The classic S-60 57mm anti-aircraft gun had to replace the role of Russia’s 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO multi-purpose anti-aircraft artillery complex on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Military analysts said that the fact that the Russian Army had to reuse the old 57mm S-60 anti-aircraft artillery showed that Moscow was having difficulty in making the 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO multi-purpose anti-aircraft artillery complex.
The image of S-60 anti-aircraft cannons mounted on the Ural truck body equipped with reserve units of the Russian Army participating in the war in Ukraine surprised the media because this is the way usually only backward armed forces have to do.
Shooting with the S-60 cannon when it is “self-propelled” is still completely manual, it only improves the mobility of the weapon while the accuracy is difficult to guarantee.
From this, the international military community was forced to question another “hit” Russian weapon of the same caliber, developed to replace the product from the Soviet era, which is a multi-purpose air defense complex. 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO capabilities.
The 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is the most unusual weapon created by Russia in recent times. The complex uses a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle chassis and mounts a 57mm cannon with a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute, a range of 6 km, and a ceiling of 4.5 km.
2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO has the role of protecting front-line motorized infantry units and airborne landings. Many military experts expect these complexes to replace the “respectable” ZSU-23-4 Shilka.
The 2S38 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun obviously cannot “reach out” to attack fighters or strategic bombers. However, it poses a deadly threat to combat helicopters and UAVs.
The new Russian self-propelled gun is capable of shooting down oncoming cruise missiles, high-precision aviation weapons, and most importantly, destroying small but extremely dangerous drones like the Bayraktar. TB2.
The 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO complex uses S-60 cannons developed in the 1940s, but thanks to the newly developed smart ammunition, they will make this air defense system even more dangerous.
The control system of Derivatsiya-PVO will calculate the flight direction of this projectile, as well as determine its detonation, thanks to an electronic fuze timer that will be installed for each projectile.
Even more bizarre is an upcoming smart projectile that can be maneuvered with the help of rocket-like “folding wings”, aided by a built-in laser targeting system on the tower. self-propelled artillery cannon.
In addition to the anti-aircraft function, the 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO complex can also fight light armored vehicles and ground targets such as enemy infantry groups through artillery shells installed with electronic fuses to determine the explosive range.
This type of ammunition will explode on top of the infantry group hiding behind obstacles with very high accuracy, much more effective than 125 mm and 30 mm caliber shells used by main battle tanks or support vehicles. BMPT Terminator carries.
But it is clear that the 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO is in a similar situation to the T-14 Armata or the Kurganets-25 armored personnel carrier that is, there are only a few prototypes that have been tested, not yet completed for large-scale production. large, leading to the need to “recall the five veteran anti-aircraft artillery”.
