Shilka ZSU (Zenitaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka) Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun features four liquid-cooled 23mm cannons which are capable of firing upwards to a range of 3000m. Targeting can be achieved either optically by vehicle crew, or electronically by on-board radar, which can be folded flat in transit. Although considered non-amphibious, the Shilka is capable of fording water up to a depth of just over 1m.
Armed with quad 23 mm guns, the Shilka is a modified variant of the towed ZU-23 anti-aircraft gun. Entering service with the Soviet Armed Forces in 1964, the Shilka is widely employed by members of the Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO) and non-NATO countries worldwide.
Features
The Shilka is armed with quad 23 mm cannons.[CWACfgV 4] These cannons have access to a combined pool of 2,000 rounds.[CWACfgV 5]
Features
The Shilka is the Soviet military's primary short range air defence (SHORAD) platform, serving as a direct counterpart to the U.S.M113 Vulcan.
Like the M113 Vulcan, it is a gun-based AAA vehicle that can quickly shred enemy helicopters with ease through concentrated bursts of cannon fire. Compared to its American counterpart, the Shilka is far superior firepower-wise since it has four guns instead of a single Gatling cannon. Thanks to its high fire rate, the Shilka's AZP-23 cannons can shred through the armour plating of medium/heavy attack helicopters like the AH-1 and AH-64.
Drawbacks
Shilkas have poor mobility and are unable to keep pace with either the T-72 or T-80 Medium/Heavy Tanks. Even when driving on turbo at its top speed (50 km/h), it cannot match the normal cruising speed of both tanks (let alone their top speeds). At the same time, it isn't amphibious, can't transport troops, and is significantly slower than both the BMP-1 and BMP-2 Infantry Fighting Vehicles. This limits it strictly to serving as an AA vehicle only.
The Shilka's biggest threat, however, comes from high-flying jets like the A-10. Since the Shilka's autocannons fire unguided shells, the A-10 can simply launch air-to-ground missiles from standoff distances or drop laser-guided bombs directly onto the Shilka without the latter being able to retaliate (landing hits on jets while firing on the move will be difficult if not outright impossible).
Crew Capacity
The Shilka has a maximum seating capacity of three. The crew consists of a driver, the gunner, and a commander. It is unable to transport any passengers.
Protection[]
The Shilka has 250 points worth of armour plating.[CWACfgV 6]
Armament[]
The gunner has exclusive control over the quad AZP-23 23 mm cannons.[CWACfgV 4]
The vehicle's turret can be freely rotated in any direction horizontally.[CWACfgV 7][CWACfgV 8] However, vertical rotation is restricted to a maximum elevation of 70 degrees[CWACfgV 9] and a minimum depression of just 7 degrees:[CWACfgV 10]
They can attain a "fake" fire rate of up to 2,400 rounds per minute[CWACfgW 2][Formula 1][note 1] but have an actual fire rate of only 600 RPM.[CWACfgW 3][Formula 2] The AZP-23 has a muzzle velocity of 900 m/s.[CWACfgW 1] Accuracy-wise, the cannons have a dispersion of 0.0015 rad.[CWACfgW 4] The shells have a blast radius of 2 metres.[CWACfgA 3]
Optics[]
Driver[]
The driver has the ability to wear their own night vision goggles whilst they are looking through the periscope hatch.
The Shilka is considered to be a medium-risk threat[4] to both AI-controlled infantry units and ground vehicles (0.5/0.5).[CWACfgV 15]
Only AI-controlled aircraft consider the Shilka to be an extremely dangerous threat (1).[CWACfgV 15] They will either prioritise attacking the Shilka if they have the means to do so or will attempt to flee if they are unable to engage it.
Because of the overly simplistic hitpoint system used by vehicles in Cold War Assault, the Shilka is (amusingly) capable of disabling even M1A1 tanks due to its extremely high rate of fire.
This is generally not feasible in practice, however, as the M1A1 will easily destroy the Shilka with a single sabot shell.
