Zastava M55

Last updated
Zastava M55
20 mm M55.JPG
M55 A4 B1 guns of the former Army of Republika Srpska
TypeTowed 20 mm Anti-Aircraft Triple Autocannon
Place of origin Yugoslavia/Serbia
Service history
In service1955–present
Used bySee Operators
Wars Yom Kippur War
Angolan Civil War
South African Border War
Rhodesian Bush War
Mozambican Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
Salvadoran Civil War
Yugoslav Wars
Second Nagorno-Karabakh war
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Production history
Designer Zastava Arms
Designed1955–1971
Manufacturer Zastava Arms
Produced1971–present [1]
VariantsSee Variants section
Specifications (Zastava M55)
Mass1,100 kg (2,400 lb) loaded, 970 kg (2,140 lb) unloaded
Length1.47 m (4 ft 10 in) (driving condition)
Barrel  length1,956 mm (77.0 in) L/70
Width1.27 m (4 ft 2 in) (driving condition)
Height4.30 m (14.1 ft) (driving condition)
Crew6 -- gunners and commander

Shell 20x110mm Hispano
Caliber 20 mm
Barrels3
Action Gas operated
Elevation +83° to -5
Traverse 360°
Rate of fire 1,950 and 2,250 rpm cyclic, 700 rpm practical
Muzzle velocity Armour-piercing: 840 m/s (2,800 ft/s), High-explosive incendiary: 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range2,000 m (6,600 ft) (air), 2,500 m (8,200 ft) (ground targets)
Maximum firing range4,000 m (13,000 ft) (vertical), 5,500 m (18,000 ft) (horizontal)
Feed system3 x 60 round top-fed drum magazines

The Zastava M55, also designated 20/3-mm-M55, is a Yugoslavian/Serbian 20mm triple-barreled automatic anti-aircraft gun developed in 1955 and produced by Crvena Zastava (now Zastava Arms company) in Kragujevac, Serbia, for Yugoslav People's Army use and also for the export market. In addition to the basic towed model M55 A2, the variants M55 A3 B1, M55 A4 B1, and the BOV-3 SPAAG were also developed.

Contents

Development

In 1951, the Federal Secretariat of People's Defense (Serbo-Croatian: Savezni sekretarijat za narodnu odbranu – SSNO) purchased the manufacturing licence of the single-barrel Hispano-Suiza HS.804 20mm L/70 anti-aircraft autocannon mounted on the HSS.630-3 towed gun carriage. The HS.804 made by the Crvena Zastava Company entered production in 1955 as the Zastava 20/1mm M55 and the company's engineers began working in the development of a triple-barrelled version; the first prototype was completed and entered production in 1971. [2] [3]

Variants

Ground model M55 A2

Zastava M55 with a SA-7 surface-to-air missile mount on a TAM-110 military transport truck M55,with SA2.JPG
Zastava M55 with a SA-7 surface-to-air missile mount on a TAM-110 military transport truck

The standard towed version of the M55 introduced in 1971, is intended for infantry use. [4]

M55 A3 B1

The M55 A3 B1 is an improved version of the M55 A2 introduced in 1978. [4]

M55 A4 B1

The M55 A4 B1 was introduced in 1977–78, and is an M55 gun system mounted on the towed carriage of the Swiss GAI-D01 anti-aircraft gun. A new computer-controlled targeting system – the Galileo ballistic computer – was installed, which automatically monitors the gun after the target has been acquired. In addition, an engine of the same type as the M55 A3 B1 has been placed under the gunner's seat, which was moved from the lateral position found on the previous version in order to improve the weight distribution of the three barrels and prevent them from vibrating. When the cannon is put into position, the towed carriage is removed, and a small splinter-proof shield has been installed in front of the targeting device and the gunner. [4]

M55 A4 M1 (BOV-3)

M55 A4 M1 (BOV-3) HS M09 BOV-3.JPG
M55 A4 M1 (BOV-3)

The M55 A4 M1 was first introduced in 1983, and consists on a modified A4 B1 system upgraded with the Galileo J171 ballistic computer, mounted on a turret installed in the top roof of a BOV armoured personnel carrier. [4] [2] [3] [5]

Combat history

Africa

The Zastava M55 A2 was employed extensively by the People's Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (FAPLA) during the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002) and the later stages of the South African Border War (1966–1990), with a number of them being captured by the South African Defence Force during their military operations launched against SWAPO/PLAN guerrilla bases at southern Angola in the 1980s. [6] Some of the captured guns were stripped from the triple mounts and re-mounted on the Casspir APCs employed by the Koevoet on their counter-insurgency operations in Angola and South West Africa [7] whilst others were handed over to the Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola, the armed wing of UNITA.

