Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon

File:ZSU-23-4-Camp-Pendleton.jpg

A Soviet-made ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" in California during a USMC exercise, 1997

Template:History of the tank An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability.

Specific weapon systems used include machine guns, autocannons, larger guns, or surface-to-air missiles, and some mount both guns and longer-ranged missiles (e.g. the Pantsir missile system). Platforms used include both trucks and heavier combat vehicles such as armoured personnel carriers and tanks, which add protection from aircraft, artillery, and small arms fire for front line deployment.

Anti-aircraft guns are usually mounted in a quickly-traversing turret with a high rate of elevation, for tracking fast-moving aircraft. They are often in dual or quadruple mounts, allowing a high rate of fire. In addition, most anti-aircraft guns can be used in a direct-fire role against surface targets to great effect. Today, surface-to-air missiles (generally mounted on similar turrets) have largely supplanted anti-aircraft guns, but they may return as a cheap way to counter unmanned aerial systems (drones), cruise missiles, and ultralight aircraft.

History

World War I

Template:Multiple image Anti-aircraft machine guns have long been mounted on trucks, and these were quite common during World War I. A predecessor of the WWII German "88" anti-aircraft gun, the WWI German 77 mm anti-aircraft gun, was truck-mounted and used to great effect against British tanks.

The British QF 3 inch 20 cwt was mounted on trucks for use on the Western Front. The British also had a first dedicated anti aircraft weapon, the QF 1-pounder pom-pom. Mounted on an armoured truck titled the Pierce-Arrow armoured AA lorry, which was produced in limited numbers and only seeing service throughout 1915. Towards the end of the war Germany produced three prototype SPAAGs with AA guns mounted on A7V chassis known as the A7V Flakpanzer.<ref name=Zaloga>Template:Cite book</ref>

Inter-war period

{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= {{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Ambox }} }} Between the two World Wars, the United Kingdom developed the Birch gun, a general-purpose artillery piece on an armoured tracked chassis capable of maintaining formation with their current tanks over terrain. The gun could be elevated for anti-aircraft use.

File:Boworadet Rebellion montage Vickers Type 76.png

Vickers Armstrong "Type 76" SPAAG loaded onto a train.

The first tracked SPAAG-design to be manufactured in series was most likely the British/Siamese Vickers Armstrong "Type 76" (per Buddhist year 2476 = 1933 CE), as named by the Royal Siamese Army, a SPAAG based on the chassis of the Dragon, Medium, Mark IV artillery tractor (Vickers Mk.E 6-ton light tank derivative), mounting a revolving Vickers 40 mm QF 2 pounder pom-pom autocannon in an open fighting compartment. About 26 were sold to Siam in 1932 and saw action as infantry support guns and AA guns during the Franco-Thai war (1940–1941) along with 30 Vickers Mk.E Type B 6-ton tanks. Despite being the first tracked SPAAG en masse, the open-top design of the Vickers Type 76 made it outdated even by the early 1930s.

File:Landsverk L-62 Anti.jpg

Landsverk L-62 Anti-prototype in 1939.

The first modern SPAAG to be produced was most likely the Swedish Landsverk L-62 Anti in 1936, featuring a tracked armoured body with a revolving turret, a so-called anti-aircraft tank. It was based on a widened chassis of the Landsverk L-60 light tank and was armed with a Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 in an open-top revolving turret. The design was bought by Hungary just prior to the war and Finland ordered a refined model in 1941, known as the Anti II.

By the late 1930s, the British had developed a version of the Mk.VI Light Tank armed with four machine guns that were known as Light Tank AA Mk.I, and also a twin 15 mm version based on the Light Tank Mk.V was built. Among early pre-war pioneers of self-propelled AA guns were the Germans. By the time of the war, they fielded the Sd.Kfz. 10/4 and Sd.Kfz. 6/2, cargo half-tracks mounting single 20 mm or 37 mm AA guns (respectively). Later in the war similar German half-tracks mounted quadruple 20 mm weapons.