Prior to Update 1.30 for Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (the initial name for Cold War Assault), the Shilka's AZP-23 cannons were much weaker and were not able to consistently damage aircraft unless the gunner scored direct hits.[6]
The ZSU-23-4 Shilka is a combination of a proven radar system, the chassis of the PT-76 light tank, and four 23 mm cannons. The result of this amalgamation is a vehicle displaying the key assets of mobility, firepower and accuracy. The ZSU-23-4 outclassed all NATO anti-aircraft guns at the time of its introduction, and it is still regarded as a major threat to low-flying aircraft. The Shilka was widely used throughout the Warsaw Pact and other pro-Soviet states.
The Shilka returns in Armed Assault. It is now exclusively utilised by the Sahrani Liberation Army as its primary SHORAD platform.
Armament
The Shilka is armed with quad 23 mm anti-aircraft cannons.[A1CfgV 4] These cannons have access to a combined pool of 2,000 rounds worth of high-explosive (HE) shells.[A1CfgV 5]
Features
It retains the same SHORAD role, configuration, and ammunition loadout of its Soviet predecessor. Since its turret is able to depress low enough to attack ground targets, it can also be utilised as a powerful anti-infantry vehicle in addition to shooting down enemy helicopters. However, care should still be taken when operating the Shilka in this role since it cannot retaliate against targets that manage to get within the minimum depression range of its cannons (4.5 degrees).[A1CfgV 6]
Drawbacks
Compared to its predecessor in Cold War Assault, Armed Assault's iteration of the Shilka has ~ 43% reduced "health" (from 250 down to 160).[A1CfgV 7]
Rocket launchers and anti-tank missiles alike can take out the Shilka in just one hit. Attack jets like the A-10 can similarly destroy the Shilka with relative impunity since its 23 mm cannons are unguided and lack the range of the former's Maverick air-to-ground missiles. The A-10's pilot only needs to lock onto the Shilka and fire off a single missile, whereas the Shilka's crew will mostly likely never get a chance to fire back before they get blown up.
Crew Capacity
The Shilka supports a crew of three that consists of the driver, a gunner, and the commander. No passengers may be carried either internally or externally.
Protection[]
The Shilka has a base armour value of 160.[A1CfgV 7]
Hull[]
The Shilka's hull can withstand up to 160 points of damage before its integrity fails.[A1CfgV 8][Formula 5] Depletion of its integrity will always result in a catastrophic kill.[A1CfgV 9]
Engine[]
The Shilka's engine can only take a maximum of 160 points of damage.[A1CfgV 10][Formula 6] Damage inflicted upon the engine will not be shared with the Shilka's main "health" pool.[A1CfgV 11]
Tracks[]
Both of the Shilka's tracks can take up to 48 points of damage before they break.[A1CfgV 12][A1CfgV 13][Formula 7] No damage inflicted upon either of the tracks will be shared with the Shilka's main "health" pool.[A1CfgV 14][A1CfgV 15]
Turret[]
The Shilka's turret can withstand a maximum of 160 points of damage before its traverse mechanisms fail.[A1CfgV 16][Formula 8] 100% of damage inflicted upon the turret's traverse mechanisms will always be shared with the Shilka's main "health" pool. Depletion of its integrity can potentially result in a catastrophic explosion if the Shilka is at critical "health" status.[A1CfgV 17]
AA cannons[]
Elevation mechanisms for the turret's cannons can only take 48 points of damage before they suffer from failure.[A1CfgV 18][Formula 9] No damage inflicted upon the mechanisms will be shared with the Shilka's main "health" pool.[A1CfgV 19]
Armament[]
The gunner position controls the quad AZP-85 23 mm cannons.[A1CfgV 4]
The ZSU's main turret can be freely rotated in any direction horizontally.[A1CfgV 20][A1CfgV 21] Vertical rotation limits are restricted to a maximum elevation of 85 degrees[A1CfgV 22] and a minimum depression of just 4.5 degrees:[A1CfgV 6]
The AZP-85 has a muzzle velocity of 980 m/s.[A1CfgM 1] The cannons always fire in bursts of fifteen shells per volley.[A1CfgW 3] Accuracy-wise, the cannons have a dispersion of 0.000099999997 rad.[A1CfgW 4] The shells have a blast radius of 0.3 metres.[A1CfgA 6]
Optics[]
Driver[]
The driver has the ability to wear their own night vision goggles whilst they are looking through the periscope hatch.
