ZSU-57-2

ZSU-57-2
Land	Ussr
Type	Zelfrijdend luchtafweergeschut
Onderwerp	Album van 37 foto's walk-around van een ZSU-57-2

De ZSU-57-2 (Ob'yekt 500) is een Sovjet zelfrijdend luchtafweergeschut (SPAAG), bewapend met twee 57 mm autokanonnen. 'ZSU' staat voor Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka, wat 'luchtafweer zelfrijdende mount' betekent, '57' staat voor de boring van de bewapening in millimeters en '2' staat voor het aantal geweerlopen. Oorsprong: Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog kwamen grondaanvalsvliegtuigen naar voren als een belangrijke bedreiging voor gemechaniseerde eenheden onderweg. Conventioneel gesleept luchtafweergeschut (AA) was een ontoereikende reactie onder dergelijke omstandigheden vanwege de tijd die nodig was om luchtafweermitrailleurs in actie te brengen. Deze ervaring maakte duidelijk dat een luchtafweervoertuig, bewapend met autokanonnen met kleine boringen of zware machinegeweren, nodig was. Voertuigen zoals de Duitse Wirbelwind waren goed gebruikt in de laatste veldslagen van de Tweede Wereldoorlog.

Bron: Wikipedia

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Foto 's	59

ZSU-57-2

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The Accidental Tank Destroyer

De ZSU-57-2 (Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka) was intended to be the Soviet Union’s premier shield against jet aircraft. Entering service in 1955, it featured twin 57mm autocannons mounted on a lightened T-54 chassis. However, it was a “daylight only” weapon with no radar and a slow manual sighting system, making it nearly useless against fast modern jets. While it failed its primary mission, crews quickly discovered its true calling: ground support. Its massive high-velocity shells could shred light bunkers, APCs, and even the side armor of Main Battle Tanks, earning it the nickname “Sparka” (Twin-mount) and a fearsome reputation in urban combat.

Attribute	Technical Specification (ZSU-57-2)
Role	Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG)
Bemanning	6 (Commander, Driver, Gunner, Sight Adjuster, 2 Loaders)
Motor	V-54 V12 water-cooled diesel (520 hp)
Maximum Speed	50 km/h (31 mph)
Main Armament	2 × 57 mm S-68 Autocannons
Rate of Fire	210–240 rounds per minute (combined)
Harnas	8 mm to 15 mm (Steel)
Gewicht	28.1 tonnes

Design Engineering: Thin Skin, Big Teeth

The Lightened T-54 Chassis: To save weight for the massive turret, engineers removed one road wheel (reducing it from five to four) and thinned the armor down significantly. While a T-54 could take a hit, the ZSU-57-2 can be damaged by heavy machine gun fire.
The S-68 Autocannon: These guns are modified versions of the towed S-60. They fire a massive 2.8 kg shell with a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s. This gives them incredible kinetic energy, allowing the Armor-Piercing (APC-T) rounds to penetrate over 100mm of armor at close range. [Image diagram of the twin S-68 recoil and loading mechanism]
Open-Topped Vulnerability: The turret is massive and open to the sky. While this provides the crew with excellent visibility for tracking planes and prevents toxic fumes from building up, it makes the vehicle extremely vulnerable to airburst shells, grenades, and even rain.
Manual Fire Control: Unlike the later radar-guided “Shilka,” the ZSU-57-2 relies on an optical-mechanical computing sight. A dedicated crew member has to manually input the target’s estimated speed and range—a near-impossible task against supersonic jets.

Operational History: A Global Menace

Vietnam Service: North Vietnamese forces used the ZSU-57-2 during the 1972 Easter Offensive. While it struggled to hit U.S. Phantoms, it was devastatingly effective at clearing South Vietnamese defensive lines and bunkers.
Middle East Wars: In the hands of Syrian and Egyptian forces during the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, it was often used as an improvised “assault gun.” Israeli tankers learned to prioritize these vehicles because their twin 57mm guns could disable a tank’s tracks or optics in seconds.
The Yugoslav Wars: During the 1990s, Serbian and Croatian forces used the ZSU-57-2 almost exclusively for ground support. Its ability to elevate its guns nearly vertically made it the perfect tool for clearing snipers out of high-rise buildings.
Modern Obsolescence: By the 1970s, the Soviet Army replaced it with the 23mm ZSU-23-4 Shilka, which traded the 57mm’s “punch” for radar-guided accuracy and a much higher rate of fire.