, mobile air-defence platform, PA-KO](https://www.pa-ko.com.pl/en/cerber/)
10. [Fla-Rohrwaffen der TLA, tla-der-nva.de](https://www.tla-der-nva.de/TLA-flak.html)
11. [ZU23-2 in der NVA, flak11.de](https://www.flak11.de/Flak-4.htm)
12. [Lessons from the Jungle for the Zoo, HCSS (2026)](https://hcss.nl/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Lessons-from-the-Jungle-for-the-Zoo-HCSS-2026-V2.pdf)
13. [(R)evolution on the battlefield – lessons from Ukraine in 2025 and 2024, INE](https://ine.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Revolution-on-the-battlefield-%E2%80%93-lessons-from-Ukraine-in-2025-and-2024.pdf)
14. [Türkiye Turns Four ZU-23-2 Anti-Aircraft Guns Into Mobile Modern Counter-Drone Defense System, Army Recognition](https://www.armyrecognition.com/archives/archives-defense-exhibitions/2026-archives-news-defense-exhibitions/adex-2026-defense-news/tuerkiye-turns-four-zu-23-2-anti-aircraft-guns-into-mobile-modern-counter-drone-defense-system)
15. [Army Guide - ZU-23 (2A13), Anti-aircraft machine gun](https://mail.army-guide.com/eng/product.php?printmode=1&prodID=1788)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Air defense and anti-aircraft warfare › Anti-aircraft weapons and systems › Anti-aircraft guns*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license