Commander[]
The commander's periscope sight is not magnified. It cannot toggle enhanced vision modes, but the commander has the ability to wear their own night vision goggles while they are looking through it.
It should be noted that moving the periscope in any direction will automatically force the engine to be switched on (it is not powered by an auxiliary power unit).[A1CfgV 23]
The gunner's sight cannot toggle any enhanced vision modes. However, the gunner is able to wear their own night vision goggles whilst they are aiming with it.
It should be noted that attempting to rotate the turret in any direction will force the engine to be switched on (it is not powered by an auxiliary power unit).[A1CfgV 26]
AI[]
NOTE:The following information only applies to the AI.
The Shilka is considered to be an extremely dangerous threat[4] to both AI-controlled infantry units and aircraft (1/1). On the other hand, ground vehicles only consider the Shilka to be a medium-risk threat (0.5).[A1CfgV 29]
Prior to Patch 1.06, Armed Assault's Shilka was not configured properly and had "weak" armour that categorised it on the same level as light vehicles. This meant that AI vehicle crews would attempt to destroy the Shilka with their machine guns instead of cannons or missiles (if they had either), while infantry would fruitlessly open fire on it with small arms.[8]
Due to how the model's memory points are set up, the gunner's sight will become completely obscured by the turret itself if they attempt to elevate the AZP-85 cannons to 70 degrees or greater.
This only affects human players who are looking through the sight in first person. The gunner's third person view will not be affected.
Gallery[]
ArmA 2[]
The ZSU-23 Shilka is used by several BLUFOR and REDFOR factions in ArmA 2.
Overview[]
Roles:
Low altitude anti-aircraft defence
Fire support
«
The ZSU-23-4 Shilka is a combination of a proven radar system, the chassis of the PT-76 light tank, and four 23 mm cannons. The result of this amalgamation is a vehicle displaying the key assets of mobility, firepower and accuracy. The ZSU-23-4 outclassed all NATO anti-aircraft guns at the time of its introduction and it is still regarded as a major threat to low-flying aircraft. The Shilka was widely used throughout the Warsaw Pact and other pro-Soviet states.
Returning from Armed Assault, the ArmA 2 ZSU continues to function in the same SHORAD role as its predecessor in Armed Assault. It is used by the CDF, ChDKZ insurgents, as well as with the Takistani military as their primary SPAAG vehicle.
Armament
The ZSU's turret is armed with four 23 mm anti-aircraft guns[A2CfgV 4] that feed from a single belt loaded with 2,000 rounds worth of high-explosive (HE) shells.[A2CfgV 5]
Features
Both the gunner and commander's optics on ArmA 2's iteration of the ZSU now have access to a night vision mode.[A2CfgV 6][A2CfgV 7] This gives it a small advantage over the Russian military's newer 2S6M, though it does not possess thermal-capable optics.
When it comes to fire rate, the quad AZP-23 cannons used by ArmA 2's ZSU has been significantly uprated from 1,000 RPM up to ~ 3,399 RPM.[A2CfgW 1][Formula 14] This is an impressive increase of ~ 109%, allowing the ZSU's crew to fire off many more shells per volley, and therefore increasing the likelihood of scoring a hit against enemy helicopters and low-flying jets.
Drawbacks
As an anti-air platform, ArmA 2's ZSU continues to face the same problems as its predecessor did in Armed Assault but the gap in capability has widened further. Because the ZSU lacks surface-to-air infrared-guided missiles, it is completely outclassed in the SHORAD role by the 2S6M and the U.S. Army'sLinebacker/Avenger HMMWV. The ZSU's crew will need to rely on ambushing targets from afar since most attack helicopters and jets in ArmA 2 have air-to-ground missiles that can be fired from standoff distances. So long as they remain outside of the ZSU's attack range, the crew have no ability to counter such threats and will be a sitting duck for enemy aircraft.
