View source for ZSU-57-2

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{multiple issues|
{{Self-published|date=July 2009}}
{{Disputed|date=June 2023}}
}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name=ZSU-57-2 (Ob'yekt 500)
| image=ZSU-57-2 Hun 2010 02.jpg
| image_size=300
| caption=
| origin=[[Soviet Union]]
| type=[[Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun]]
| is_vehicle=yes
| designer=Design Bureaus of [[Omsk]] Works No. 174 and Research Institute No. 58 in [[Korolyov (city)|Kaliningrad, Moscow Oblast]]
| service=1955–early 1970s ([[USSR]]) <br /> 1957–present (other countries)
| used_by=See [[ZSU-57-2#Operators|Operators]]
| wars=See [[ZSU-57-2#Service history|Service history]] and [[ZSU-57-2#Combat history|Combat history]]
| design_date=1947–1954<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm">[http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm ЗЕНИТНАЯ САМОХОДНАЯ УСТАНОВКА ЗСУ-57-2 (Self-motovated always hot and ready to fire hot load Anti-aircraft Gun ZSU-57-2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526184820/http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm |date=26 May 2008 }}. Pvo.guns.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>
| production_date=1948–1955 (prototypes) <br /> 1957–1960 (serial production)<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /><ref name="http://egvqe-6.info/index-19.html">[http://egvqe-6.info/index-19.html 57-мм спаренная автоматическая пушка С-68 (57&nbsp;mm Twin Autocannon S-68)]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref>
| number=More than 2,023 (USSR)<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA">{{cite web |url=http://www.rzeszow.mm.pl/~jowitek/ZSU-57-2.html |title=57 mm samobieżna armata przeciwlotnicza ZSU-57-2 |date=1 April 2001 |access-date=29 August 2008 |author=Witold Mikiciuk "Jowitek" |publisher=MULTIMEDIA POLSKA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205123414/http://www.rzeszow.mm.pl/~jowitek/ZSU-57-2.html |archive-date=5 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="SIPRI">[http://armstrade.sipri.org/arms_trade/trade_register.php SIPRI Arms Transfers Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805014045/http://armstrade.sipri.org/arms_trade/trade_register.php |date=5 August 2009 }}. Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> <br /> 250 (North Korea, old turrets on new hulls)<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="SIPRI" /> <br /> ? (PRC, Type 80)<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Sino Defense" />
| manufacturer=[[Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant]]
| length=8.46 m with gun in forward position (6.22 m hull only)<ref name="http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm">[http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm Зенитная самоходная установка ЗСУ-57-2 (Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Gun ZSU-57-2)] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130416195430/http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm |date=16 April 2013 }}. Tankman.fatal.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref><ref name="Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide">[http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/tank/T-62.html "Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091014020738/http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/tank/T-62.html |date=14 October 2009 }}. Inetres.com (14 August 2006). Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref><ref name="fas.org">[http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/zsu-57-2.htm fas.org] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014075119/http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/zsu-57-2.htm |date=14 October 2008 }}. fas.org. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>
| width=3.27 m<ref name="http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm" /><ref name="fas.org" />
| height=2.71 m<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />  <br />2.75 m (with a tarpaulin top)<ref name="http://egvqe-6.info/index-19.html" /><ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="fas.org" />
| weight=28.1 tonnes<ref name="Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide" /><ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070219002703/http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm ЗЕНИТНАЯ САМОХОДНАЯ УСТАНОВКА ЗСУ-57-2 (Self-propelled Anti-aircraft Gun ZSU-57-2)]</ref>
| suspension=[[Torsion beam suspension|individual torsion bar]] with hydraulic [[shock absorber]]s on the first and last road wheels
| clearance=425 mm<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" />
| fuel_capacity=830 L (including two externally mounted fuel tanks, 95 L each)<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" />
| speed=50 km/h (31 mph) (road)<ref name="Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide" /><ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /> <br />30 km/h (off-road)<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />
| vehicle_range=420 km (261 miles) (road)<ref name="http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm" /><ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" />  <br />320 km (199 miles) (off-road)<ref name="http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" />
| primary_armament=2 × 57&nbsp;mm L/76.6 [[57 mm AZP S-60|S-60]] anti-aircraft [[autocannon]]s (57&nbsp;mm S-68A variant) (300 rounds)<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" />
| armour=8–15 mm
| engine=V-54, [[4-stroke engine|4-stroke]], airless ([[Mechanical fuel injection|mechanical]])-injection, [[Water cooling|water-cooled]] 38.88 liter [[V12 engine|V12]] [[diesel engine|diesel]]
| engine_power=520 hp (388 kW) at 2,000 rpm<ref name="Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide" />
| pw_ratio=18.5 hp/tonne (13.81&nbsp;kW/tonne)
| crew=6 (commander, driver, gunner, sight adjuster, and two loaders)
}}
The '''ZSU-57-2 Ob'yekt 500''' is a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[self-propelled anti-aircraft gun]] (SPAAG), armed with two 57&nbsp;mm [[autocannon]]s. 'ZSU' stands for ''[[Zenitnaya Samokhodnaya Ustanovka]]'' ({{langx|ru|Зенитная Самоходная Установка}}), meaning "anti-aircraft self-propelled mount", '57' stands for the [[Caliber|bore]] of the armament in millimetres and '2' stands for the number of [[gun barrel]]s. It was the first Soviet mass-produced [[Continuous track|tracked]] SPAAG after World War II. In the USSR, it had the unofficial nickname '''Sparka''' ({{langx|ru|link=no|Спарка}}),  meaning "twin mount," referring to the twin [[autocannon]] with which the vehicle is armed.<ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" />

== Development history ==
=== Origins ===
During World War II, [[Attack aircraft|ground-attack aircraft]] emerged as a significant threat to mechanized units on the move. Conventional towed [[Anti-aircraft warfare|anti-aircraft artillery]] (AAA), as well as vehicle Mounted smaller machine guns like the ones found on the '''[[ZIS-151|ZiS-12]]''' were an inadequate response under such conditions owing to the time needed to bring anti-aircraft [[machine gun]]s into action. This experience made it clear that an anti-aircraft tracked vehicle, armed with small-bore [[autocannon]]s or [[heavy machine gun]]s, was needed. Vehicles such as the German [[Wirbelwind]] and [[M45 Quadmount|specialized variants]] of the US [[M3 Half-track]] had been used to good effect in the final battles of World War II, both by the US and nations which had received the M3 through [[Lend-Lease]].