The Zastava M55 was also employed by the People's Forces of Liberation of Mozambique (FPLM) during both the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992) and the later phase of the Rhodesian Bush War, with a few guns falling into the hands of the Rhodesian Security Forces in the course of their covert cross-border raids on Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) guerrilla training camps in Mozambique during the late 1970s. [8]

Middle East

Lebanon received an unspecified number of Zastava M55 A2 autocannons sometime in the early 1970s from Yugoslavia, which were assigned to the air defense units of the Lebanese Army and the Lebanese Air Force. [9] They were extensively employed during the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), with several guns falling into the hands of the various competing Christian and Muslim militias after the collapse of the Lebanese Armed Forces in January 1976. Main operators included the Army of Free Lebanon, [10] Lebanese Arab Army, [11] Al-Tanzim, Kataeb Regulatory Forces, [12] [13] Zgharta Liberation Army, the Tigers Militia, Arab Socialist Union, [14] the Druze People's Liberation Army, [15] [14] the Al-Mourabitoun, [16] [17] [18] and the Palestine Liberation Organization [19] who mounted their Zastava M55 autocannons on technicals and M113 armored personnel carriers. [20] [12] [17] [21]

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defence reported that it destroyed two Armenian Zastava M55s 9–10 October 2020 as part of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. [22]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Zastava M55 anti-aircraft guns, likely donated by Slovenia or Croatia, have been used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [23]

Operators

Former

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M113 armored personnel carrier</span> Armored personnel carrier

The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. The M113 was first used in combat in April 1962 after the United States provided the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) with heavy weaponry such as the M113, under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) program. Eventually, the M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions. It was largely known as an "APC" or an "ACAV" by the allied forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2S1 Gvozdika</span> Soviet 122 mm self-propelled howitzer

The 2S1 Gvozdika is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and in service in Russia and other countries as of 2023. It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Russian designation is SAU-122, but in the Russian Army it is commonly known as Gvozdika. The 2S1 is fully amphibious with very little preparation, and once afloat is propelled by its tracks. A variety of track widths are available to allow the 2S1 to operate in snow or swamp conditions. It is NBC protected and has infrared night-vision capability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BTR-152</span> Armored personnel carrier

The BTR-152 is a six-wheeled Soviet armored personnel carrier (APC) built on the chassis and drive train of a ZIS-151 utility truck. It entered service with a number of Warsaw Pact member states beginning in 1950, and formed the mainstay of Soviet motor rifle battalions until the advent of the amphibious BTR-60 series during the 1960s. BTR stands for bronetransportyor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhard AML</span> Armored car

The Panhard AML is an armoured car with reconnaissance capability. Designed by Panhard on a lightly armoured 4×4 chassis, it weighs an estimated 5.5 tonnes, and is thus suitable for airborne deployment. Since 1959, AMLs have been marketed on up to five continents; several variants remained in continuous production for half a century. These have been operated by fifty-four national governments and other entities worldwide, seeing regular combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZU-23-2</span> Towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin autocannon

The ZU-23-2, also known as ZU-23, is a Soviet towed 23×152mm anti-aircraft twin-barreled autocannon. ZU stands for Zenitnaya Ustanovka – anti-aircraft mount. The GRAU index is 2A13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M3 half-track</span> US military vehicle

The M3 half-track was an American armored personnel carrier half-track widely used by the Allies during World War II and in the Cold War. Derived from the M2 half-track car, the M3 was extensively produced, with about 15,000 standard M3s and more than 38,000 variant units manufactured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigers Militia</span> Lebanese Christian–dominated militia active during the Lebanese War

The Tigers militia, also known as NLP Tigers, Tigers of the Liberals or PNL "Lionceaux" in French, was the military wing of the National Liberal Party (NLP) during the Lebanese Civil War between 1975 and 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZPU</span> Type of Soviet anti-aircraft gun

The ZPU is a family of towed anti-aircraft guns based on the Soviet 14.5×114mm KPV heavy machine gun. It entered service with the Soviet Union in 1949 and is used by over 50 countries worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Mourabitoun</span> Political party in Lebanon

The Independent Nasserite Movement – INM (Arabic: حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون, romanized: Harakat al-Nasiriyin al-Mustaqillin) or simply Al-Murabitoun (المرابطون lit. The Steadfast), also termed variously Independent Nasserite Organization (INO) or Movement of Independent Nasserists (MIN), is a Nasserist political party in Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhard M3</span> Armoured personnel carrier

