ZPU-2
The ZPU-2 ( Russian ЗПУ-2 : зенитная пулеметная установка ) is a heavy multi-barreled anti-aircraft machine gun of caliber 14.5 mm from Soviet production. The weapon was developed on the basis of the KPW machine gun ( Russian КПВ: Крупнокалиберный пулемёт Владимирова ).
Development history
The development of the KPW began in 1943, but series production could not begin until 1949. The MG was used in the Soviet Army as an infantry support weapon. Due to its efficiency, lightly armored targets could be fought at distances of up to 800 m and non-armored targets up to a distance of 2000 m. Since the need for powerful anti-aircraft weapons to support the infantry on the battlefield had become clear during the Second World War , the idea of using the MG as an anti-aircraft weapon was born. While the actual weapon remained unchanged, single and two-axis mounts were developed for the Fla-MG. A single-tube (ZPU-1), two-tube (ZPU-2) and four-wheel ( ZPU-4 ) design were created.
The development of the ZPU-2 began almost simultaneously with the development of the ZPU-4 before the KPW went into series production in 1945. The development contract was given to two groups. The first group was led by SV Vladimirov (С. В. Владимиров), the designer of the KPW, and GP Markov (Г. П. Марков), the second was led by FV Tokarev (Ф .В. Токарев). First tests in 1945 showed the superiority of the weapon developed by Markov and Vladimirov. The construction was then perfected and in 1948 went through the training ground and then the state testing. The decision to take over the ZPU-2 in the armament of the Soviet Army was taken in 1949. Series production began in the same year in plant no.525.
construction
The weapon was mounted on a single-axis lower mount. This carriage was a construction made of welded steel tubes. The entire weapon with carriage weighed 1.0 t. All-terrain trucks such as the GAZ-66 were used as the towing vehicle, but due to its low weight, the weapon could also be pulled by Kübelwagen such as the GAZ-69 if necessary . The wheels of the carriage were filled with foam, which resulted in high bullet resistance and resistance to damage. The weapon system is capable of foraging to a depth of about half a meter. The carriage construction was later further developed for the ZU-23 .
To fire, the weapon was lowered from the marching position to the combat position. This process, like the lifting from marching to combat position, took 18–20 seconds. This enabled the fire to be opened quickly while moving. The crew consisted of a total of six men.
A reflex sight was originally used as a visor . However, since this visor was assessed as inadequate, the development of a uniform new visor for the ZPU-2 and the ZPU-4 was ordered in 1950. The ZAPP-2 (ЗАПП-2) and ZAPP-4 (ЗАПП-4) sights, developed from 1950, made it possible to combat targets up to a height of 2000 m and flight speeds up to 300 m / s. Series production started in 1955. The ZAPP-2 visor was later developed into the ZAP-23 (ЗАП-23) visor for the ZU-23. The lower cadence of the weapon compared to the ZPU-4 only allowed the ZPU-2 to fight targets at a speed of 200 m / s. The PU underground telescopic sight was used to combat ground targets.
The weapon fired belted ammunition. Belt boxes with 150 rounds each were used on the weapon. With the 14.5 x 114 mm cartridge used , air targets up to a height of 1500 m and a distance of 2000 m could be fought effectively. The rate of fire was 1100 rounds per minute.
variants
In the People's Republic of China , the ZPU was produced under license as Type 58. The design of the weapon does not differ from the Soviet version; the mount can be distinguished from the original by its larger wheels and wider fenders.
TO-2
In 1950, the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Artillery Headquarters (НТК ГАУ) developed the tactical-technical requirements for a twin anti-aircraft machine gun with a caliber of 14.5 mm for the airborne troops. The need to develop such a weapon arose because the ZPU-2 did not meet the special requirements of the airborne troops. Plant No. 525 was entrusted with the development and production, but it concluded a development contract with the Scientific and Technological Institute No. 40 (НИТИ-40). When developing the weapon, great importance was attached to the greatest possible identical construction with the ZPU-2. The firing range testing of the new weapon took place in 1952. It was initially designated as UZPU-2 (УЗПУ-2), but when it was accepted into the armament of the Soviet Army in 1954, the designation changed to ZU-2 (14.5-мм зенитно-пулеметная установка ЗУ-2). Series production began in 1955 in plant No. 525. The ZU-2 could be broken down into lightweight packages for transport. The side straightening speed was higher than that of the ZPU-2.