World War II

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File:Niemieckie samobieżne działo przeciwlotnicze "Wirbelwind" (2-426).jpg

German Flakpanzer IV "Wirbelwind" - a 20 mm Flakvierling quadmount on a Panzer IV chassis.

Larger guns followed on larger trucks, but these mountings generally required off-truck setup in order to unlimber the stabilizing legs these guns needed. One exception to this rule was the Italian Cannone da 90/53 which was highly effective when mounted on trucks, a fit known as the "autocannoni da 90/53". The 90/53 was a feared weapon, notably in the anti-tank role, but only a few hundred had been produced by the time of the armistice in 1943.

Other nations tended to work on truck chassis. Starting in 1941, the British developed the "en portee" method of mounting an anti-tank gun (initially a 2 pounder) on a truck. This was to prevent the weapon from being damaged by long-distance towing across rough, stony deserts, and it was intended only to be a carrying method, with the gun unloaded for firing. However, crews tended to fire their weapons from their vehicles for the mobility this method provided, with consequent casualties. This undoubtedly inspired their Morris C9/B (officially the "Carrier, SP, 4x4, 40 mm AA"), a Bofors 40 mm AA gun mounted on a chassis derived from the Morris "Quad" Field Artillery Tractor truck. Similar types, based on 3-ton lorries, were produced in Britain, Canada and Australia, and together formed the most numerous self-propelled AA guns in British service.

The U.S. Army brought truck-towed Bofors 40 mm AA guns along with truck-mounted units fitted with mechanized turrets when they sailed, first for Great Britain and then onto France. The turrets carried four .50 inch (12.7 mm) machine guns, which were designed to be adjusted to converge at the single point where enemy aircraft were expected to appear at low altitude in conduction of strafing runs directed at large infantry and field artillery units.

Interest in mobile AA turned to heavier vehicles with the mass and stability needed to easily train weapons of all sizes. Probably the desire, particularly in German service, for anti-aircraft vehicles to be armoured for their own protection also assisted this trend.

File:Nimród Battery 02 (cropped).jpg

40M Nimrod anti-aircraft battery.

The concept of using armored SPAAG (anti-aircraft tanks) en masse was pioneered by Hungary during World War II with the production of the 40M Nimrod, a license-produced version of the previously mentioned late 1930s Landsverk L-62 Anti I SPAAG. Germany followed later with their "Flakpanzer" series. German World War II SPAAGs include the Möbelwagen, Wirbelwind, Ostwind and Kugelblitz. Other forces followed with designs of their own, notably the American M16 created by mounting quadruple M2HB Browning machine guns on a M3 Half-track.

The British developed their own SPAAGs throughout the war mounting multiple machine guns and light cannon on various tank and armoured car chassis and by 1943, the Crusader AA tanks, which mounted the Bofors 40 mm gun or two-three Oerlikon 20 mm cannon. Although used during the Normandy landings, by that point German aircraft were contained by the Allies own air forces and they were largely unneeded.

Cold War and later

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File:Brno, Řečkovice, transportér Praga V33 II.JPG

Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft gun M53/59 Praga developed in the late 1950s.

File:Gepard 1a2 overview.jpg

Flakpanzer Gepard, combining radars, fire control and two 35 mm guns in a new turret mounted on a Leopard chassis.

File:2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade - 9K22 Tunguska.jpg

Typical of more modern designs, the Tunguska-M1 mounts both missiles and cannons.

The introduction of jet engines and the subsequent rough doubling of aircraft speeds greatly reduced the effectiveness of the SPAAG against attack aircraft.{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B=

Template:Fix }} A typical SPAAG round might have a muzzle velocity on the order of Template:Convert and might take as long as two to three seconds to reach a target at its maximum range. An aircraft flying at Template:Convert is moving at a rate of about Template:Convert. This means the aircraft will have moved hundreds of meters during the flight time of the shells, greatly complicating the aiming problem to the point where close passes were essentially impossible to aim using manual gunsights. This speed also allowed the aircraft to rapidly fly out of range of the guns; even if the aircraft passes directly over the SPAAG, it would be within its firing radius for under 30 seconds.

