ZSU-37-2
| This page is about the Soviet SPAA ZSU-37-2. For the single-barrelled version, see ZSU-37. |
Contents
Description
The ZSU-37-2 Yenisei was a late 1950s Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. The development of the Yenisei started in April 1957 as it was obvious that the then new ZSU-57-2 was not a very capable SPAA, especially lacking accuracy and search-and-track radar. A modified SU-100P tank destroyer chassis was chosen as the basis of the vehicle. The Yenisei was codeveloped together with the ZSU-23-4 Shilka, although the Shilka's role was to protect mechanized infantry regiments from aircraft up to 1,500 m of altitude, while the Yenisei was tasked with protecting tank divisions and regiments and engaging targets up to 3,000 m of altitude. During trials, the Yenisei proved capable of firing on the move up to speeds of 25 km/h on even and flat terrain. The accuracy of the 37 mm 2A12 was also 2.5x higher than that of the ZSU-57-2. After the trials, the Yenisei was retasked with protecting 2K11 Krug and 2K12 Kub SAM systems from attacks inside the missile launcher dead zones. The Yenisei was recommended to be accepted into service, however on 5th September 1962, the Council of the Ministers only accepted the Shilka into service. All work on the Yenisei was stopped shortly after.
The Yenisei was introduced in Update "Hot Tracks". Over the Shilka, the Yenisei offers greater range against aerial targets and higher penetration values against ground targets at the cost of rate of fire. The Yenisei is also much more agile and faster than the Shilka, while also being on a chassis with a lower silhouette. The radar however is not very good, and due to the very narrow scan pattern (only 15 degrees vertical) has issues detecting higher flying targets, and aiming must be relatively precise when locking onto targets.
General info
Survivability and armour
Sharing the same hull of the SU-100P, the hull is protected enough for heavy machine gun fire but lacks protection against everything else. However, the turret is barely armoured for low calibre machine gun fire (with only 8.9 mm of thickness), it has little survivability against everything it will face and will be destroyed by overpressure with most CE ammunition (HE, ATGM, rockets, bombs, etc.).
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 9.4 mm (72°) | 9.4 mm Top 9.4 mm Bottom |
9.4 mm | 9.4 mm |
| Turret | 8.9 mm Turret front 8.9 mm Gun mantlet |
8.9 mm | 8.9 mm | 8.9 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick, tracks are 15 mm thick, and torsion bars are 22 mm thick.
Mobility
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 66 | 26 | 27.5 | 568 | 763 | 20.65 | 27.75 |
| Realistic | 61 | 24 | 354 | 400 | 12.87 | 14.55 | |
Since it is mounted on the SU-100P chassis, it has good mobility with a top speed of 70 km/h on a flat road capable of getting you into good firing positons early-on in the battle. It does benefit from regenerative steering, reducing the speed loss when turning but not as much as with neutral steering. The reverse speed is good enough to enable you to disengage easily and play peek-a-boo with the enemy.
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
This tank has access to a twin mount of Shipunov 2A11 37 mm autocannon, a very versatile weapon, considering its vertical guidance, traverse speed, and selection of ammo belts. It is similar to the one seen on the BMP-2. Due to being a twin mount, it has an RPM of 1,000. It is devastating against both aircraft and ground vehicles even with the standard AP round. It does not get access to APDS belts like on the 2A45 30 mm autocannon, but the AP belts are more than enough to disable and destroy modules from all angles, as well as destroy enemy tanks from the sides.
| 37 mm 2A11 (x2) | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 540 (270) | 500 | -1°/+85° | ±180° | Two-plane | 52.8 | 73.1 | 88.8 | 98.2 | 104.5 | 6.50 | 5.75 | 5.30 | 5.00 |
| Realistic | 35.7 | 42.0 | 51.0 | 56.4 | 60.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: AP-T · HEFI-T*
- UO-167: HEFI-T*
- BR-167: AP-T
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | ||||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| HEFI-T* | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | |
| AP-T | 86 | 83 | 69 | 55 | 44 | 35 | |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| HEFI-T* | 1,000 | 0.73 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 56.98 | 79° | 80° | 81° | ||||
| AP-T | 1,000 | 0.77 | - | - | - | 47° | 60° | 65° | ||||
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 (+2) | No |
Usage in battles
The ZSU-37-2 performs well as an AA vehicle, but it can do tank hunting work. Its 37 mm cannons can pierce all tank sides in its br. But it’s advised not to because of its poor armour; you are better off keeping the skies clear, something that this vehicle does very well. A relatively high rate of fire and quite fast turret traverse mean that you should be able to target and destroy even the most jets.
You have a large ammo count with this vehicle, meaning that you can afford to find a good spot away from the main fight in order to pick off enemy planes. Unless you need to reload your ammo, avoid capture points. They are usually the hub of most of the fighting, and going to them will put you in the firing line.
While it is fully enclosed, the ZSU-37-2 has armour which makes the M18 Hellcat look like a heavy tank. Even 7.62 mm machine guns stand a fair chance of penetrating this vehicle. This makes you a primary target for aircraft, which are usually armed with cannons or high-penetration machine guns and will easily take you out.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- High rate of fire allows for area saturation
- Relatively high top speed
- High ammo count
- Fast turret traverse
- Can penetrate most vehicles from the side
- Radar-assisted fire control
Cons:
- Thin armour: aircraft cannons will cause severe damage
- Radar has very low scan speed
- Can only carry one type of ammunition, so bringing the HEFI-T rounds will leave you vulnerable to ground units
History
The ZSU-37-2 was the long range counterpart of the ZSU-23-4, it entered development at the same time the ZSU-23-4 did and each one fullfilled different roles. It was developed by Uralmashzavod based on the SU-100P chassis designated Object 119. The ZSU-37-2 was meant to counter targets at 3 km. A single prototype vehicle was built and was tested on December 1960, both ZSU-23-4 and ZSU-37-2 were accepted for service. It never saw service as the ZSU-23-4 was preferred as an SPAA
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
| USSR anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| GAZ-AAA | GAZ-AAA (4M) · GAZ-AAA (DShK) |
| BTR-152 | BTR-152A · BTR-152D |
| Wheeled/Half-tracked | GAZ-MM (72-K) · ZiS-12 (94-KM) · ZiS-43 |
| Radar SPAAG | ZSU-23-4 · ZSU-37-2 |
| SAM | ZSU-23-4M4 · Strela-10M2 · 2S6 · Pantsir-S1 |
| Other | ZSU-23-4M2 · ZUT-37 · ZSU-37 · BTR-ZD · ZSU-57-2 |
| Czechoslovakia | M53/59 |
| North Vietnam | ▂Phòng không T-34 |