In 1942, Soviet engineers developed the T-60-3. The vehicle, based on the [[T-60 tank|T-60]] [[light tank]] chassis, was armed with two 12.7&nbsp;mm [[DShK]] heavy machine guns; but the prototype did not go into production because of flaws in the design.<ref>[http://blefru.narod.ru/tank/tzen/zenittank.htm Зенитные танки СССР (Anti-Aircraft Tanks of USSR)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925221114/http://blefru.narod.ru/tank/tzen/zenittank.htm |date=25 September 2008 }}. Blefru.narod.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.battlefield.ru/content/view/98/33/lang,en/ |title=The Russian Battlefield |access-date=2008-09-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605053046/http://www.battlefield.ru/content/view/98/33/lang,en/ |archive-date=5 June 2008}}</ref> The SU-72 SPAAG and several other experimental vehicles based on the T-60 or [[T-70]] light tank chassis and armed with 37&nbsp;mm autocannon were also tested in 1942–1943. The [[ZSU-37]] was based on the chassis of the [[SU-76|SU-76M]] self-propelled gun (SPG) and armed with one 37&nbsp;mm 61K anti-aircraft autocannon in an open-top rotating armoured turret. The vehicle entered production in February 1945 and was in small-scale production until 1948.<ref>[http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/sau/ Советские самоходки в развитии и бою (Soviet Self-propelled Guns in Development and Action)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223033741/http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWII/sau/ |date=23 February 2009 }}. Armor.kiev.ua. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

After World War II it became clear that the firepower of a single 37&nbsp;mm AA gun was insufficient to destroy the high-speed, low-altitude targets, which airplanes started to become at the time. SPAAGs based on light tank chassis had poor maneuverability in difficult terrain, slow off-road speed and insufficient range in comparison with medium tanks and SPGs. Thus the ZSU-37s were retired from service by the end of the 1940s.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

=== ZSU-57-2 prototypes ===
For several years after World War II there were no new SPAAG models in the USSR except for the [[BTR-152|BTR-152A]] (which were armed with two or four [[14.5×114mm|14.5mm]] [[KPV heavy machine gun]]s, designated ZTPU-4) and the [[BTR-40|BTR-40A]] (ZTPU-2) wheeled SPAAGs.<ref>[http://armoured.vif2.ru/btr152.htm Бронетранспортер БТР-152 (BTR-152 Armoured Personnel Carrier)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014005453/http://armoured.vif2.ru/btr152.htm |date=14 October 2007 }}</ref> Two of the USSR's potential enemies – the United States and Great Britain, had high-quality air forces with substantial [[Attack aircraft|ground-attack]] experience. The need for a new tracked AA vehicle was apparent.

In February 1946, the Design Bureau of Works No. 174 in [[Omsk]] and the Research Institute No. 58 in [[Korolyov (city)|Kaliningrad, Moscow Oblast]] submitted a joint project for a SPAAG based on the [[T-34]] tank chassis, to be armed with four 37&nbsp;mm AA guns, to the Technical Council of the Ministry of Transport. However, the project did not proceed due to the desire to concentrate attention on the newest tank chassis available.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" />

The Design Bureau of Research Institute No. 58 (NII-58)<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> (formerly known as the Central Artillery Design Bureau, TsAKB), under the supervision of [[Vasiliy Grabin|V.G. Grabin]], began the development of a twin 57&nbsp;mm S-68 automatic anti-aircraft gun based on the [[AZP S-60|57mm S-60]] in the spring of 1947. The first S-68 prototype (with ESP-76 [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] drive), was ready in 1948. It was initially mounted on a S-79A four-wheel carriage; that system passed various tests but did not go into production.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" />

The final project of the ZSU-57-2 (Ob'yekt 500), armed with twin S-68s and based on a light-weight [[T-54/55|T-54]] tank chassis, was finished in 1948. The first prototype ZSU-57-2 was built in June 1950, the second in December 1950. After official tests, taking place between 27 January and 15 March 1951 in which the vehicle was driven for 1,500&nbsp;km (932 miles) and 2,000 rounds were fired from its guns, six more prototypes were built for service tests. These prototypes had some improvements included, such as an increased ammunition load (300 rounds), but development stopped again due to the absence of improved S-68A guns. Various updates continued in 1952 and 1953. The service tests, in which two vehicles participated, took place in December 1954. This was due to delays in the development of drives for the S-68 guns.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /> The ZSU-57-2 officially entered service in the Soviet Army on 14 February 1955. With the Warsaw Pact, all Russian allied countries were given a number of the ZSU-57-2.

== Description ==
=== Overview ===
Based on past experiences with SPAAG designs, Soviet engineers designed a vehicle that used a modified [[T-54/55|T-54]] chassis, with four twin road wheels per side instead of five, and much thinner armour in order to not overwork the inbuild V-54 4-stroke diesel V12 engine of the T-54. The vehicle was armed with twin 57&nbsp;mm S-68 autocannon in a new, large, rotating, open-topped turret. The ZSU-57-2 consists of three compartments: driver's in the front, fighting in the middle and engine-transmission at the rear. The hull is more spacious in comparison with the T-54 because of the thinner armour and has different locations for some equipment. The general layout, with transverse mounting of the engine, is the same.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles">{{cite book|author=Holyavskiy G.L.|title=Энциклопедия бронетехники. Гусеничные боевые машины (Encyclopedia of Armoured Vehicles. Tracked Fighting Vehicles)|publisher=Harvest|year=2001|isbn=985-13-0035-7}}</ref>

=== Driver's compartment ===
The driver's compartment is located on the left hand side of the front of the hull. The driver's seat is moved forward and to the left in comparison with its location in the T-54.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /> The compartment is equipped with a single-piece hatch cover opening to the left and two [[Periscope|periscopic]] vision devices. One of them can be replaced by the TVN-1 [[thermographic camera|infrared vision]] device which is operated together with the [[infrared lamp|infrared headlamp]] ([[Night vision|active night vision]]), which is mounted on the right track board. A fire-fighting equipment signal panel and a spare parts case are also located in the driver's compartment.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

=== Turret ===
The open-topped box-type welded turret has a [[Ball bearing|ball-bearing]] race ring 1850&nbsp;mm in diameter. The turret rear can be removed, which makes replacement of the guns easier.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> The turret can be covered in the travelling position by a [[tarpaulin]] which has 16 plexiglass windows.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

To aim the guns, base data such as the target's speed, direction and range must be entered into the [[Fire-control system|sighting system]] by the sight adjuster, who sits to the left of the guns at the rear of the turret. The target's speed and direction is determined by visual estimation, while range can also be estimated visually or with the [[Rangefinding telemeter|rangefinder]]. The upper front of the turret has two small ports with armoured covers meant for [[collimator]]s of the sight.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

To fire the guns, the [[Breechblock|breeches]] must first be opened. The left and right [[loader (equipment)|loaders]], located in the forward part of the turret on both sides of the main armament, load [[Clip (firearms)|clips]] into the [[Magazine (firearms)|magazines]] of their respective weapons. The loaders' travel seats should be stowed in clamps on the turret sides before opening fire. The gunner, seated on the left hand side in the middle of the turret, aims ("lays") the gun and opens fire using an electric trigger, which fires both barrels, or two-foot pedals, which can fire either barrel independently. If manual mechanical backup [[Gun laying|gunlaying]] is used instead of [[Electro-hydraulic system|electro-hydraulic]] drive, three crew members instead of two should work with the sight. The commander, who sits on the right hand side in the middle of the turret, lays the gun in azimuth, the gunner in elevation and the sight adjuster enters data into the sight. The loaders feed clips into the twin autocannon manually as needed, similar to the [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40mm]].<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

=== Armament ===
[[File:ZSU-57-2-latrun-3.jpg|thumb|right|Detailed view of the twin S-68 guns of a Syrian or Egyptian ZSU-57-2 SPAAG which was captured by the [[Israeli army]]. (Picture taken at the Yad la-Shiryon Museum, Israel, 3 May 2006).]]

The twin S-68s are [[Recoil operation|recoil-operated]] and weigh 4,500&nbsp;kg. Their construction was based on two [[57 mm AZP S-60|57 mm S-60 AA autocannons]]. The guns have a recoil of between 325 and 370&nbsp;mm. The individual weapons cannot be swapped from one side to the other as they are mirror images. Each [[air cooling|air-cooled]] gun barrel is 4365&nbsp;mm long (76.6 [[Caliber (artillery)|calibers]]) and is fitted with a [[muzzle brake]]. They can be elevated or depressed between −5° and +85° at a speed of between 0.3° and 20° per second, the turret can traverse 360° at a speed of between 0.2° and 36° per second. Drive is from a [[direct current]] electric motor and universal hydraulic speed gears (a manual mechanical drive is also provided in case of electrohydraulic failure; with the use of mechanical drive, elevation speed is 4.5° per second and the turret traverse speed is 4° per second).<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

The guns firing together are capable of firing up to 210–240 [[Fragmentation (weaponry)|fragmentation]] and [[Armor-piercing shot and shell|armour-piercing]] [[Tracer ammunition|tracer]] (AP-T) [[Shell (projectile)|shells]] per minute, with a [[Rate of fire|practical rate of fire]] of between 100 and 140 rounds per minute, which gives a fire time of 2–3 minutes before running out of ammo.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> [[Muzzle velocity]] is 1,000&nbsp;m/s. Each clip has 4 rounds, each of which weighs 6.6&nbsp;kg; the charge in each round consists of 1.2&nbsp;kg of 11/7 [[nitrocellulose]] powder, a projectile weighs 2.8&nbsp;kg. Maximum horizontal range is 12&nbsp;km / 7 miles (with an effective range against ground targets of up to 4&nbsp;km / 2.5 miles. Maximum vertical range is 8.8&nbsp;km / 28,871&nbsp;ft with a maximum effective vertical range of 4.5&nbsp;km / 14,750&nbsp;ft). Fragmentation rounds have a [[Self-destruct|safety-destructor]] which activates between 12 and 16 seconds after being fired to ensure the shells will not fall back to ground, so the maximum slant range of anti-aircraft fire is 6.5–7&nbsp;km / 4-4.3 miles.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> BR-281 armour-piercing rounds are able to penetrate 110&nbsp;mm armour at 500&nbsp;m or 70&nbsp;mm armour at 2,000&nbsp;m (at 90° impact angle).<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

The S-68 autocannon was the most powerful AA gun installed on SPAAGs at that time.<ref name="Native artillery">{{cite book|author=Shirokorad A.B.|title=Энциклопедия отечественной артиллерии (Encyclopedia of Native Artillery)|publisher=Harvest|year=2000|isbn=985-433-703-0}}</ref> According to the statistical data of the Air Defence Research Institute No. 2, a direct hit of a single 57&nbsp;mm shell could destroy a contemporary jet aircraft. In order to shoot down a jet bomber of the [[English Electric Canberra|Canberra]] type, an average of 1.7 hits were deemed necessary.<ref name="Native artillery" />

The vehicle carries 300 rounds,<ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" /> and the ammunition is stowed as follows: 176 rounds in clips inside the turret, 72 rounds in clips in the hull front, and 52 separate (unclipped) rounds in special compartments under the turret floor. Armour-piercing rounds in clips are placed in the rear part of the turret to the left and right of the guns. Empty shell cases and clips are removed via a [[conveyor belt]] through a special port in the turret rear into an external metal wire basket on the back of the turret.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

=== Armour protection ===
The ZSU-57-2's [[Vehicle armour|armour]] is [[welding|welded]] [[Rolling (metalworking)|rolled steel]]<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /> sufficient to protect the vehicle from [[7.62×51mm NATO|7.62mm]] armour-piercing bullets at 250 meters.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /><ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

Armour thickness is as follows:
* Hull front: (upper) – 13.5&nbsp;mm; (lower) – 15&nbsp;mm; at 60 degrees upper<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="North Vietnamese Armor" />
* Hull sides: (upper) – 15&nbsp;mm; (lower) – 13.5&nbsp;mm<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />
* Hull rear: 8 – 10.6&nbsp;mm at 45 degrees<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />
* Hull roof: 15&nbsp;mm<ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" />
* Hull bottom: 13.5&nbsp;mm<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" /><ref name="North Vietnamese Armor" />
* Turret sides: 13.5&nbsp;mm<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles">[http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/armored_vehicles/zsu-57-2 A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref>
* Gun mantlet: 15&nbsp;mm<ref name="North Vietnamese Armor">{{Cite web |url=http://vietnamresearch.com/armor/NVA_armor.html |title=North Vietnamese Armor |access-date=29 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416193843/http://vietnamresearch.com/armor/NVA_armor.html |archive-date=16 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Turret roof: open

=== Maneuverability ===
The ZSU-57-2 has a maximum road speed of 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour), which is reduced to around 30&nbsp;km/h off-road(19&nbsp;mph).<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide" /><ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /> The vehicle has better acceleration compared with the T-54 because of its better [[power-to-weight ratio]] (18.6&nbsp;hp per tonne). It has an operational range of 420&nbsp;km(261 miles) on roads and 320&nbsp;km(199 miles) across country.<ref name="http://tankman.fatal.ru/pvo/zsu_57_2.htm" /><ref name="fas.org" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /> The vehicle can cross 0.8 m high vertical obstacles, 2.7 m wide [[Trench warfare|trenches]], [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] 1.4 m deep water obstacles and climb 30° gradients.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

The ZSU-57-2 uses the same engine as the T-54. It is a [[Water cooling|water-cooled]] '''V-54''' [[Four-stroke engine|4-stroke]] [[Diesel engine|diesel]] [[V12 engine|V12]] engine with a [[Engine displacement|displacement]] of 38.88 litres, which develops 520&nbsp;[[Horsepower|hp]] (388&nbsp;kW) at 2,000 rpm. The engine itself weighs 895&nbsp;kg. Fuel capacity is 830 litres carried in three fuel tanks inside the hull (640 L total) and two external fuel tanks on the right fender each of 95 L; fuel capacity was increased in comparison with the T-54. External rear-mounted supplemental fuel tanks can increase the road range to 595&nbsp;km (370 miles).<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

The [[Transmission (mechanics)|mechanical transmission]] in the rear part of the hull consists of a change gear quadrant, a primary [[clutch|multiplate clutch]] unit with metallic friction pads, a manual gearbox with five forward gears, two multiplate planetary steering clutches with band brakes and two in-line [[Gear train|final drive]] groups.

The chassis has four twin rubber-tyred road wheels with individual [[torsion bar suspension]], a rear [[Sprocket|drive sprocket]] with detachable sprocket rings (lantern-wheel gear) and an [[Idler-wheel|idler wheel]] on each side. The first and last road wheels each have a hydraulic rotary [[shock absorber]]. The track is 12.33 m long, 580&nbsp;mm wide and has 90 links; despite having four road wheels instead of five the ground contact area of the track is the same as the T-54 (3.84 m). Track center distance is 2.64 m<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /> The vehicle has a [[ground pressure]] of 0.63&nbsp;kg/cm<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

=== Other equipment ===
The ZSU-57-2's electrical power unit partially differs from the T-54, in that it consists of a more powerful G-74 [[direct current]] [[Electric generator|generator]] which develops 3&nbsp;kW (108 A at 27–29 V) at 2100 rpm and six 24 volt 6-STEN-140M or 6-MST-140 accumulator [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]] (total battery capacity is 420 A-h), the batteries are used for starting the engine and an electrical power supply when the generator is shut down.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

The ZSU-57-2 is equipped with an automatic anti-aircraft sight of the plotter type with two collimators which can supervise a target with a speed of up to 350&nbsp;m/s, a dive angle of between 0° and 90° and a slant range of up to 5,500&nbsp;m; a simple mechanical sight is provided in case of failure. There is also an optical sight for [[direct fire]] at ground targets.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

The 10RT-26E portable radio [[transceiver]] is located on the right hand side of the turret interior. It has a range of 9–20&nbsp;km(5–12 miles) when the vehicle is stationary, and from 7–15&nbsp;km(4–9 miles) when the vehicle is on the move. It was later replaced by R-113 or R-113 radio transceivers. The TPU-4-47 [[intercom]] system was later replaced by R-120 or R-124 intercom systems.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

Small arms for the crew members include two [[AK-47]] assault rifles and a 26&nbsp;mm [[Flare gun|signalling pistol]].<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

=== Weaknesses ===
The main weakness of the ZSU-57-2 was the lack of a [[Radar configurations and types|search]] or [[fire-control radar]]; the vehicle was equipped with an optical [[Analog computer|mechanical computing]] (analog) [[Reflector sight|reflex sight]] as the sole [[Fire-control system|fire control system]], so it could engage visible targets only. Night firing was also impractical. Also, the manual gunlaying and manual clip loading was not good enough, the rate of fire is not high enough, particularly considering that air-cooled barrels require quite long pauses for cooling at high rates of fire and the turret traverse is not fast enough to effectively intercept high-speed attack jet aircraft at low altitudes. The vehicle cannot perform aimed fire on the move.<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

<!-- : [[File:ZSU-57-2 front, top and side elevations.jpg|right|250px|ZSU-57-2 front, top and side elevations]]  -->Although the ZSU-57-2 had the highest firepower among production SPAAGs of its time,<ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> the anti-aircraft fire efficiency of a battery of four vehicles was even lower than that of a battery of six towed 57&nbsp;mm S-60 anti-aircraft guns controlled by the PUAZO-6 anti-aircraft artillery director with the SON-9 fire control radar or later by the RPK-1 ''Vaza'' radar.<ref name="http://armoured.vif2.ru/zsu-57-2.htm" /><ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> It became obvious that the hit probability on a jet aircraft of the era was very low using only determination of target speed by aircraft type and determination of distance to the target by eye or by rangefinder; the ZSU-57-2 was designed to defend tank units against [[NATO]] attack aircraft flying at subsonic speeds, but it entered service ten years too late. Aircraft technology had improved to the point that a SPAAG required a much higher rate of fire, turret traverse speeds of 50–100° per second and a fully automatic radar-controlled fire control system. Works No. 174 started a modernization programme for the ZSU-57-2 in parallel with the beginning of its serial production in 1957, but this programme was rejected due to the development of new radar-guided SPAAGs armed with small-bore autocannons and another tracked chassis.

The ZSU-57-2 still retained some of the features of its predecessor, the ZSU-37. One of them was the lack of an armoured roof on the turret. The advantages of an open turret for SPAAGs, such as very high elevation angle for AA autocannons, excellent visibility of the combat situation by the gunners and no need for induced ventilation of the fighting compartment during intense fire were significantly over-shadowed by the disadvantages. The open turret of the ZSU-57-2 made it vulnerable from above, and prevented operations under [[Weapon of mass destruction|NBC]] conditions.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> This flaw was partially nullified in the modified [[Army of Republika Srpska|Bosnian Serb]] ZSU-57-2s, which had improvised overhead armour protection.

Nevertheless, its Western counterparts that were operationally available in the 1950s, such as the US [[M19 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage]] (based on the [[M24 Chaffee]] light tank) and the [[M42 Duster]] SPAAGs (both armed with the famous [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors M2A1 twin AA gun]]), had similar problems and were armed with less powerful weapons. The M42 Duster was tested with a T50 radar system in 1956 though it was a failure (production of the ZSU-57-2 had not started at this point).<ref name="Tracked vehicles" /><ref>[http://informacia.ru/russia/zsu.htm Зенитные самоходные пушки СССР (SPAAGs of USSR)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615144011/http://informacia.ru/russia/zsu.htm |date=15 June 2008 }}</ref>

The Soviet Union would launch a program to replace the ZSU-57. The [[ZSU-37-2]] and [[ZSU-23-4 Shilka|-23-4]] were the products of the attempt, and the ZSU-23-4 ''Shilka'' would see widespread service in various countries.

== Production history ==
Although the vehicle entered service in 1955 and in the same year the No. 174 Works located in [[Omsk]] began producing the hulls and turrets, the first vehicles were completed in 1957<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> after the first 249 57&nbsp;mm twin S-68 guns were produced by the Artillery Works No. 946 located in [[Krasnoyarsk]]. A total of 5,300 of these weapons were produced by the end of the 1950s.<ref name="Native artillery" /> The hulls and turrets were produced by No. 174 Works where the final assembly also took place while the Krasnoyarsk Works, belonging to the Ministry of Heavy Engineering, participated in some production stages. The ZSU-57-2 remained in production until 1960 when the No. 174 Works stopped producing the hulls and turrets for ZSU-57-2.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170728202516/http://www.militaryparitet.com/nomen/russia/arty/sarty/data/ic_nomenrussiaartysarty/14/ Зенитные Самоходные Установки (Spaags)]}}. Militaryparitet.com. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> More than 2,023 ZSU-57-2''s'' were produced in Soviet Union.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="SIPRI" />

250 ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs based on the Chinese [[Type 59 tank|Type 59]] (a copy of the Soviet T-54A) tank chassis were produced under license in [[North Korea]]. The turrets were bought from the USSR and delivered between 1968 and 1977. Since the production of the ZSU-57-2 turrets ended in 1960 the turrets that North Korea bought must have come from decommissioned Soviet ZSU-57-2''s''. The turrets were ordered in 1967.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="SIPRI" />

== Service history ==
=== Former USSR ===
The ZSU-57-2 officially entered service with the Soviet Army in 1955. The first vehicles began replacing [[BTR-40]]A's and [[BTR-152]]A's in the anti-aircraft batteries of tank regiments in 1957. It was first shown publicly during the military parade in [[Moscow]] on 7 November 1958.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

Initially, tank regiments had a single [[Artillery battery|battery]] equipped with four SPAAGs, later increased to two batteries, each equipped with four SPAAGs.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" /> The vehicle was also used by some [[motorized infantry|motor rifle regiments]] (which in the 1960s had one battery equipped with four SPAAGs or, more likely, with six 23&nbsp;mm [[ZU-23-2|ZU-23]] towed twin AA guns). The anti-aircraft performance of the ZSU-57-2, however, was quickly found to be unsatisfactory and, because of rapid air force development, the vehicle was deemed obsolete by the early 1960s.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

ZSU-57-2s were gradually replaced by radar-guided [[ZSU-23-4 Shilka]]s from the beginning of 1965.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> Towards the end of the 1960s, a frequent configuration was one battery of an AA battalion in a tank regiment equipped with ZSU-23-4s and another battery equipped with ZSU-57-2s. Unpopular in the Soviet Army, the ZSU-57-2 was completely replaced by ZSU-23-4s by the early 1970s.<ref name="Tracked vehicles" />

Most ZSU-57-2s were put into reserve storage while a few remained in service in tank training centres (as vehicles for driver training), until the end of the 1970s. Some were converted by army workshops into bulldozers. The last ZSU-57-2s were scrapped in the 1980s, while some dismantled vehicles were used as gunnery range targets.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />{{dubious|reason=The IISS Military Balance editions of 1989 and 1991 still lists the ZSU-57-2 in Soviet inventory, also the IISS Military Balance 2004 lists them in Russia's inventory|date=June 2023}} One is preserved in the [[Kubinka Tank Museum]].<ref>[http://www.museum-tank.ru/IIIwar/tables3/zsu57.html Зенитная самоходная установка ЗСУ-57-2, музей БТТ Кубинка) (ZSU-57-2 SPAAG, Kubinka Tank Museum)]{{dead link|date=September 2011}}</ref><ref>[http://serkoff.narod.ru/photoalbum148.html ЗСУ-57-2 (ZSU-57-2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629073756/http://serkoff.narod.ru/photoalbum148.html |date=29 June 2009 }}. Serkoff.narod.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

=== Foreign service ===
ZSU-57-2s were exported like other Soviet equipment. Five other [[Warsaw Pact]] members—Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania—used it, as well as Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Syria. North Vietnam and North Korea may have received theirs without payment.

