ZSU-57-2 (Italy)

This page is about the SPAA ZSU-57-2 (Italy). For other versions, see ZSU-57-2 (Family).

◔ZSU-57-2

R3 T20 FA-HS

◔ZSU-23-4

◔ZSU-57-2

R3 T20 FA-HS

◔ZSU-23-4

Italy

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.0	7.0	7.0

Class:

SPAA

Research:82 000

Purchase:240 000

Show in game

Description

The ◔ZSU-57-2 is a rank V Hungarian SPAA with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB/RB/SB) in the Italian research tree. It was introduced in Update "Sons of Attila" as part of the Hungarian subtree of the Italian tech tree. After the introduction of the ZSU-57-4 in the Soviet Army, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania each acquired ZSU-57-2s as well, being members of the Warsaw Pact. This Self propelled Anti-Air vehicle would be built on a heavily-modified T-54 chassis, the ZSU-57-2 features two powerful 57 mm anti air cannons. This armament is easily able to make short work of both air and ground targets alike. They're very fast-firing and have access to some different munition options. For being based on the old T-54 tank, it does have good mobility, however its main drawback is its very light armour. This means that if a player chooses to play agressively, you won't have many chances to get away from an engagement once spotted. Its just too big for a player to conceal, as such if a player would like to play agressively try stick with allies when possibile. The ZSU-57-2 has proven to be more of a menace to ground vehicles than aircraft with its high-velocity cannons, but low sustained rate of fire and poor accuracy. Overall, keep in mind of your weaknesses when playing this vehicle because you usually won't be forgiven like more armoured armoured fighting vehicles.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull15 / 15 / 6

Turret15 / 13 / 13

Crew6 people

Visibility103 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	13.5 mm (61°) Front glacis 15 mm (53°) Lower glacis	15 mm	10 mm (17-49°) Top 6 mm (73°) Bottom	15 mm
Turret	15 mm (14-57°) Turret front 15 mm (25-64°) Gun mantlet	13.5 mm (9-61°)	13.5 mm (4-59°)	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 13.5 mm thick.
• A 6 mm RHA plate separates the engine compartment from the crew.
• Hatches and air intake are 6 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB55 / 9 km/h

RB and SB51 / 8 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight28.0 t

Engine power

AB992 hp

RB and SB520 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB35.4 hp/t

RB and SB18.6 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	55	9	28	739	992	26.39	35.43
Realistic	51	8		460	520	16.43	18.57

The ZSU-57-2's mobility is rather good. It is faster than most medium tanks, while weighing 28 tons and having a 520 hp engine at 2,000 RPM. Manoeuvrability is good at all speeds, as its a relatively light tank with a powerful engine. It bleeds a lot of speed while turning, but the turning is fast and responsive and does not have neutral steering. The maximum speed is limited by the transmission to 51 km/h forwards and -8 km/h in reverse for RB, and 55/-9 km/h for AB.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 791 → 4 879

RB3 593 → 4 624

SB5 434 → 6 993

Total cost of modifications68 700

117 600

Talisman cost1 900

Crew training68 000

Experts240 000

Aces990

Research Aces620 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 180 / 250 %

184 / 184 / 184 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 4 800 Cost: 7 800 210 Suspension Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 140 Brake System Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 140 Filters Research: 4 500 Cost: 7 300 195 Transmission Research: 7 700 Cost: 13 000 340 Engine Research: 7 700 Cost: 13 000 340	Improved Parts Research: 3 100 Cost: 7 800 210 Improved FPE Research: 2 100 Cost: 5 200 140 Crew Replenishment Research: 4 500 Cost: 7 300 195	Horizontal Drive Research: 4 800 Cost: 7 800 210 57mm_AP_ammo_pack Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 140 Adjustment of Fire Research: 3 200 Cost: 5 200 140 57mm_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 4 500 Cost: 7 300 195 Elevation Mechanism Research: 4 500 Cost: 7 300 195 Artillery Support Research: 7 700 Cost: 13 000 340

Armaments

Main armament

2 x 57 mm S-68 cannon

Ammunition296 rounds

Belt capacity4 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

2.6 → 2.0 s

Fire rate120 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 85°

Although this is an AA vehicle, its twin 57 mm cannons are still equally deadly against ground units. When stock, their accuracy isn't good so the shells fly all over the place as the distance increases, and the belt is made up of half AP, half HE, meaning it is not efficient when dealing with either planes or tanks. Therefore the best tactic for a fully stock ZSU-57-2 is to shoot the enemies' side up close or to target low-flying helicopters.

When the BR-281 belt (full APHE) is available, the player can go into full anti-tank mode as this shell packs quite a punch, and it can penetrate pretty much any tank's side armour (excluding the Maus, in which case take out its gun barrels) and some tanks' frontal armour. In a flank the ZSU-57-2 can finish off a group of opponents at an unbelievable speed. Two shells will slice through their side armour and explode, so theoretically one clip is enough to wipe out four tanks in a row (aiming at the crew compartment only, of course). A few seconds later, another clip will be loaded, ready to hunt more prey. Be aware that each clip only contains 8 rounds (4 for each of the two cannons), so do not waste your shots.