SPAAG development continued through the early 1950s with ever-larger guns, improving the range and allowing the engagement to take place at longer distances where the crossing angle was smaller and aiming was easier. Examples including the 40 mm U.S. M42 Duster and the 57 mm Soviet ZSU-57-2. However, both were essentially obsolete before they entered service, and found employment solely in the ground-support role. The M42 was introduced to the Vietnam War to counter an expected North Vietnamese air offensive, but when this failed to materialize it was used as an effective direct-fire weapon. The ZSU-57 found similar use in the Yugoslav Wars, where its high-angle fire was useful in the mountainous terrain.

By the late 1950s, the US Army had given up on the SPAAG concept, considering all gun-based weapons to be useless against modern aircraft. This belief was generally held by many forces, and the anti-aircraft role turned almost exclusively to missile systems. The Soviet Union remained an outlier, beginning the development of a new SPAAG in 1957, which emerged as the ZSU-23-4 in 1965. This system included search-and-track radars, fire control, and automatic gun-laying, greatly increasing its effectiveness against modern targets. The ZSU-23 proved very effective when used in concert with SAMs; the presence of SAMs forced aircraft to fly low to avoid their radars, placing them within range of the ZSUs.

The success of the ZSU-23 led to a resurgence of SPAAG development. This was also prompted by the introduction of attack helicopters in the 1970s, which could hide behind terrain and then "pop up" for an attack lasting only a few tens of seconds; missiles were ineffective at low altitudes, while the helicopters would often be within range of the guns for a rapid counterattack. Notable among these later systems is the German Gepard, the first western SPAAG to offer performance equal to or better than the ZSU. This system was widely copied in various NATO forces.

SPAAG development continues, with many modern examples often combining both guns and short-range missiles. Examples include the Soviet/Russian Tunguska-M1, which supplanted the ZSU-23 in service, the newer versions of the Gepard, the Chinese Type 95 SPAAA, and the British Marksman turret, which can be used on a wide variety of platforms. Some forces, like the US Army and USMC have mostly forgone self-propelled guns in favor of systems with short-range infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles in the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger and M6 Linebacker, which do not require radar to be accurate and are generally more reliable and cost-effective to field, though their ability to provide ground support is more limited. The U.S. Army did use the M163 VADS and developed the prototype design of the M247 Sergeant York.

Present day

Modern SPAAGs usually have short-range missiles for longer range engagement. The Pantsir system from Russia is primarily a missile battery, although it does have twin cannons as secondary armament.

Some examples of modern SPAAG:

Model	Manufacturer	Image	Origin	Platforms	Weapons	Caliber and ammunitions	Number built	Notes
CS/SA5 SPAAG	Norinco	—	Template:Flag	Type 08	1 × Gatling gun (6 barrels) 2 × FN-6A	30 × 113 mm —	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PGZ-95 SPAAA	Norinco	File:Type 95 SPAAG - Beijing Museum 1.jpg	Template:Flag	—	4 × PG-87 4 × QW-2 IR missiles	25 x 183 mmB	~ 270 <ref name="IISS_2023">Template:Cite book</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PGZ-04/A SPAAA					4 × Type 87 4 × FN-6 IR missiles			Upgraded variant of PGZ-95 SPAAA<ref name=":1" />
PGZ-09 SPAAA	Norinco	File:PGZ-09 Self-propelled anti-aircraft artillery 20170902.jpg	Template:Flag	PLZ-05 chassis	2 × PG99	Template:Ill	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Page 216 https://irp.fas.org/doddir/army/atp7-100-3.pdf</ref>
PGZ 625 PGL-XX (Code name 625)	Norinco	—	Template:Flag	Type 08	1 × Gatling gun (6 barrels) 4 to 8 × FN-16 (for PGZ 625E)	25 × 287 mm	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PGL-12 (Type 12)	Norinco	—	Template:Flag	Type 08	1 × Revolver Canon 35mm 4 × FN-6#Variant in PGZ-04A pod.	Template:Ill	—	<ref name="defence-blog.com"/>
Machbet	IAI (Israeli Aircraft Industries)		Template:Flag	M113	1 × M61A1 Vulcan Gatling gun (6 barrels) 4 × FIM-92 Stinger	20 × 102 mm —	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
OTOMATIC "OTO Main Anti-aircraft Tank for Intercept and Combat"	OTO-Melara	File:76-mm Super Rapid Gun System on OF-40 tank chassis (moderately clouded sky background).png	Template:Flag	Hulls of the: Leopard 1A2 OF-40 Mk.2 Palmaria	1 × Cannone 76/62 OTO-Breda Super Rapido	76 × 636 mmR	2	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SIDAM 25	OTO Breda	File:SIDAM-IT.JPG	Template:Flag	M113	4 × Oerlikon KBA	25 × 137 mm	275	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Stryker M-SHORAD "Maneuver Short Range Air Defense"	Leonardo DRS	File:5-4 ADA train with Polish ADA during Saber Strike 2022 03 (cropped).jpg	Template:FlagTemplate:Flag	Stryker	1 × XM914 (M230LF chain gun) 1 M240 (7.62mm) 4 × FIM-92 Stinger 2 × AGM-114L Hellfire	30 × 113 mm 7.62 × 51 mm — —	312 to 361 <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Type 87 SPAAG	MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)	File:JGSDF type 87 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun 02.jpg	Template:Flag	Type 74 tank	2 × Oerlikon KDA	Template:Ill HEI ammunition	52	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Kongsberg RS6 MADIS RWS MK2 "Marine Air Defense Integrated System US Marine Corps Ground Based Air Defense"	Kongsberg	—	Template:Flag	Oshkosh JLTV	1 × XM914E1 (M230LF chain gun) 1 × M240C (7.62mm) 2 × Air-to-Air Stinger	30 × 113 mm 7.62 × 51 mm —	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PZA Loara	Template:Ill	File:Loara Kielce.png	Template:Flag	T-72M chassis	2 × Oerlikon KDA	Template:Ill HEI ammunition	2 - 4	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
SA-35	PIT-RADWAR PGZ (Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa)	—	Template:Flag	Jelcz 6×6	1 × Oerlikon KDA	35 x 228 mm Air burst programmable rounds	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Developed from AM-35K naval gun.
ZSU-23-4MP Biała	ZMT SA (Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów)	File:Strzelania 34. Brygady Kawalerii Pancernej z Żagania z ZSU-23-4 MP „BIAŁA” (03).jpg	Template:Flag	—	4 × AZP-23 4 × Grom IR missiles	23 × 152 mm —	~ 70	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Mangart 25	Valhalla Turrets	File:MANGART 25.jpg	Template:Flag	Oshkosh JLTV	1 × Oerlikon KBA 1 × FN MAG Option for short-range IR missiles	25 × 137 mm 7.62 × 51 mm	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