==== East Germany ====
The first foreign operator of the ZSU-57-2 was [[East Germany]] as it received its first vehicles in September 1957. From 1957 to 1961 the [[National People's Army]] received 129 vehicles,<ref name="SIPRI" /> eventually replacing them with ZSU-23-4s between 1967 and 1974. The ZSU-57-2 was completely gone from East German service by 1979. Some of the vehicles were converted into FAB 500U training vehicles for T-54 drivers and were passed on to the unified German state.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

[[File:Polish ZSU-57-2.jpg|thumb|right|Polish ZSU-57-2 on a street.]]

==== Poland ====
Poland received its 129 ZSU-57-2s between 1957 and 1961.<ref name="SIPRI" /><ref name="NTW">Nowa Technika Wojskowa, 2006, No.4, pp.64–71</ref> They were also offered a production license for twin S-68 AA autocannons, but declined it.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> Eventually, Poland replaced all its ZSU-57-2s with ZSU-23-4s. Seven Polish ZSU-57-2s are preserved, one at the Lubuskie Military Museum in Drzonów, one in Wicko Morskie, the largest anti-aircraft artillery firing range in Poland, one at the Land Forces Museum in Warsaw, one at the History and Tradition of Suvalkai Soldiers Museum in [[Suwalszczyzna]], one in [[Koszalin]] and two at the [[Polish Army Museum]] in [[Warsaw]].<ref name="Poland AFVs.pdf">[http://the.shadock.free.fr/Poland_AFVs.pdf Poland AFVs.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219062500/http://the.shadock.free.fr/Poland_AFVs.pdf |date=19 February 2009 }}. (PDF) . Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

==== Other Warsaw Pact countries ====
Three other Warsaw Pact members, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, received ZSU-57-2s once the ZSU-23-4 was introduced in the Soviet Army. Czechoslovakia imported one ZSU-57-2 for testing but it was rejected when it was realised that the domestically produced [[M53/59 Praga]] was comparable to the ZSU-57-2.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

==== Former Yugoslavia ====
The [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] ordered 100 ZSU-57-2s in 1963. Deliveries were completed between 1963 and 1964.<ref name="Trade Register 1950 to 2007">[http://www.mycity-military.com/Uploads/2705_5481073_Trade-Register-1950-2007.rtf Trade Register 1950 to 2007] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714142147/http://www.mycity-military.com/Uploads/2705_5481073_Trade-Register-1950-2007.rtf |date=14 July 2011 }}. None. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> They were passed on to the successor states during the 1992 breakup of the federal state. They were then used by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. There were 54 of those vehicles in service as of 1999, but this number decreased to 36 in the subsequent decade; they were withdrawn from active service by 2003.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} A number of ZSU-57-2 remained in Serbia national inventories until 2008.<ref name="IISS2008" />{{rp|183}} Two vehicles captured by Croatian forces during the [[Croatian War of Independence]] and were later also scrapped.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

==== Slovenia ====
The air defence battery of the 44th "Wolves" armoured-mechanized battalion stationed in Pivka, belonging to the 4th Regional Command Postojna operated ZSU-57-2''s''. All vehicles were retired from service in late 90''s''.<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/slovenia/battalion/44/ 44. Armored-mechanized Battalion "Wolfs"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221192128/http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/slovenia/battalion/44/ |date=21 December 2008 }}. Vojska.net. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

==== Finland ====
[[File:Parola Tank Museum 078 - ZSU 57-2 (37853491974).jpg|thumb|right|[[Finnish Army]] ItPsv SU-57-2 in [[Parola Tank Museum]].]]
Finland imported 12 ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs between 1960 and 1961<ref name="panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF">[http://yhdistykset-akaa.fi/reservilaiset/panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.pdf panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720194538/http://yhdistykset-akaa.fi/reservilaiset/panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.pdf |date=20 July 2011 }}. (PDF) . Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> alongside other kinds of Soviet equipment.<ref name="SIPRI" /> The ZSU-57-2''s'' were designated 57 ItPsv SU 57-2, some of them remained in service to the end of the century. A ZSU-57-2M modernization programme was being developed in Finland which would equip the vehicle with radar and configurable ammunition. However, after the prototype was produced the project was abandoned because of high costs.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> ItPsv SU-57''s'' were withdrawn from service in 2006.<ref name="panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF" />

==== People's Republic of China ====
The People's Republic of China was approached by Iraq in the early 1980s to develop a copy of the ZSU-57-2 system and a few examples were delivered to the PRC for reverse-engineering.<ref name="Sino Defense">[http://www.sinodefence.com/army/antiaircraft/type80.asp Sino Defense] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605175415/http://www.sinodefence.com/army/antiaircraft/type80.asp |date=5 June 2008 }}. Sinodefence.com (28 March 2008). Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref><ref name="fas.org" /> To meet Iraq's production order, [[Norinco|NORINCO]] attempted to manufacture a copy with the improved amphibious chassis of the [[Type 69 tank|Type 69]]-II tank. Several Type 80 SPAAGs were tested and accepted into service by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in small numbers.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> It was originally intended for the export market but didn't sell well. Greater success was achieved by Chinese-made [[Proximity fuze|proximity fuses]] which could be used to modernize the S-60 and S-68 ammunition.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Sino Defense" /><ref name="fas.org" />

==== Middle East ====
[[File:ZSU-57-2-latrun-1.jpg|thumb|right|A Syrian or Egyptian ZSU-57-2 captured by the [[Israeli Army]] at the Yad la-Shiryon Museum in Latrun in 2005.]]
Iraq ordered 100 ZSU-57-2''s'' in 1970 from Soviet Union, which were delivered between 1971 and 1973.<ref name="SIPRI" /> The [[New Iraqi Army]] does not use these vehicles.

