ZPU-4
The ZPU-4 ( Russian ЗПУ-4 : 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-pipe ( ZPU-1 ), two-pipe ( ZPU-2 ) and four-pipe (ZPU-4) design were created.
The development of the ZPU-4 began before the start of serial production of the KPW in 1945. The development order was given to both Plant No. 2 and OKB-43 (ОКБ-43). First tests showed the superiority of the weapon developed in Plant No. 2 under the direction of IS Leszczynski (И.С. Лещинский). After the construction was completed, the weapon was tested in 1946, and troop testing took place between August and October 1948. The decision to take over the ZPU-4 in the armament of the Soviet Army was taken in 1949.
construction
The weapon was mounted on a two-axle cross mount with stub axle steering . The entire weapon with carriage weighed 2.1 t. The wheels of the carriage were filled with foam, which resulted in high bullet resistance and resistance to damage, but the handling was critical due to the steering and the tires at high speeds on the road. The fire could be opened from the marching position, but normally the fire was fired from the combat position, in which four support plates were extended on the lower mount. When shooting from the marching position, the accuracy of the hit was lower due to the vibrations of the chassis. The greatest disadvantage of the weapon turned out to be vibrations of the upper mount when firing from all four barrels at the same time, since the weapons did not return at the same time. The life of the barrels was also short. The weapon system is capable of foraging to a water depth of approximately one meter. The carriage could be moved from marching to combat position and vice versa within 60 to 80 seconds. The crew consisted of a total of six men.
The APO-14.5 (APO-14.5) was originally used as a sight. 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 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 2200 rounds per minute.
variants
In the People's Republic of China , the ZPU was produced under license as Type 56. The design of the weapon does not differ from the Soviet version. North Korea also built the ZPU-4 and Type 56 in larger numbers, spare parts for the ZPU-4 were or are being manufactured in Egypt , North Korea and Iran .
In Romania , the weapon was modified and a single-axle mount was used instead of the original one. Some of these weapons later came to Croatia .
commitment
Operational principles
The weapon was originally intended for use in the motorized rifle regiments. The corresponding regiments of the Soviet Army and armed forces based on the Soviet model had an anti-aircraft machine gun battery ZPU-4. The ZPU-4 was used to defend against enemy aircraft in all types of combat as well as on the march. The ZPU-4 could lead the fire from positions or from a short halt. Due to the limited range of the weapons, the operational area or the marching band of the regiment could not be completely covered, so it was necessary to establish priorities. The air defense was supplemented by the anti-aircraft regiments of the higher command level, usually equipped with the S-60 weapon system, as well as 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 in the motorized rifle regiments was replaced by the ZSU-23-4 developed from 1957 .
In North Korea, where the weapon is still in use today, an army corps has an anti-aircraft machine gun battalion with ZPU-4s, and an anti-aircraft machine gun battery with eight ZPU-4s is integrated into the division. The armament of these anti-aircraft units is supplemented by portable anti-aircraft missile systems.
The ZPU-4 was also exported to developing countries and 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.
In the 1960s, the Soviet Army also used the ZPU-4 to protect railroad trains. Pulled by an armored locomotive, four ZPU-4s and one ZU-23 each were installed on platform cars. These trains were used for the rapid relocation of tanks and other heavy fighting equipment in the otherwise largely roadless border area with China.
States of operations
The weapon was delivered to numerous European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian countries and is partly still in use there today. In Europe, the ZPU-4 is still used by the Armed Forces of Malta . Together with the 40 mm L70 anti-aircraft gun from Bofors, it forms the air defense component of the Maltese armed forces.
Use in the NVA
The ZPU-4 was used in the National People's Army in the motorized rifle regiments. Each regiment had an AA-MG battery with 15 ZPU-4s. These were supplemented by the ZPU-2 of the anti-aircraft platoons of the motorized rifle battalions. The introduction began in 1956, the replacement in 1966. From 1968, the ZPU-4 was replaced in the motorized rifle regiments by the anti-aircraft tank ZSU-23-4 . In some regiments, the ZU-23 was introduced as an interim solution until the ZSU-23-4 was available. The existing ZPU-4 were handed over to the combat groups. In the mid-1980s, some of these weapons were returned to the NVA and stored for the NVA mobilization divisions . There they were intended for the anti-aircraft units of the motorized rifle regiments, which otherwise had no other anti-aircraft equipment.