commitment
Operational principles
The weapon was originally intended for use in the motorized rifle battalions. The corresponding battalions of the Soviet Army and armed forces based on the Soviet model had an anti-aircraft machine gun platoon with four ZPU-2s. The ZPU-2 was used to defend against enemy aircraft in all types of combat as well as on the march. The ZPU-2 could lead the fire from positions or from a short halt. Due to the limited range of the weapons, the operational area or the battalion's marching band could not be completely covered, so it was necessary to establish priorities. The air defense was supplemented by the anti-aircraft machine gun batteries of the motorized rifle regiments equipped with the ZPU-4, the anti-aircraft regiments of the higher command level, usually equipped with the S-60 weapon system, and with the anti-aircraft armament of the combat vehicles.
Shortly after the weapon was introduced, its limits became apparent. The caliber only allowed combat against air targets up to a height of 2000 m under favorable circumstances. More decisive, however, was the lack of electronic reconnaissance equipment and the lack of appropriate fire control systems. The weapon could practically not be used at night and with poor visibility, and fighting low-flying and high-speed jet aircraft, such as those used in NATO countries from the beginning of the 1960s, was also difficult. There was no protection against the effects of enemy weapons, and mobility in the area was limited. Therefore, the weapon was replaced on a large scale as early as the 1960s. Their task was taken over by anti-aircraft tanks ZSU-23-4 , which belonged to the anti-aircraft artillery batteries of the motorized rifle and tank regiments organized according to the Soviet model.
The weapons that were released were exported in large numbers to the Middle East and other developing countries and also ended up in the hands of liberation movements and other military groups. There the operational principles and the structure of the units differed greatly from the Soviet model.
States of operations
The weapon was delivered to numerous European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries and is partly still in use there today.
Use in the NVA
The ZPU-2 was used by the National People's Army in the anti-aircraft platoons of the motorized rifle battalions. In a regiment, a total of 16 ZPU-2s were provided in the individual trains. These weapons were supplemented by the Fla-M battery at regimental level with 15 ZPU-4s.
The introduction began in 1956, but dragged on over a longer period of time, so that the Fla-MG trains had to be equipped with the 12.7 mm Fla-MG DschaK for a transitional period . The replacement by the ZSU-23 began in 1966 and dragged on until the early 1970s. The existing ZPU-2 were handed over to the combat groups .
Use in wars and armed conflicts
Korea
The ZPU-2 was used for the first time in the Korean War by North Korean and Chinese associations. Overall, however, the operation was not very effective because the crews were insufficiently trained and the US Air Force was in control of the air. As with the ZPU-1, the low rate of fire limited the effectiveness of the weapon.
middle East
The Arab states use the weapon in the various military conflicts with Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. The ZPU-2 was delivered in large numbers by the Soviet Union in the 1960s, as the weapon was no longer needed in the Soviet Army due to the conversion to modern anti-aircraft systems.
Syria and Egypt first used the ZPU-4 in the 1967 Six Day War . In Syria, the ZPU-2 did not take effect at all, as the Israeli air force had already switched off the Syrian air defense on the second day of the fight and achieved absolute control of the air. Basically, the Syrian army air defense suffered from an inadequate organizational structure, which made it difficult to allocate to the associations to be supported and to use anti-aircraft weapons effectively. The organization of the Egyptian anti-aircraft units was more effective, but these too were eliminated by Israel's air superiority. During the advance on the Sinai Peninsula , the Israeli army captured enough Egyptian ZPU-1, ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 to equip its own reserve unit with the captured weapons.
During the Yom Kippur War , the Egyptian army had sufficiently modern air defense systems, so that the ZPU-2 was mainly used to protect command posts and only occasionally in the troops.
