The Russian military is forming mobile anti-aircraft gun units to protect ground troops from drone attacks. Each unit will include a truck-mounted ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft cannon as a cost-effective alternative to guided missiles/rockets-based short-range air defense systems, according to Russian-state backed Izvestia. Additionally, the units will be equipped with electronic warfare tools and smoke production vehicles to disable unmanned aerial systems.
The 23mm twin-barreled ZU-23-2, introduced in the 1960s, is designed to defend low-moving and stationary targets from aerial attacks with a rapid rate of fire of up to 2,000 rounds per minute. According to military expert Alexei Leonkov, the ZU-23-2 can be integrated into Shilka complexes with four twin 23-mm cannons functioning as a single unit to create a protective fire curtain. The cannon has a firing range of 2.5 kilometers (2 miles) which requires a drone-detection mechanism for effective operation.