Use in wars and armed conflicts
Korea
The ZPU-4 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.
middle East
The Arab states use the weapon in the various military conflicts with Israel in the 1960s and 1970s. Syria and Egypt first used the ZPU-4 in the 1967 Six Day War . In Syria, the ZPU-4 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 air supremacy. Egypt had procured enough ZPU-4s to equip 50 divisions and some independent units, but these too were eliminated by Israel's air superiority. During the advance on the Sinai Peninsula , the Israeli army captured enough Egyptian ZPU-4s to equip their own reserve unit.
In the Yom Kippur War , the Egyptian army had sufficiently modern air defense systems, so that the ZPU-4 was mainly used to protect divisional command posts and only occasionally in the troops. The 15th tank brigade, which was trapped on the Great Bitter Lake , used its ZPU-4 to fight against Israeli ground troops. The few Syrian ZPU-4s turned out to be ineffective.
In the Lebanon War of 1982/83, both the Lebanese and Syrian armies and various militias used the ZPU-4. Some weapons were improvised and placed on different vehicles to increase their mobility. ZPU-4s mounted on vehicles were also used in the conflict in Syria that began in 2011 . 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 the Vietnam War , the weapon proved to be particularly effective against helicopters. The ZPU-4 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. In the jungle, two to three ZPU-4s were used in a triangular position, which could shoot an effective barrage against low-flying helicopters and aircraft with different tube heights. 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 was used for early warning. This enabled a large distance and height range to be effectively covered.
In addition to helicopters, aircraft could also be fought effectively. In addition to some O-1 Bird Dog and O-2 Skymaster , six F-4 Phantom , an AC-119 and a P-2 Neptune with ZPU-4 are said to have been shot down.
Africa
Both Tanzania and Uganda used the ZPU-4 during the 1979 clashes .
In Angola, the Cuban units fighting on the side of the Angolan government shot down a South African helicopter with a ZPU-4.
Afghanistan
At the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 1979, the ZPU-4 was still part of the Soviet Army airborne troops. At the beginning of the fighting, ZPU-4s were also dropped from transport aircraft with parachutes, although they were not actually intended for this.
Some ZPU-4s fell into the hands of the mujahideen from Soviet stocks , but the ZPU-4 was too heavy and immobile for combat in the mountains and less effective than the ZU-23 against aircraft. However, the mujahideen used some of these weapons and shot down a Mil Mi-8 and two Mil Mi-24s . Although the Mi-24 was armored, the launch succeeded because the mujahideen concentrated the fire on the tail boom, which turned out to be the helicopter's weak point.
Gulf Wars
Iraq still used the weapon 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-4 had no electronic means of reconnaissance, the fire could usually only be opened when the air target was already out of range again. Iran was able to capture a large number of ZPU-4s and supplemented them with weapons obtained in North Korea.
In the Second Gulf War , the ZPU-4 proved to be practically ineffective. Some aircraft could be damaged, but not a single shot was successful. The bulk of the Iraqi ZPU-4s were destroyed by attack helicopters, fighter-bombers and ground troops.
The ZPU-4 could no longer be used effectively in the 2003 Iraq war either. The Iraqi ZPU-4s fell victim to air and ground attacks, some were also abandoned and captured by American troops.
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 technical service in Kdo. MB III, technical catalog, 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun ZPU-4
- 14.5 mm Fla MG ZPU-2 / ZPU-4
Individual evidence
- ↑ DPRKJones: SAA ZPU-4 mounted on a BMP-1 chassis in Eastern Ghouta. Tweet. In: Twitter. Retrieved March 14, 2018 .
- ↑ all information according to ZPU-4 towed AAA ( Memento from April 2, 2011 in the Internet Archive )