Towed Air Defence System23mm for Land Forces

The ADS air defense system is an efficient and reliable anti-aircraft weapon for fighting out to 2500m range and height up to 1500m, with a ground-to-ground capability for 2000 m.

This system is identical and based on the popular ZU-23-2 auto-cannon.

The ZU-23-2 is a light, towed anti-aircraft / air defense system. The weapon became operational in the 1960s and has proven to be so sound that it is still in operation and widely used today throughout the world.

The ZU-23-2 is intended to combat low-flying enemy aircraft as well as light-armored vehicles. The standard operating crew is typically six personnel though extreme circumstances can see the weapon being handled by a single operator. As a towed air defense system, the ZU-23-2 is made up of a wheeled carriage, the gun mount and the gun barrels. Two small road wheels allow for vehicular towed transport. These installations are lifted off of the ground and folded when the weapon system is prepped to fire. The mount sits atop a steel platform with a three-point adjustable stance that lifts the weapon system off of the ground and distributes the inherent recoil of the firing action. The gun system is comprised of 2 x 23mm gun barrels in a side-by-side arrangement. Optics are fitted as are integrated ammunition boxed designed to accept the required 23mm projectile cartridges. The gunner takes a position in a rear-set steel molded chair with foot rests located at the front sides of the gun mount. Traverse is essentially a full 360-degrees while elevation controls allow the guns to engage both land and airborne targets as required.

Ammunition supply is only limited by the present ammunition carrier.

The ZU-23-2 design is centered around the pairing of two 2A14 series 23x152mm auto-cannons.

Each barrel measures in at 6.5 feet in length and rated with a muzzle velocity of 3,182 feet per second. Range is listed out to 1.5 miles, reaching upwards of 6,500 feet and highly suitable for engaging low-flying enemy helicopter and strike aircraft. Each 23mm projectile weighs in at 0.37lbs. In practice, up to 400 rounds per minute could be reached while manufacturer specifications detailed an optimal rate-of-fire nearing 2,000 rounds per minute. Each gun is afforded 50 x 23mm projectiles from a standard ammunition fitting. Ammunition types range from Armor-Piercing Incendiary and High-Explosive to High-Explosive Fragmentation and Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer.

The excellent portability of the ZU-23-2 means that it cannot only be by a mover vehicle but also mounted onto a variety of vehicle types – particularly flatbed trucks (even improvised fighting vehicles known as ” Technicals”) and similar wheeled instruments capable of handling the weapon weight and recoil. This makes the ZU-23-2 a highly-mobile, low-cost gunnery platform solution with inherent tactical advantages. The ZU-23-2 was has also been fitted to armored fighting vehicles of several types to further expand the capabilities of the weapon.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

960kg – system with covers, ammunition boxes and SPTA Weight of Weapon
4570x2880x1250mm – Overall Dimensions
970m/s – Muzzle Velocity
1600-2000rounds/min – Fire Rate
2500m – slant Max Effective Fire Range
40deg/s – Elevation Aiming Speed
-10 to +90° – vertical Engagement Section

FIRE SPECIFICATIONS

23x152mm caliber

100rounds capacity

Complete Set: 2 pcs. Spare barrels Sights: ZAP-23, T-3 sight and KV-L collimator 10Pcs ammunition boxes Barrell cooling basin Spare parts, tools and accessories (SPTA) set Overall protection cover 2pcs. Covers for the flush hiders Cover for the sight

SIZE AND WEIGHT

6pcs – in Wooden Case
1358kg – weight of each Wooden Case
13.517cm3 – volume of each Wooden Case
3950x1830x1870mm – dimensions of each Wooden Case