This shell also performs alright in the AA role, since its calibre is quite large for planes, and a direct hit usually critically damages the plane, if not killing it instantly. However, unlike its Chinese brother, WZ305, the ZSU-57-2 does not have access to any VT shells so it is always beneficial to lead with extra care and only open fire if the plane is close enough.

57 mm S-68 (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	296 (4)	120	-5°/+85°	±180°	N/A	52.8	73.1	88.8	98.2	104.5	2.60	2.30	2.12	2.00
Realistic						35.7	42.0	51.0	56.4	60.0

Ammunition

• Default: HE* · APCBC - Half the rounds in this belt are useless against tanks or planes. However, against other SPAA this belt can reliably take out crew, armament, ammo and engine. Having one belt in reserve can help.
• BR-281SP: APCBC - An anti-tank belt, it is comprised of APCBC shells that can penetrate most tanks from the side. However, the shells do not contain any explosive filler, so it is recommended to upgrade to the BR-281U belt when possible.
• OR-281U: HE* - For use against planes. One or two hits usually gets the job done. Heavy armoured attackers and bombers may require more though.
• BR-281U: APCBC - Very similar to the preceding BR-281SP belt; however, the shells now have a small amount of explosive filler, making them slightly more efficient against ground vehicles.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
BR-281SP	APCBC	151	147	132	114	100	87
OR-281U	HE*	17	17	15	13	11	10
BR-281U	APCBC	151	147	132	114	100	87

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
BR-281SP	APCBC	1,000	2.8	-	-	-	48°	63°	71°
OR-281U	HE*	1,000	2.8	0.4	0.1	235.62	79°	80°	81°
BR-281U	APCBC	1,000	2.8	1.2	9	20.02	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the ZSU-57-2 (Italy)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
74	74 (+0)	70 (+4)	38 (+36)	32 (+42)	28 (+46)	24 (+50)	18 (+56)	N/A	Yes

Notes:

• Visual discrepancy: the 8th ammo rack never empties, even with all ammunition spent.

Usage in battles

Versatile in the anti-aircraft and anti-tank role this heavily modified T-54 chassis delivers two heavy 57 mm punches. The ZSU-57-2 can be used for two roles.

Anti-air role

Even though the ZSU-57-2 was designed as an SPAA, it is not very good at destroying planes compared to other SPAA vehicles at similar battle ratings, which often have a significantly higher rate of fire or even radar. However, this is compensated for by its comparatively massive firepower compared to similar SPAA platforms. The large 57 mm cannons will often disable, or more likely destroy a plane with its first hit. It is also extremely effective in an anti-helicopter role, as helicopters are much slower than planes.

Tank Destroyer

Using the 57 mm cannons in an anti-tank role is possible and have been exploited by many players. Using BR-281 ammo, the guns can effectively pierce the sides and rear of any tank (excluding the Maus). Remember the ZSU-57-2's armour does not compare to other tanks armour so one shot could be the end of the SPAA. Play cat-and-mouse and wait for the enemy to go into an engagement with another target and then jump out into the open and fire upon them while they are distracted. It is recommended to the first aim for their rear to disable their engine and cause a fire, they will have to stop what they are doing and put it out. During this time they won't be able to move or fire upon the ZSU-57-2, allowing a chance to finish off the crewmen inside by unloading the 57 mm cannons into the side of the enemy tank. Any shot from the 57 mm cannons into an enemies' ammo load will also instantly kill them. Almost all British tanks have very weak side armour, and your BR-281 ammo will easily rip through even at an angle. Aim for the front portion of their tank, where their driver is. Their ammo rack is located right next to the driver, meaning that you can easily ammo rack them.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Multi-role weaponry able to fight both planes and tanks
• Excellent turret rotation speed
• 57 mm guns will destroy or cripple aircraft with one hit, and can easily take out tanks from the sides too
• Very high penetration for an SPAA at 151 mm
• Very effective against lightly armoured vehicles like the Leopard 1 or AMX-30

Cons:

• Large vehicle size
• Very vulnerable turret (ammo on all sides of turret + very thin armour)
• Crew is very crowded in the turret (1 shot has the potential to knock out 5 crew members with ease)
• Shells have bad accuracy after consecutive shots
• Sub-par anti-air capability due to low rate of fire and poor accuracy

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Related development

• ZSU-57-2 (Family)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Italy anti-aircraft vehicles
R3 Capraia	R3 T20 FA-HS
SIDAM 25	SIDAM 25 · SIDAM 25 (Mistral)
Wheeled	AS 42 · CM52
Tracked	M42 Contraereo · Leopard 40/70 · OTOMATIC
Hungary	◔ZSU-57-2 · ◔ZSU-23-4