ZSU-57-2 (Israel)

This page is about the SPAA ZSU-57-2 (Israel). For other versions, see ZSU-57-2 and ZSU-57-2 (Sweden).

ZSU-57-2

TCM-20

Hovet

ZSU-57-2

TCM-20

Hovet

Israel

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.0	7.0	7.0

Class:

SPAA

Research:63 000

Purchase:200 000

Show in game

Description

The ZSU-57-2 is a rank IV Israeli SPAA with a battle rating of 7.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Fire and Ice".

An SPAA built on a heavily-modified T-54 chassis, the ZSU-57-2 features two powerful 57 mm guns, good mobility, and very light armour. It 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.

ZSU-57-2s were captured by Israel from Egypt and Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. It is otherwise identical in all aspects to the Soviet ZSU-57-2.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull15 / 15 / 6

Turret15 / 13 / 13

Crew6 people

Visibility103 %

Armour type:

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	___ mm	___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom	___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Turret	___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm	___ - ___ mm
Cupola	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm	___ mm

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

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.

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

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 286 → 4 229

RB3 102 → 3 992

SB4 697 → 6 045

Total cost of modifications52 800

90 700

Talisman cost1 700

Crew training57 000

Experts200 000

Aces800

Research Aces520 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

140 / 170 / 230 %

172 / 172 / 172 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 185 Suspension Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 125 Brake System Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 125 Filters Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 175 Transmission Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 800 300 Engine Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 800 300	Improved Parts Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 185 Improved FPE Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 125 Crew Replenishment Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 175	Horizontal Drive Research: 3 500 Cost: 6 000 185 57mm_AP_ammo_pack Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 125 Adjustment of Fire Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 125 57mm_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 175 Elevation Mechanism Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 175 Artillery Support Research: 5 700 Cost: 9 800 300

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 barrel) 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.

The BR-281U belt does not offer any extra penetration and thus should not be used. Its efficiency decreases as half the belt is made up of HE shells with no anti-armour potential.

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
• BR-281: APCBC
• OR-281U: HE*
• BR-281U: APCBC · HE*

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

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%

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
74	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__ (+__)	__

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-281U 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

After being captured by Israel from Egypt and Syria during the 1967 war, they were repainted in Israeli sand camouflage, and given IDF numbers. They were paraded in Israel's independence parade along with other captured equipment, however they did not enter Israeli service.

Media

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

See also

Related development

• ZSU-57-2
• WZ305
• ZSU-57-2 (Sweden)

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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

Israel anti-aircraft vehicles
Half-track	TCM-20
M163 derivatives	Hovet · Machbet · Imp.Chaparral
Captured	ZSU-57-2 · ZSU-23-4