Crew Capacity
The ZSU supports a crew of three that consists of the driver, a gunner, and commander. It is unable to carry any passengers.
Camouflage[]
Desert
Insurgent
Woodland
1/3
Desert: Standard two-tone desert tan/olive green camouflage scheme. Used on ZSU-23-4s operated by the Takistani Army.
Insurgent: Olive green paint scheme with spraypainted stroke patterns. Used by ChDKZ-operated ZSU-23-4s.
Woodland: Olive green paint scheme with dark brown camouflage blobs. Only used on CDF ZSU-23-4s.
Successful strikes to any of the following highlighted sections will inflict full damage to the component:
LEGEND Green = Hull Orange = Engine Light blue = Tracks Maroon = Turret Gold = AA cannons[note 5]
Hull[]
The ZSU's hull can withstand up to 160 points of damage.[A2CfgV 9][Formula 15] Depletion of the hull's integrity will result in a catastrophic explosion.[A2CfgV 10]
Engine[]
The ZSU's engine can take a maximum of 160 points of damage before it fails.[A2CfgV 11][Formula 16] At least 20% of damage inflicted upon the engine will always be shared with the ZSU's main "health" pool. If the ZSU is at critical "health" status, destruction of the engine can potentially result in the ZSU exploding catastrophically.[A2CfgV 12]
Up to 30% of incoming damage inflicted upon either of the tracks will always be shared with the ZSU's main "health" pool. Depending on the ZSU's status at the time of the tracks being destroyed, this can potentially result in the ZSU exploding if the vehicle is at critical "health" status.[A2CfgV 15][A2CfgV 16]
Turret[]
Traverse mechanisms for the ZSU's main turret can withstand a maximum of 160 points of damage.[A2CfgV 17][Formula 18] 100% of damage inflicted upon the turret will always be shared with the ZSU's main "health" pool. Depletion of the turret's integrity will always result in a catastrophic kill.[A2CfgV 18]
AA cannons[]
Elevation mechanisms for the ZSU's anti-aircraft cannons can take up to 48 points of damage.[A2CfgV 19][Formula 19] No damage inflicted upon the elevation mechanisms is shared with the ZSU's main "health" pool.[A2CfgV 20]
The ZSU's treads/wheels, main turret, and the 1RL33 (RPK-2 Tobol) fire control radar are all protected by armour plates.[rvmat 1][bisurf 1] On the other hand, the ZSU's hull is exclusively made out of iron.[rvmat 2][bisurf 2]
Armament[]
The gunner position controls the quad AZP-23 23 mm cannons.[A2CfgV 4]
The main turret can be freely rotated in any direction horizontally.[A2CfgV 21][A2CfgV 22] However, vertical rotation limits are restricted to a maximum elevation of 80 degrees[A2CfgV 23] and a minimum depression of just 4.5 degrees:[A2CfgV 24]
The AZP-23's cannons have a muzzle velocity of 980 m/s.[A2CfgM 1] The cannons always fire in bursts of four shells per volley.[A2CfgW 3] Accuracy-wise, the cannons have a dispersion of 0.00025 rad.[A2CfgW 4] Every third shell fired will emit a visible green tracer.[A2CfgM 2] The shells have a blast radius of 0.3 metres.[A2CfgA 6]
Manual zeroing is available, starting from a minimum of 100 metres up to a maximum of 1,800 metres (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800).[A2CfgV 25] By default, the AZP-23 is set to a zeroing of 600 metres.[A2CfgV 26] For automatic locking[note 7], the AZP-23 uses a radar-based targeting system.[A2CfgW 5][note 8]
Optics[]
Driver[]
The driver's periscope hatch does not have the ability to toggle enhanced vision modes. However, the driver can wear their own night vision goggles whilst they are looking through it.