Iran ordered 100 ZSU-57-2''s'' in 1966 from Soviet Union and they were delivered between 1967 and 1968.<ref name="SIPRI" /><ref name=StateDept1972>{{cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1969-76ve04/d181  |title=RECENT TRENDS IN IRANIAN ARMS PROCUREMENT - Department of State |date=May 1972  |via=Office of the Historian |series=Foreign Relations of the U.S., 1969–1976, Volume E–4, Documents on Iran and Iraq, 1969–1972 }}</ref> Around 90 remained in service until 2002.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

Egypt ordered 100 ZSU-57-2''s'' in 1960 from Soviet Union and they were delivered between 1961 and 1962.<ref name="SIPRI" /> ZSU-57-2s were not very successful during either the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967 or the [[Yom Kippur War]] in 1973.<ref name="Zaloga-Meadeast">[http://www.waronline.org/IDF/Articles/armament/army/afv/zaloga-meadeast-afv Бронетехника на Ближнем Востоке (Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Middle East)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229221112/http://www.waronline.org/IDF/Articles/armament/army/afv/zaloga-meadeast-afv/ |date=29 December 2008 }}. Waronline.org (30 December 2007). Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> Despite that, the Egyptian Army operated 40 ZSU-57-2''s'' as of 2003<ref name="World Defence Almanac">World Defence Almanac</ref><ref name="Силы и средства ПВО вооруженных сил арабских государств (Air Defense Forces of Arab States)">[http://www.iimes.ru/rus/stat/2003/05-08-03.htm Силы и средства ПВО вооруженных сил арабских государств (Air Defense Forces of Arab States)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417011647/http://www.iimes.ru/rus/stat/2003/05-08-03.htm |date=17 April 2008 }}. Iimes.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> and equipped them with radars. Egypt also bought Chinese-made proximity fuzes for its S-60 and S-68 ammunition.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

The Israelis captured a number of ZSU-57-2s from the Egyptians or Syrians. One resides at the [[Yad La-Shiryon]] armor museum in [[Latrun]], [[West Bank]], another at the [[Israel Defense Forces History Museum]] in Tel Aviv, and the third (captured in 1973) at the [[Israeli Air Force Museum]] in Hatzerim.

==== Cuba ====
Cuba received 25 ZSU-57-2s alongside other heavy equipment from Soviet forces stationed on the island in 1962 during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="SIPRI" /> They remain in service.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

== Combat use ==
While primarily an anti-aircraft weapon the ZSU-57-2 was also used in the role of ground support vehicle.

=== Vietnam War ===
The ZSU-57-2 first saw major use in the [[Vietnam War]] by the [[People's Army of Vietnam]] (PAVN), in the beginning of the [[Easter Offensive]] in 1972. It also saw action during the [[Ho Chi Minh Campaign]] in 1975. Several batteries of ZSU-57-2s were used for the air defence of the 201st and 202nd tank regiments during the Easter Offensive.<ref name="AFVs in Vietnam, 1">[http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/publ_w4/045_vietnam_4.htm БРОНЕТЕХНИКА ВО ВЬЕТНАМЕ В ФОТОГРАФИЯХ (Photos of Armoured Fighting Vehicles in Vietnam)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425201631/http://otvaga2004.narod.ru/publ_w4/045_vietnam_4.htm |date=25 April 2009}}. Otvaga2004.narod.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref> ZSU-57-2s were used by the PAVN against US aircraft, but it proved to be more effective against ground targets.<ref name="AFVs in Vietnam, 1" /> South Vietnam also used captured ZSU-57-2s.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}} About 500 ZSU-57-2s survived the war. 200 are still in service.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

=== Middle East ===
[[File:Damaged Egyptian ZSU-57-2 and Other Armour During the Six Day War, 1967.jpg|thumb|right|Egyptian ZSU-57-2 and other armoured vehicles lost in the Six-Day War in 1967.]]
ZSU-57-2''s'' were used during several conflicts in the Middle East including the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, in both cases by Egypt and Syria.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> A battery of Egyptian ZSU-57-2''s'' together with T-34''s'' defended [[El-Arish]] airstrip. These were defeated by a company of Israeli [[M48 Patton]] MBTs belonging to the [[7th Armored Brigade (Israel)|7th Armored Brigade]] during an intense action on 6 June 1967.<ref name="Zaloga-Meadeast" /> ZSU-57-2s were not generally successful and a number fell into Israeli hands. In 1976, during its [[Syrian intervention in the Lebanese Civil War|intervention in Lebanon]], Syria used ZSU-57-2''s'' against the [[Lebanese National Movement|leftist militias]].<ref>{{cite book|first= Steven J. |last=Zaloga|title=Tank battles of the Mid-East Wars (2): The wars of 1973 to the present|publisher=Concord Publications|location= Hong Kong |year=2003|isbn=962-361-613-9|page=7}}</ref> During the [[1982 Lebanon War]], they unsuccessfully engaged Israeli air force aircraft over the [[Beqaa Valley]]. However, the vehicles fared better when used against land targets.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

During the [[Iran–Iraq War]], ZSU-57-2s were used by both Iraq and Iran. Iraq also used Chinese [[#The People's Republic of China|Type 80s]] during this conflict and the [[Gulf War|First Persian Gulf War]]. Iraqi ZSU-57-2s, which could receive information from the radar on [[ZSU-23-4]]s or [[9K31 Strela-1]] (SA-9 Gaskin)/[[9K35 Strela-10]] (SA-13 Gopher) surface-to-air missile systems were employed against Iranian [[AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1J SeaCobra]] attack helicopters.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}

When the [[Syrian Civil War]] started, only 10 (out of 250) ZSU-57-2 were in active duty in the Syrian Army. During the war this vehicle was rarely seen and not documented in use. However, there is at least one piece of footage (which has since been removed by YouTube) showing that this vehicle was used by the Syrian Army in the Spring of 2014, in the fights at Harasta, Rif Dimashq Governorate.<ref>ZSU-57-2 in use at the Battle of Harasta, Video(from 0:51): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKEIUYJoxNg&feature=player_detailpage#t=52 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307052058/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKEIUYJoxNg&feature=player_detailpage#t=52 |date=7 March 2016 }}</ref> Due to the circumstances of the war being primarily land based, the vehicle was likely used primarily in ground support roles.

=== Yugoslavia ===
ZSU-57-2s saw service during the [[Yugoslav Wars]], usually in light batteries used by Serbs and Montenegrins of the JNA for attacking ground targets. They were used during the [[Croatian War of Independence|war of independence]] when Croatian forces captured two ZSU-57-2s from the [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]]. They were also used in the air defence role in 1999 during the [[NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|NATO air raids against Yugoslavia]] when the Yugoslavs operated 54 of these vehicles.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

== Combat history ==
[[File:ZSU-57-2 (2).JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|Croatian ZSU-57-2 in [[Vukovar]] war museum]]
* 1959–75 [[Vietnam War]] (North Vietnam)
* 1967 [[Six-Day War]] (Egypt)
* 1973 [[Yom Kippur War]] (Egypt and Syria)
* 1975–2002 [[Angolan Civil War]]
* 1979 [[Sino-Vietnamese War]] (Vietnam)
* 1980–1988 [[Iran–Iraq War]] (Iran and Iraq)
* [[1982 Lebanon War]] (Syria)
* 1990–91 [[Gulf War|First Persian Gulf War]] (Iraq)
* 1991–2001 [[Yugoslav wars]]
** 1991 [[Ten-Day War]]
** 1991–95 [[Croatian War of Independence]]
** 1992–95 [[Bosnian War]]
** 1995–96 [[NATO bombing of Republika Srpska]]
** 1996–99 [[Kosovo War]]
*** 1999 [[NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]
* 2003&nbsp;– [[Iraq War|Second Persian Gulf War]]
** [[2003 invasion of Iraq|2003 Invasion of Iraq]]
* 2011 [[Syrian Civil War]]

== Variants ==
=== Former USSR ===
* '''ZSU-57-2''' prototype was based on a modified T-54 tank chassis equipped with experimental tracks. Unlike the production ZSU-57-2, the prototype weighted 26.172 tonnes, carried only 252 rounds: 172 rounds in clips inside the turret and 80 separate rounds in the nose part of the hull in a special ammunition stowage, had thinner armour (8–10&nbsp;mm) and antennae mounted at the rear of the turret upper right side instead of in the middle.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /> The first vehicle was built in June 1950, the second in December 1950.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
** '''ZSU-57-2''' improved prototype with an increased ammunition load of 300 rounds. Six were built between 1951 and 1953 for service tests.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" />
*** '''ZSU-57-2''' – SPAAG mass-produced between 1957 and 1960.
**** '''ZSU-57-2''' armed with modernised twin S-68A autocannon. Like the original ZSU-57-2, it officially entered service with the Soviet Army in 1955.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
**** '''ZSU-57-2''' converted into a bulldozer. After ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs were removed from AA units at the beginning of the 1970s, army workshops converted a number into bulldozers. The turret was replaced by a steel closed superstructure. The vehicle was equipped with the BTS-55 bulldozer blade.<ref>[http://fotoarmor.narod.ru/tanks.htm Несерийная войсковая переделка ЗСУ-57-2 (Nonserial army reequipment of ZSU-57-2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219162911/http://fotoarmor.narod.ru/tanks.htm |date=19 December 2008 }}. Fotoarmor.narod.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

=== People's Republic of China ===
* '''Type 80''' (WZ305) – Chinese SPAAG. It has the same turret as the ZSU-57-2, but it is armed with the Type 59 twin anti-aircraft autocannon (a copy of the Soviet S-68), mounted on the chassis of a Chinese [[Type 69/79|Type 69-II]] MBT. It is heavier than the ZSU-57-2 at 30 tonnes.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="Sino Defense" />

=== Cuba ===
* '''ZSU-57-2''' with hanging flap type fronts to its track guards. Used by Cuba.<ref name="JED The Military Equipment Directory">[http://www.jedsite.info/artillery-zulu/zulu/zsu-57-2_series/zsu572-series.html "JED The Military Equipment Directory"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626032919/http://www.jedsite.info/artillery-zulu/zulu/zsu-57-2_series/zsu572-series.html |date=26 June 2008 }}. Jedsite.info (28 August 2011). Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>

=== Egypt ===
* '''ZSU-57-2''' modernization equipped with a radar.

=== Finland ===
* '''ItPsv SU-57'''&nbsp;– Finnish designation for ZSU-57-2.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />
** '''ItPsv SU-57''' with a machine gun mounted on the front of the turret.<ref name="JED The Military Equipment Directory" />
** '''ZSU-57-2M'''&nbsp;– Finnish ZSU-57-2 modernization which equips the vehicle with radar and configurable ammunition. Only one prototype was produced and the project was abandoned because of high costs.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

[[File:Iranian Army Ground Forces New Equipment 2019 (32).jpg|thumb|right|The Iranian Bahman system in 2019.]]

[[File:ZSU-57-2 (Serb).JPG|thumb|right|A modified Bosnian Serb ZSU-57-2 at a cantonment area in Zvornik, Republika Srpska, on 28 February 1996 during [[Operation Joint Endeavor]]]]

=== East Germany ===
* '''FAB 500U''' ("FAB" stands for ''Fahrausbildungspanzer'') – ZSU-57-2 converted into a training vehicle for T-54 drivers.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

=== Iran ===
* '''Bahman''' – Iranian truck-based SPAAG. Uses a modified version of the ZSU-57-2 turret with side armor removed and with upgraded gun.

=== North Korea ===
* Variant designation unknown; '''ZSU-57-2''' turret mounted on the Chinese [[Type 59 tank|Type 59]] (a copy of the T-54A) tank chassis, visually resembling the Type 80 mentioned above. Produced and operated by North Korea.

=== Republika Srpska ===
* '''ZSU-57-2''' fitted with improvised overhead armour to protect the gun compartment from attacks from above, as well as rain and snow. It also has an ammunition crate fitted to the glacis plate which serves as additional passive armour. Used mainly as a self-propelled gun.

== Operators ==
[[File:ZSU-57-2 operators.png|thumb|400px|Map with ZSU-57-2 operators in blue with former operators in red]]

=== Current operators ===
* {{Flag|Cuba}} – Received 25 ZSU-57-2''s'' stationed on the island ordered in 1963 from Soviet Union (the vehicles were previously up to few years in Soviet service).<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="SIPRI" /> Unknown amount still in service as of 2023.<ref name="IISS2023" />{{rp|394}}
* {{Flag|Egypt}} – 100 ordered in 1960 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1961 and 1962.<ref name="SIPRI" /> 40 remain in service as of 2023.<ref name="IISS2023" />
* {{Flagicon image|InfoboxHez.PNG|size=23px}} [[Hezbollah]] – Some provided by the [[Syrian Army]] and employed in the ongoing [[Syrian Civil War]].<ref>Sex & Abi-Chahine, ''Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond'' (2021), p. 219.</ref>
* {{IRN}} – Received 100 former Soviet ZSU-57-2 between 1967 and 1968.<ref name="SIPRI" />  80 in service as of 2023.<ref name="IISS2023" />
* {{KUR}} - Captured from the former Iraqi Army.{{sfn|Military Balance 2016|p=491}}
* {{Flag|Mozambique}} - 20 ordered in 1982 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1983 and 1984 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" /> They all remain in service as of 2023.<ref name="IISS2023" />
* {{Flag|Syrian Arab Republic}} - 250 ordered in 1966 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1967 and 1973.<ref name="SIPRI" /> 10 in service as of 2011.<ref name="IISS2011">{{cite book |last1=Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The military balance, 2011 |date=4 March 2011 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=978-1-85743-606-8 |author1-link=Institute for Strategic Studies}}</ref>{{rp|147}} Unknown amount still in service as of 2023.<ref name="IISS2023">{{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2023 |date=15 February 2023 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-032-50895-5 |edition=1st |author1-link=Institute for Strategic Studies}}</ref>{{rp|355}}

