ZSU-37

ZSU-37

ZiS-12 (94-KM)

BTR-152D

ZSU-37

ZiS-12 (94-KM)

BTR-152D

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	3.3	3.3

Class:

SPAA

Research:9 200

Purchase:47 000

Show in game

Description

The ZSU-37 is a rank II Soviet self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicle with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB) and 3.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.43. It is based on a SU-76M chassis with a special turret mounting the 37 mm 61-K mod. 1939 anti-aircraft cannon. Its fast-firing cannon will bring down any plane coming at range and thanks to its HVAP ammunition it also has the potential to destroy tanks with around 100 mm penetration.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret)
• Structural steel (gun breech, storage boxes, mudguards)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	35 mm (60°) Front glacis 45 mm (30°) Lower glacis 60 mm (34-84°) Driver's port	15 mm	10 mm Top 15 mm (32°) Bottom	6 mm
Turret	15 mm (16°) Turret front 15 mm (0-12°) Gun mantlet	15 mm (1-2°)	8 mm	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 10 mm thick while tracks are 15 mm thick.
• The turret has an armoured basket which is 10 mm thick
• Belly armour is 10 mm thick.
• Storage boxes and mudguards are 4 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	46	6	12.2	199	267	16.31	21.89
Realistic	43	6		124	140	10.16	11.48

Armaments

Main armament

37 mm 61-K						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	290 (5)	160	-5°/+85°	±180°	N/A	26.42	36.56	44.4	49.1	52.2	0.65	0.6	0.5	0.5
Realistic						17.85	21.0	25.5	28.2	30.0

Ammunition

• Default: AP-T · HEFI-T*
• UO-167: HEFI-T*
• BR-167: AP-T
• BR-167P: HVAP-T · HEFI-T* · HEFI-T*

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
Default	AP-T/HEFI-T*	71	68	57	46	37	30
UO-167	HEFI-T*	3	3	3	3	3	3
BR-167	AP-T	71	68	57	46	37	30
BR-167P	HVAP/HEFI-T*	102	95	80	59	35	28

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%
UO-167	HEFI-T*	866	0.74	0.0	0.1	34	79°	80°	81°
BR-167	AP-T	880	0.76	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the ZSU-37

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
58	49 (+9)	39 (+19)	29 (+29)	20 (+38)	10 (+48)	1 (+57)	Yes

Usage in battles

Overview:

The ZSU-37 is a dedicated AA, however the gun can also threaten enemy ground vehicles. Air targets should be the ZSU-37's main priority. The ZSU-37 has thin armour and low survivability, but it should stay near friendly tanks, as it may prove useful in supporting them with its cannon. Staying near the front can also help with shooting down enemy aircraft, as the ZSU-37 will be close to them when they make attack runs on friendly vehicles.

Tips:

The ZSU-37 is best used as a second or third spawn, because aircraft will not spawn at the beginning of the match. Do not engage aircraft too early, as you will only expose yourself. Begin firing at no more than 1-1.5 km range for the best effect. Always watch out for multiple aircraft, as one may hit you with bombs or rockets while you are distracted. The gun is surprisingly potent, and will quickly dispatch most air targets after a few hits, even against heavy fighters and bombers. The 37 mm gun does have a somewhat slow fire rate, so it may be difficult to hit enemy aircraft. It is a good idea to learn the weak spots of enemy ground vehicles you will commonly face near the ZSU-37's BR, as knowing these will allow the ZSU-37 to penetrate enemy tanks with more ease.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	UO-167	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	BR-167	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	BR-167P	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Single 37 mm 61-K cannon is capable of completely destroying enemy aircraft with only one or two hits
• Great anti-armor performance with AP belts of ~60 mm and HVAP-T belts of ~90 mm penetration at close range, allowing the vehicle to engage lightly armored vehicles easily from the front, and more heavily armored ones through their sides or rear
• Has better hull armor compared to previous SPAAs (but previous SPAAs have almost NO ARMOR protection!)
• Very fast reload; Able to fire almost constantly until the ammo storage is completely empty

Cons:

• Crew members are very vulnerable to aerial strafing and tank machine gun fire due to open-top construction
• Struggles in rough terrain and steering is very stiff due to low engine power
• Slow, sluggish, and cumbersome
• Turret rotation is very slow
• Prone to hull-break
• Very weak protection
• MASSIVE ammo storages
• Low fire rate can make hitting aircraft VERY difficult
• Bad stock grind
• Is nothing more than a Tier 3 SPAA with "Rank 4" slapped on to it, so it suffers a LOT up to BR 7.3 (since the only decent Tier 4 SPAA for the USSR is a Chinese event one, that is now completely unavailable to anyone who did not get it back then)

History

In-game description

Since tank divisions were facing greater losses from attacks by enemy assault aircraft, the decision was made to create a self-propelled anti-air mount based on light tanks. Work on the creation of a self-propelled installation based on the T-70 tank began in 1942. Two experimental models were released. Serious design flaws were uncovered during the testing phase.

In December, 1943 the ZSU-37 SPG was built at Factory #38 under the management of M.N. Shukin. It was armed with a 37mm KB M.N. Loginov 61-K AA cannon. The vehicle was based on the SU-76M SPG, but instead of a combat cockpit they installed an open, rotating turret. An experimental model of the vehicle successfully underwent state-run testing and was recommended for serial production. However, due to production difficulties, serial production was moved to Factory #40 in Mytishchi.

The vehicle’s design was enhanced at the new factory, and, after undergoing testing in October-November 1944, the vehicle began to be released serially. The vehicle was released in a small series of 75 units from 1945-1946. It was never used in combat.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the ZSU-37 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Spade Review: ZSU-37. An average SPAA with a "Special" appearance - Joseph 2000

ZSU-37 Tank Review - NUSensei

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• SU-76M / SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps) / SU-76M (China)

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• ZiS-43

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Ostwind
• Crusader AA Mk I
• AMX-13 DCA 40
• Lvkv 42

External links

• [Wikipedia] ZSU-37
• [Military Factory] ZSU-37 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Artillery
• [TankMuseum.ru] Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ZSU-37 (USSR)

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