In the Lebanon War of 1982/83, both the Lebanese and Syrian armies and various militias used the ZPU-2. Some weapons, like the ZPU-4, were improvised on different vehicles to increase their mobility. Since the ZPU-4 was replaced as an anti-aircraft weapon by other weapon systems in the 1960s, the focus of use shifted to fighting ground targets. The significantly higher rate of fire compared to the KPW was particularly advantageous here.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the weapon proved to be particularly effective against helicopters. The ZPU-2 was light and could be transported quickly, including with pack animals and on bicycles, and camouflaged quickly. The Vietnamese armed forces developed special operational tactics. To protect bridges and other objects, the ZPU-4 was combined with ZPU-2, ZSU-23 and large-caliber anti- aircraft guns and a radar device, usually a SON-9 , was used for early warning. This enabled a large distance and height range to be effectively covered. In general, the ZPU-2 was used in conjunction with other weapon systems. Its advantages came to bear particularly in the jungle and in the cut terrain, which forced the enemy aircraft and helicopters to fly low, made aerial reconnaissance difficult, but offered a free field of fire at the relatively short combat distances of the weapon.
In addition to a few UH-1 helicopters , a few larger aircraft could also be effectively combated. The shooting down of a CH-3 Jolly Green Giant is attributed to the ZPU-2. After the end of the Vietnam War, some ZPU-2s from Vietnamese stocks were given to Laos and Kampuchea .
Africa
Weapons from former Soviet or Cuban stocks ended up in relatively large numbers in the hands of SWAPO and other organizations and were used in large numbers in the military conflicts in South West Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. Since the effectiveness of the anti-aircraft agent is very limited, the weapon was primarily used against ground targets.
Afghanistan
The ZPU-2 was no longer part of the Soviet Army when the war in Afghanistan began in 1979, but many of these weapons had already been given to the Afghan government troops beforehand. Some ZPU-2s ended up in the hands of the mujahideen . These were supplemented by Chinese Type 58, which were handed over to the mujahideen via Pakistani intelligence circles. Here, too, the weapon was primarily used against ground targets, the effectiveness against air targets was only slightly higher than that of the ZPU-1, but the weapon was difficult to transport and hide under the conditions of the guerrilla war in the high mountains. Nevertheless, some Mil Mi-8s were shot down .
After the withdrawal of the Soviet troops, the weapon was again used as an anti-aircraft weapon by various Afghan militias who fought against each other. In the Northern Alliance fighting against the Taliban , the ZPU-2 was also assigned to smaller units as Fla-MG. This potential threat was sufficient to prevent Taliban air force operations against Northern Alliance forces.
When the US-led troops marched into the country in 2001, the ZPU-2 played practically no role. It is also rarely used against the ISAF troops.
Gulf Wars
Iraq used the weapon together with the ZPU-4 in the war against Iran from 1980 to 1988 and shot down at least two Iranian F-4 Phantoms . Like the American air force in Vietnam, the Iranian air force tried to escape the area of action of the anti-aircraft missile systems by flying low, but came into the area of action of small-caliber anti-aircraft weapons. As the war progressed, the Iranian pilots flew extremely low and fast in order to minimize the time in the effective range of these weapons. Since the ZPU-2 had no electronic reconnaissance equipment, fire could usually only be opened when the air target was already out of range again.
In the Second Gulf War , the ZPU-2 proved to be practically ineffective. The shooting down of an F-16 is attributed to the ZPU-2.
Even in the Third Gulf War, the ZPU-2 could no longer be used effectively. The Iraqi ZPU-2 fell victim to air and ground strikes, some were also abandoned and captured by American troops, but a large number fell into the hands of the insurgents who use the weapon against American helicopters. On November 27, 2006, an eight ZPU-2 battery shot down an AH-6 Little Bird north of Baghdad.
literature
- А. Б. Широкорад : «Шилка» и другие. Отечественные зенитные самоходные установки / М. Барятинский. - Москва: Моделист-конструктор, 1998. - 32 с. - (Бронеколлекция № 2 (17) / 1998). (Russian)
- Wilfried Copenhagen: The land forces of the NVA , Motorbuch Verlag, 1st edition 1999
- Ilya Shaydurov: Russian firearms - types.Technology.Data. Motorbuch Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-613-03187-6 .
Web links
- ЗЕНИТНЫЕ ПУЛЕМЕТНЫЕ УСТАНОВКИ in Вестник ПВО Russian
- Missile and weapons service in Kdo.MB III, technical catalog, 14.5 mm Fla-MG ZPU-2
- ZPU-1 and ZPU-2 towed AAA (English)
- 14.5 mm Fla MG ZPU-2 / ZPU-4
- Photo of a ZU-2
Individual evidence
- ↑ all information according to ZPU-4 towed AAA ( Memento from April 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive )