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ZPU

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For the ZPU microprocessor, seeZPU (microprocessor).
ZPU anti-aircraft gun
ZPU-2
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Heavy machine gun
Place of originSoviet Union
Service history
In service1949–present
Used bySeeOperatorsfor users
WarsSeeWarsfor wars
Production history
ManufacturerZpu
VariantsZPU-1, ZPU-2, ZPU-4
Specifications
Shell14.5x114mm
Caliber14.5 mm
Barrels1-4
ActionShort recoil operation
Effective firing range1.4 km (0.87 mi)
Maximum firing range8 km (5.0 mi)
Feed system150 round belt each

TheZPU(Russian:ЗПУ; зенитная пулемётная установка,romanized:zenitnaya pulemotnaya ustanovka,meaning "anti-aircraft machine gun mount" ) is a family of towedanti-aircraft gunsbased on theSoviet14.5×114mmKPV heavy machine gun.It entered service with theSoviet Unionin 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide.

Quadruple-barreled (ZPU-4), double-barreled (ZPU-2andZU-2), and single-barreled (ZPU-1) versions of the weapon exist.

Precursor[edit]

The first dedicated Soviet mount for anti-aircraft machine guns was developed around 1928 byFedor Tokarevand was adopted for service in 1931. It was a base for mounting up to four 7.62 mmPM M1910(Russian Maxim) guns. This was also called a ZPU, although the name М-4 was also assigned to it. It served the Soviet armed forces in all major conflicts until 1945.[1]12.7 mmDShK1938 was used an anti-aircraft weapon it was mounted on pintle and tripod mounts, and on a triple mount on the GAZ-AA truck. Late in the war, it was mounted on the cupolas ofIS-2tanks andISU-152self-propelled guns. As an infantry heavy support weapon it used a two-wheeled trolley which unfolded into a tripod for anti-aircraft use.

Description[edit]

Development of the ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 began in 1945, with development of the ZPU-1 starting in 1947. All three were accepted into service in 1949. Improved optical predicting gunsights were developed for the system in the 1950s.

All weapons in the ZPU series have air-cooled quick-change barrels and can fire a variety of ammunition including API (B32), API (BS41), API-T (BZT) and I-T (ZP) projectiles. Each barrel has a maximum rate of fire of around 600 rounds per minute, though this is practically limited to about 150 rounds per minute.

The quad-barrel ZPU-4 uses a four-wheel carriage similar to that once used by the obsolete25 mm automatic anti-aircraft gun M1940.In firing position, the weapon is lowered onto firing jacks. It can be brought in and out of action in about 15 to 20 seconds, and can be fired with the wheels in the traveling position if needed.

The double-barrel ZPU-2 was built in two different versions; the early model has large mud guards and two wheels that are removed in the firing position, and the late model has wheels that fold and are raised from the ground in the firing position.

ZPU-2 turned out to be too heavy for theairborne troops,so a new UZPU-2 (later redesignated as ZU-2) was developed from ZPU-1.

The single-barrel ZPU-1 is carried on a two-wheeled carriage and can be broken down into several 80-kilogram pieces for transport over rough ground.

Versions of the weapon are built in China, North Korea and Romania.

History[edit]

The series was used during theKorean Warby Chinese andNorth Koreanforces, and was later considered to be the most dangerous opposition to U.S.helicoptersinVietnam.Later it was used byMoroccoand thePolisario Frontin theWestern Sahara War.It was also used byIraqiforces duringOperation Desert Stormand again in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 1974 the Cyprus National Guard artillery batteries used their ZPU-2s against the Turkish air force. In the Russian military, it was replaced by the newer and more powerfulZU-2323 mm twin automatic anti-aircraft gun.

During theLebanese Civil War,theLebanese militiasmounted the ZPU-2 and ZPU-4 on various vehicles, such asM113armored personnel carriers, to create self-propelled support vehicles.[2]

A Libyantechnicalwith ZU-2.

The ZPU has seen widespread use by both sides in theLibyan Civil War,Syrian Civil War,andYemeni Civil War,being often mounted ontechnicalpickup trucks.[3][4]The weapon is credited for bringing down severalSyrian Air Forcehelicopters.[5]

In North Korea, ZPU systems have been modified to be able to be directed by a MR-104 "Drum Tilt", where the guns are shown to be fired without personnel manning them.[6]

During theDonbas war,ZPUs were observed in use with Ukrainian andpro-Russian separatistsforces.[7]

Czech company Excalibur Army developed the MR-2 Viktor mobile gun air defense system consisting of a ZPU-2 equipped with day/night sights mounted on a pickup truck chassis upgraded with a reinforced suspension and modified body. The Viktor was supplied to Ukraine in late 2022 during theRussian invasion of Ukraineto combat low-altitude aerial targets, particularlyunmanned aerial vehicles.[8]

Ammunition[edit]

  • API (BS.41):Full metal jacket bulletround with atungsten carbidecore. Projectile weight is 64.4 g (2.27 oz) andmuzzle velocityis 1000 metres per second (3,281 ft/s). Armor-penetration at 500 m (550 yd) is 32 mm (1.3 in) ofRHAat 90 degrees.[9]
  • API-T (BZT): Full metal jacket round with a steel core. Projectile weight is 59.56 g (2.101 oz) and muzzle velocity is 1,005 m/s (3,297 ft/s). Tracer burns to at least 2,000 m (2,200 yd).
  • I-T (ZP): "Instantaneous Incendiary" bullet with internal fuze, incendiary in tip, tracer container in base. Projectile weight is 60.0 g (2.12 oz).

Rounds are also produced byBulgaria,China, Egypt, Poland, and Romania.

Variants[edit]

Original ZPU-4.
  • ZPU-4
    • Type 56: Chinese-built version.[10]
    • MR-4: Romanian-built version with a two-wheel carriage designed locally.[10]
    • PKM-4: Polish designation for an imported Soviet ZPU-4
  • ZPU-2
    • Type 58: Chinese-built version.[10]
    • PKM-2: Polish-built version.
  • ZU-2
  • ZPU-1
    • Type 75 and Type 75-1: Chinese built-versions.[10]
  • BTR-40A SPAAG: ABTR-40APC with a ZPU-2 gun mounted in the rear. Entered service in 1950.
  • BTR-152A SPAAG: ABTR-152with a ZPU-2 mounted in the rear. Entered service in 1952.

Specifications[edit]

Model ZPU-1 ZPU-2 ZU-2 ZPU-4
Barrels 1 2 2 4
Weight (travelling) 413 kg
(910 lb)		 994 kg
(2,191 lb)		 649 kg
(1,430 lb)		 1,810 kg
(3,990 lb)
Weight (firing) 413 kg
(910 lb)		 639 kg
(1,408 lb)		 621 kg
(1,369 lb)		 1,810 kg
(3,990 lb)
Length (travel) 3.44 m
(11 ft 3 in)		 3.54 m
(11 ft 7 in)		 3.87 m
(12 ft 8 in)		 4.53 m
(14 ft 10 in)
Width (travel) 1.62 m
(5 ft 4 in)		 1.92 m
(6 ft 4 in)		 1.37 m
(4 ft 6 in)		 1.72 m
(5 ft 8 in)
Height (travel) 1.34 m
(4 ft 5 in)		 1.83 m
(6 ft 0 in))		 1.1 m
(3 ft 7 in)		 2.13 m
(7 ft 0 in)
Elevation +88 °/−8 ° +90 °/−7 ° +85 °/−15 ° +90 °/−10 °
Traverse 360 °
Maximum range 8,000 m
(8,750 yds)
Maximum altitude 5,000 m
(16,400 ft)
Effective altitude 1,400 m
(4,590 ft)
Ammunition (rounds) 1,200 2,400 4,800
Crew 4 5

Operators[edit]

A map of nations that use the ZPU
A North Korean ZPU-2, recovered from thenaval trawlersunk by theJapan Coast Guardduring theBattle of Amami-Ōshima

Wars[edit]

A Ukrainian ZPU-1

The ZPU served in several conflicts:

Gallery[edit]

