ZK453 (30 mm)

Description

Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.

Vehicles equipped with this weapon

• M53/59

General info

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Available ammunition

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Comparison with analogues

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Usage in battles

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Pros and cons

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Pros:

Cons:

History

The ZK453 is the factory designation of a Czechoslovak from the Cold War era. Its origins however date back to before World War II when the development of the “303 Br gun" began by Zbrojovka Brno but was cut short when the nation was annexed by Germany in 1938. After the war, Czechoslovakia was integrated into the Warsaw Pact, but its strong interwar arms industry led to the continued use of locally designed weapons. As a result, when the Ministry of Defense (Ministerstvo národní obrany) ordered the development of a new 30mm cannon, ZB used the older design as a basis and the ZK453 prototype was finished the following year. Using pistons to power the automatic functions of the gun, the design was tested in 1950, but the trials were halted by the MNO on June 28th due to the 30 mm being a non-standard caliber in the Warsaw Pact. However, Soviet advisors convinced the MNO to reverse their position and by decree No.03685/NM on February 28th, 1952, trials with the ZK453. However, the original design was not adopted as the two-wheeled carriage did not meet the needed requirement to fire on the move. On April 29th, the Chief of Artillery proposed mounting the ZK453 on a truck chassis. After successful trials, the M53/59 was adopted in 1953 and the cannons were also adopted as the 30mm PLDvK vz. 53 (30mm Anti-Aircraft Gun M53). Due to the lack of capacity at ZB, Zbrojovka Vsetín took over manufacturing. For this reason, serial production did not begin until 1956. From 1956-1960 the ZK453 was the choice for defending airfields and artillery positions and was incorporated into the infantry, rifle, mechanized, and tank regiment. During the 1970s, the PLDvK vz. 53 were withdrawn from frontline service and moved to rear-line roles in the Eastern Military District. In 1993, the guns were taken out of storage in Slovakia and the government began disposing of them. 

References

Turza Peter, pplk. V,v. Anti-aircraft twin[/i] OBRANA No.11 2009 MO SR

Media

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See also

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• reference to the article about the variant of the cannon/machine gun;
• references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.

External links

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• other literature.

USSR anti-aircraft guns
7.62 mm	Maxim's
12.7 mm	DShK
14.5 mm	KPVT
23 mm	AZP-23 · ZU-23
25 mm	72-K
30 mm	2A38 · ZK453
37 mm	2A11 · 61-K · Sh-37 · Type 65
57 mm	S-68