=== Former operators ===
* {{ANG}} – 40 ordered in 1975 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1975 and 1976 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" /> Operated at least until 2008.<ref name="IISS2008" />{{rp|282}}
* {{BUL}} – 100 former Soviet vehicles received between 1965 and 1966.<ref name="SIPRI" /> Withdrawn from service.
* {{BIH}} – 6 ZSU-57-2 in 2011.<ref name="IISS2011" />{{rp|92}}
* {{CHN}} – Received a few from Iraq for reverse-engineering.<ref name="Sino Defense" /><ref name="fas.org" /> Operated Type 80 SPAAGs at least until 2011.<ref name="IISS2011" />{{rp|231}}
* {{Flag|Ethiopia|1975}} – 10 former Soviet vehicles delivered in 1978.<ref name="SIPRI" /> Unknown number in service prior to the end of the [[Ethiopian Civil War]] and [[Eritrean War of Independence]].<ref name="IISS1989">{{cite book |last1=Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The military balance, 1989-1990 |date=1989 |publisher=Brassey's |location=London |isbn=978-0-08-037569-4 |author1-link=Institute for Strategic Studies }}</ref>{{rp|127}} 
* {{FIN}} –<ref name="JED The Military Equipment Directory" /> 12<ref name="panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF" /> ordered from Soviet Union in 1960 and delivered between 1960 and 1961.<ref name="SIPRI" /><ref name="panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF" /> withdrawn from service in 2006.<ref name="panssarihistoriaseminaari2009.PDF" />
* {{GDR}} – 129 ordered in 1957 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1961.<ref name="SIPRI" /> Replaced by ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" SPAAGs between 1967 and 1974. It was completely removed from East German service in 1979. Some were converted into the FAB 500U driver training vehicle. They were passed on to the unified German state.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />
* {{GER}} – FAB 500U taken from [[Nationale Volksarmee|East Germany's Army]]. All were sold to other countries or scrapped.
* {{HUN}} -<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="JED The Military Equipment Directory" /> 24 1964–1970 Service, 1964 Vác City all 24 vehicles, and 1967-4 (6x4=24) vehicles in Tank Brigades (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" />
* {{flag|Iraq|1991}} – 100 ZSU-57-2''s'' ordered in 1970 from Soviet Union and they were delivered between 1971 and 1973 (the vehicles were previously up to few years in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" /> A few were given to the PRC for reverse-engineering. Iraq also operated a number of Chinese built Type 80''s''. All ZSU-57-2''s'' and Type 80''s'' were destroyed or scrapped prior to 2003.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" />
* {{DPRK}} – 250 ZSU-57-2 turrets ordered in 1967 and delivered between 1968 and 1977 (the turrets were previously mounted on Soviet ZSU-57-2''s''). They were fitted in North Korea onto Type 59 hulls.<ref name="SIPRI" /> Remained in service until 1991.<ref>{{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The military balance. 1991-1992. |date=1991 |publisher=Brassey's |location=London |isbn=978-0-08-041325-9 |page=168 |author1-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies}}</ref>
* {{POL}} – 129 ZSU-57-2''s'' ordered in 1957 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1957 and 1961.<ref name="SIPRI" /> Replaced by the [[ZSU-23-4]] "Sziłka".
* {{flag|Republika Srpska}} – 25 in 2002<ref>[http://www.almanacwhf.ru/?no=3&art=9 Состояние мусульманских ВС в Боснии (State of Islamic Military Forces in Bosnia)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823175956/http://www.almanacwhf.ru/?no=3&art=9 |date=23 August 2006 }}. Almanacwhf.ru. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.csees.net/?page=country_section&country_id=2&sec=8 The Centre for SouthEast European Studies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126185233/http://www.csees.net/?page=country_section&country_id=2&sec=8 |date=26 January 2009 }}. Csees.net. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>
* {{ROM}} –<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" /> 60 ordered in 1965 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1965 and 1966 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" /> Phased out in the 1990s and replaced with [[Flakpanzer Gepard|Gepard]] SPAAGs.
* {{RUS}} - According to the [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]], the ZSU-57-2 remained in Russian inventories as far as 2004.<ref name="IISS2004">{{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance 2004-2005 |date=11 November 2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-856622-9 |edition=104 |author1-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies }}</ref>{{rp|105}}
* {{SRB}} - Listed in the national inventory by the IISS until 2008.<ref name="IISS2008">{{cite book |last1=International Institute for Strategic Studies |title=The Military Balance. 2008 |date=5 February 2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-85743-461-3 |author1-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies }}</ref>{{rp|183}}
* {{SLO}} – Slovenia operated 12 ZSU-57-2 from 1991 until they were retired in early 2000s. Some were donated to museum's, but few may remain in storage. -<ref>[http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/slovenia/equipment/air-defense/ Air Defence Systems of the Slovenian Army] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130112043013/http://www.vojska.net/eng/armed-forces/slovenia/equipment/air-defense/ |date=12 January 2013 }}. Vojska.net. Retrieved on 14 September 2011.</ref>
* {{USSR}}<ref name="IISS1989" />{{rp|34}} – Replaced with the [[ZSU-23-4]] "Shilka" at the beginning of the 1970s; training units used the ZSU-57-2 at least until the end of the 1970s.
* {{flag|North Vietnam}} –<ref name="North Vietnamese Armor" /> 500 including 100 ordered in 1971 from Soviet Union and delivered between 1971 and 1972 (the vehicles were previously in Soviet service).<ref name="SIPRI" /> Passed on to the successor state.
* {{flag|South Vietnam}} – A number captured from the VPA.
* {{VIE}} – At peak there were 500 ZSU-57-2''s'' in service with the Vietnamese army.<ref name="http://pvo.guns.ru/book/uvz/index.htm" /><ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" /> Withdrawn from service.
* {{YUG}} – 100 delivered between 1963 and 1964.<ref name="A Brief Guide to Russian Armored Fighting Vehicles" /><ref name="Trade Register 1950 to 2007" />

=== Evaluation-only operators ===
* {{CZS}} – Imported one ZSU-57-2 for testing but did not adopt it.<ref name="MILITARIA JOWITKA" />

=== Captured operators ===
* {{Flag|Croatia}} - Captured several units during the [[Yugoslav wars]] and operated them during the rest of the wars.
* {{Flaglist|Israel}} – Captured a number of ZSU-57-2 SPAAGs from the Egyptians or the Syrians during the [[Six-Day War]] and operated them during the rest of the war.

== See also ==
* [[Wirbelwind]]
* [[ZSU-37]] – The predecessor of the ZSU-57-2
* [[ZSU-23-4]] ''Shilka'' – The successor of the ZSU-57-2
* [[M42 Duster]] – Comparable US SPAAG
* [[Type 63 anti-aircraft gun|Type 63]] – a Chinese SPAAG similar to ZSU-57-2.
* [[FNSS ACV-30#Korkut SPAAG|Korkut]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book
  | last = Koll
  | first = Christian
  | title = Soviet Cannon – A Comprehensive Study of Soviet Arms and Ammunition in Calibres 12.7mm to 57mm
  | publisher = Koll
  | year = 2009
  | location = Austria
  | url = http://www.russianammo.org/
  | isbn = 978-3-200-01445-9
  | page = 472
  | archive-date = 19 October 2009
  | access-date = 21 November 2009
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091019161335/http://www.russianammo.org/
  | url-status = dead
  }}
* Mike Guardia and Henry Morshead, ''Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns of the Soviet Union'', New Vanguard 222, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2015. {{ISBN|978-1-4728-0622-2}}
* {{cite book|last1=Sex |first1=Zachary |last2=Abi-Chahine |first2=Bassel |title=Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond |series=Modern Conflicts Profile Guide |volume=II |publisher=AK Interactive |date=2021 |id={{EAN|8435568306073}}}}
* {{cite book|title=The Military Balance 2016|date=February 2016|volume=116|isbn=978-1-85743-835-2 |publisher=Routledge |ref={{harvid|Military Balance 2016}}|author=International Institute for Strategic Studies|author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}

* [http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/irfna/irfna_refs/n28en143/airdef.html#zsu57 Gulflink.osd.mil] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010031136/http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/irfna/irfna_refs/n28en143/airdef.html#zsu57 |date=10 October 2017 }}
* [https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/row/zsu-57-2.htm fas.org]
* [http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/ada/ZSU-57-2.html Gary's Combat Vehicle Reference Guide]

{{PostWWIISovietAFVS}}
{{SovArtyColdWar}}{{Russian SAM systems}}{{T-54/T-55_navigation|style=wide}}

[[Category:Anti-aircraft guns of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Cold War artillery of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:57&nbsp;mm artillery]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1950s]]