The 1931 ZPU for 7.62 mm machine guns
Iraqi ZPU-4 captured during Operation Desert Storm
ZPU-1 gun in Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Семен Федосеев (2009).Пулеметы России. Шквальный огонь.Яуза / Коллекция / ЭКСМО. pp. 377–380.ISBN978-5-699-31622-9.
  2. ^Zaloga, Steven J. (2003).Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2): The wars of 1973 to the present.Hong Kong: Concord Publications. p.7.ISBN962-361-613-9.
  3. ^"Rebels down Libyan aircraft as world leaders discuss next move".Arabian Business.28 February 2011.Retrieved6 May2018.
  4. ^Neville 2018,p. 34.
  5. ^Neville, Leigh (19 Apr 2018).Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces.New Vanguard 257. Osprey Publishing. p. 10.ISBN9781472822512.
  6. ^Oryx."A Visual Guide to North Korea's Fighting Vehicles".Oryx Blog.Retrieved2020-12-20.
  7. ^abFerguson & Jenzen-Jones 2014,p. 54.
  8. ^Fiorenza, Nicholas (26 May 2023)."IDET 2023: Excalibur Army Viktor light air-defence vehicles supplied to Ukraine".Janes Information Services.Archivedfrom the original on 28 May 2023.
  9. ^"ZPU-4 14.5 mm quadruple guns anti-aircraft technical data sheet specifications information UK - Army Recognition - Army Recognition".Archivedfrom the original on 2011-10-12.Retrieved2011-10-10.
  10. ^abcdGander, Terry J. (4 May 2001)."14.5 mm KPV heavy machine gun".Jane's Infantry Weapons 2002-2003.pp. 3732–3734.
  11. ^Bhatia, Michael Vinai; Sedra, Mark (May 2008).Small Arms Survey(ed.).Afghanistan, Arms and Conflict: Armed Groups, Disarmament and Security in a Post-War Society.Routledge.p. 66.ISBN978-0-415-45308-0.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-09-01.Retrieved2018-09-01.
  12. ^abcdefghijklMilitary Balance 2017
  13. ^"TENDER NOTICE"(PDF).dgdp.gov.bd.Directorate General of Defence Purchase.Retrieved2 March2021.
  14. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadaeCullen & Foss 1992,p. 212.
  15. ^Cherisey, Erwan de (July 2019)."El batallón de infantería" Badenya "de Burkina Faso en Mali - Noticias Defensa En abierto".Revista Defensa(in Spanish) (495–496).
  16. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 454.
  17. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 455.
  18. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 457.
  19. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 458.
  20. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 461.
  21. ^"PKM-2 Polish 14.5mm Towed Anti-Aircraft Gun".ODIN - OE Data Integration Network.Retrieved26 November2023.
  22. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 467.
  23. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 469.
  24. ^"Syrie: l'EI inflige un revers aux FDS dans l'est, mais reste acculé".France Soir(in French). 25 October 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 25 October 2018.Retrieved4 March2019.
  25. ^The Military Balance 2021,p. 473.
  26. ^Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (29 October 2021)."Kurdish Armour: Inventorising YPG Equipment In Northern Syria".Oryx Blog.
  27. ^Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (6 March 2021)."Qatar's Purchase of BP-12A SRBMs: A Guppy Sprouts Teeth".Oryx Blog.
  28. ^Cooper, Tom; Grandolini, Albert; Fontanellaz, Adrien (2019).Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 2: Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony, 1975-1991.Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 43.ISBN978-1-912866-29-8.
  29. ^Jones, Richard D.; Ness, Leland S., eds. (January 27, 2009).Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010(35th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's Information Group.ISBN978-0-7106-2869-5.
  30. ^Mitzer, Stijn; Oliemans, Joost (20 September 2015)."The Oryx Handbook of Pre-war Yemeni Fighting Vehicles".Oryx.
  31. ^Cooper, Tom (2013).Great Lakes Conflagration: Second Congo War, 1998–2003.UK: Helion & Company Limited. p. 39.ISBN978-1-920143-84-8.
  32. ^"SPLA-N weapons and equipment, South Kordofan, December 2012"(PDF).HSBA Arms and Ammunition Tracing Desk.Small Arms Survey: 8. February 2013.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2016-03-22.Retrieved2019-01-02.

External links[edit]

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