The periscope's reticle is not illuminated and a laser rangefinder is not available. However, the commander can switch between a day and night vision mode.[A2CfgV 7] Operating the periscope will not require switching the ZSU's engine on.[A2CfgV 29]
Gunner[]
The gunner's sight has variable zoom magnification capability. It can switch between a minimum of 1x zoom[A2CfgV 30][Formula 23] and a maximum of 3.44x zoom.[A2CfgV 31][Formula 24] It can toggle either a day or night vision mode.[A2CfgV 6]
A rangefinder is available.[A2CfgV 32] However, it should be noted that operating the main turret's sight will automatically force the ZSU's engine to be switched on as it is not powered by an auxiliary power unit (APU).[A2CfgV 33]
Defensive sensors[]
The ZSU is not equipped with defensive sensors of any kind. The crew will not be warned if guided weapon systems are attempting to acquire a lock onto the ZSU.[A2CfgV 34] No alerts will be relayed if guided projectiles have successfully locked onto the ZSU and are flying towards it.[A2CfgV 35]
AI[]
NOTE:The following information only applies to the AI.
The ZSU is considered to be an extremely dangerous threat[4] to AI-controlled infantry units, ground vehicles, and aircraft (1/1/1).[A2CfgV 38] AI units will always prioritise attacking the ZSU first unless they lack the means to do so.
The ZSU is the only tracked AAA vehicle in ArmA 2 that is utilised by multiple factions. Both the American M6 Linebacker and Russian 2S6M Tunguska are exclusive to their respective factions.
Prior to the latest Steam version patches (CorePatch), the ZSU's gunner was not able to toggle a night vision mode. Automatic zeroing was not available on recruit difficulty settings, and zeroing up to 2000 m was also possible, though it was subsequently reduced down to 1800 m by CorePatch.[13]
The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
A unique variant for the NAPA faction can be spawned through the use of scripting commands (Classname: ZSU_Gue_CP).
It did not originally exist as part of ArmA 2's assets and was only added after the release of the latest Community Configuration Project/CorePatch updates. In spite of its "inclusion", the NAPA variant cannot be manually placed in the mission editor as the vehicle is deliberately hidden. Scripting commands to spawn the vehicle or a custom addon to unhide the vehicle in the mission editor are still required.
↑Cold War Assault's AZP-23 does not actually have a fire rate of 2,400 rounds per minute. This is because the AZP-23 actually consumes four rounds for every shell fired due to the usage of the multiplier token. As a result, its real fire rate is only 600 RPM.
↑Due to the explosive token being set to a value of 0.6, the AZP-85's 23 mm shells inflict 60% explosive-type damage and only 40% kinetic damage.
↑ 3.03.1Damage will be reduced if the projectile's velocity drops below this value.
↑Armed Assault's AZP-85 does not actually have a fire rate of 4,000 rounds per minute. This is because the AZP-85 actually consumes four rounds for every shell fired due to the usage of the multiplier token. As a result, its real fire rate is only 1,000 RPM.
↑The AA cannon hitpoints on ArmA 2's iteration of the ZSU technically cannot be damaged by ballistic projectiles as they do not have fire geometry components. However, explosive munitions can still damage the hitpoints as the "zbran" selection IS defined within the model's fire geometry LOD.
↑ArmA 2's AZP-23 does not actually have a fire rate of 13,599 rounds per minute. This is because the AZP-23 actually consumes four rounds for every shell fired due to the usage of the multiplier token. As a result, its real fire rate is only 3,399 RPM.
↑Only applies to lower difficulty settings where auto guidance is available. Higher difficulty settings do not allow for automatic lock-ons by default.
↑If available, the AZP-23 can be detected by the target's Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) if it is "locking" onto its target (this mostly applies to the AZP-23 when it is being operated by an AI gunner).
References[]
↑Bohemia Interactive a.s., 2011, 'ARMA COLD WAR ASSAULT MANUAL', Vehicles, ARMA: Cold War Assault, viewed 11 September 2025, <ArmaCWA_manUK.pdf>.
Soviet Union - Vehicles (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
SLA - Vehicles (ArmA: Armed Assault)
CDF - Vehicles (ArmA 2)
ChDKZ - Vehicles (ArmA 2)
Takistani Army - Vehicles (ArmA 2)