K263 Cheongoong SPAAG	Doosan	File:2013.10.1 건군 제65주년 국군의 날 행사 The celebration ceremony for the 65th Anniversary of ROK Armed Forces (10078326986) (cropped).jpg	Template:Flag	K200A1 KIFV	1 × KM167 A1 VADS Gatling gun (6 barrels)	20 × 102 mm	200	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
K30 Bi Ho "Flying Tiger"	Doosan	File:2014 대한민국 방위산업전(DX Korea) 육군의 명품 무기와 장비 소개 (14960330913) (cropped).jpg	Template:Flag	K200A1 KIFV	2 × Oerlikon KCB	30 × 170 mm	176	<ref name=":0" />
K30 Bi Ho Hybrid "Flying Tiger"	Hanwha Aerospace LIG Nex1	File:US Army photo 160803-A-VV548-006 Standing Watch together (cropped).jpg	Template:Flag	K808 White Tiger	2 × Oerlikon KCB 2 × LIG Nex1 Chiron	30 × 170 mm —	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
K30 Bi Ho II "Flying Tiger"	Joint Venture Hanwha Aerospace SAMI (Saudi Arabian Military Industries)	—	Template:Flag Template:Flag	K808 White Tiger	1 × Oerlikon KCB-B 4 SAM	30 × 170 mm Air burst programmable munitions —	—	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Lvkv 9040 Luftvärnskanonvagn 9040	BAE Systems Bofors	File:Swedish CV9040 AAV - Anti-Air Vehicle (cropped).JPG	Template:Flag	CV90	1 × 40 mm Bofors L/70B autocanon	40 × 365 mm	30	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Flakpanzer Gepard	Oerlikon Contraves Krauss-Maffei	File:Romanian Army FlakPz Gepard SPAAG at Radom-2023.jpg	Template:FlagTemplate:Flag	Leopard 1	2 × Oerlikon KDA	Template:Ill HEI ammunition	570 <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Flakpanzer Gepard 1A2		File:Gepard 1a2 overview noBG.jpg			2 × Template:Ill	35 x 228 mm Airburst programmable rounds AHEAD
Skyranger 30	Rheinmetall Air Defence (Oerlikon)	File:Boxer Skyranger 30 ILA-2022.jpg	Template:FlagTemplate:Flag	Boxer A3 / tracked KF-41 Lynx Pandur 6×6 EVO Piranha IV and V PMMC G5	Oerlikon KCE Option for short-range IR missiles (FIM-92 Stinger or Mistral)	30 × 173 mm Air burst programmable rounds AHEAD —	93 ordered (48 more planned, 9 in option) <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":02">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="edr3march21">Rheinmetall Air Defence unveils its Skyranger 30 (upgraded). European Defence Review. 3 March 2021.</ref><ref name="edr1july22">Countering RAM, drones and other flying objects with highly mobile assets, Rheinmetall’s solutions. European Defence Review. 1 July 2022.</ref>
Skyranger 35	Rheinmetall Air Defence (Oerlikon)	File:Boxer fitted with the Oerlikon Skyranger air defence system.jpg	Template:FlagTemplate:Flag	Boxer A3 / tracked KF-41 Lynx Leopard 2 Piranha IV and V	1 × Template:Ill	35 x 228 mm Air burst programmable rounds AHEAD	—	Turret based on Skyshield / MANTIS<ref name=":2" />
GÜRZ	Aselsan	—	Template:Flag	Seyit 8×8 (Anadolu Savunma)	1 × KDC-02 4 × Bozdoğan IR missile	Template:Ill ATOM airburst —	—	Comparable to Pantsir, in development<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
KORKUT	Aselsan	File:2022-04-27 Gokdeniz 001.jpg (Turret adapted to land platform)	Template:Flag	ACV-30 (FNSS) Arma 8×8 (Otokar)	2 × KDC-02	Template:Ill ATOM airburst	13	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Marksman	Marconi Electronic Systems	File:Marksman SPAAG.jpg	Template:Flag	T-55AM Leopard 2A4	2 × Oerlikon KDA	Template:Ill HEI ammunition	7	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="PSPR2015">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• 4M (artillery)
• Assault gun
• Flakpanzer, a collective term for German anti-aircraft tanks, particularly those used in World War II.
• List of anti-aircraft guns
• Man-portable air-defense system
• Self-propelled artillery
• Tank destroyer

Footnotes

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