The Panhard M3 VTT is an amphibious armoured personnel carrier. Developed as a private venture for the export market, the M3 was built with the same mechanical and chassis components as the Panhard AML range of light armoured cars. The two vehicle types share a 95% interchangeability of automotive parts. The M3 is an extremely versatile design which can be configured for a wide variety of auxiliary battlefield roles. The most popular variants of the base personnel carrier included an armoured ambulance, a mobile command post, and an internal security vehicle. It could also be fitted with a wide variety of turrets and armament, ranging from a single general-purpose machine gun to medium calibre autocannon.

The 4th Infantry Brigade (Lebanon) was a Lebanese Army unit that fought in the Lebanese Civil War, being active from its creation in January 1983 until its destruction in September that year, in the wake of the Mountain War.

The Zgharta Liberation Army – ZLA, also known as Zghartawi Liberation Army, was the paramilitary branch of the Lebanese Marada Movement during the Lebanese Civil War. The militia was formed in 1967 by the future President of Lebanon and za'im Suleiman Frangieh as the Marada Brigade seven years before the war began. The force was initially commanded by Suleiman Franjieh's son, Tony Frangieh. It operated mainly out of Tripoli and Zgharta, but it also fought in Beirut. The ZLA fought against various Palestinian and Lebanese Muslim militias as well as the Lebanese Forces in Bsharri and Ehden.

The Kataeb Regulatory Forces – KRF or Forces Régulatoires des Kataeb (FRK) in French, were the military wing of the right-wing Lebanese Christian Kataeb Party, otherwise known as the 'Phalange', from 1961 to 1977. The Kataeb militia, which fought in the early years of the Lebanese Civil War, was the predecessor of the Lebanese Forces. The militia was also involved in massacres against Palestinians in Beirut, Karantina and Tel al-Zaatar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army of Free Lebanon</span> Former Christian splinter faction of the Lebanese Army during the Lebanese Civil War

The Army of Free Lebanon – AFL, also known variously as the "Colonel Barakat's Army" or Armée du Liban Libre (ALL) and Armée du Colonel Barakat in French, was a predominantly Christian splinter faction of the Lebanese Army that came to play a major role in the 1975–77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZSU-23-4 Shilka</span> Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun

The ZSU-23-4 "Shilka" is a lightly armored Soviet self-propelled, radar-guided anti-aircraft weapon system (SPAAG). It was superseded by the 9K22 Tunguska.

The Salvadoran Civil War was a military conflict that pitted the guerrilla forces of the left-wing Marxist-oriented Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) against the armed and security forces loyal to the military-led conservative government of El Salvador, between 1979 and 1992. Main combatants comprised:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Forces (Christian militia)</span> Lebanese Christian faction in the Lebanese Civil War

The Lebanese Forces was one of the main Lebanese Christian factions of the Lebanese Civil War. Originally an umbrella organization for different parties, the Lebanese Forces later became a separate organization. The Lebanese Forces replaced the previous Kataeb Regulatory Forces as the military arm of the Christian Kataeb Party. It was mainly staffed by Maronite Christians loyal to Bachir Gemayel, and fought against the Lebanese National Movement, the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Syrian Army among other enemies. The group gained infamy for their perpetration of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, which primarily targeted Palestinian refugees following Gemayel's assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebanese Arab Army</span> Arab militant group

The Lebanese Arab Army – LAA (Arabic: جيش لبنان العربي transliteration Jayish Lubnan al-Arabi), also known variously as the Arab Army of Lebanon (AAL) and Arab Lebanese Army or Armée arabe du Liban (AAL) in French, was a predominantly Muslim splinter faction of the Lebanese Army that came to play a key role in the 1975–77 phase of the Lebanese Civil War.

The Angolan Army is the land component of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA).

References

  1. "Zastava Arms".
  2. 1 2 Miroslav Jandrić, Seventh Decade of the Military Technical Institute (1948. – 2013.), Scientific Technical Review, 2013, Vol. 63, No. 2, pp. 5–25. UDK: 355.014:623.4, COSATI: 15–05, 19–06, 01-03, p. 9.
  3. 1 2 "1945 – 1970 | Zastava-arms". www.zastava-arms.rs. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "1970-1992 | Zastava-arms". www.zastava-arms.rs. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
  5. Foss, Christopher F. (2002). Jane's Tank & Combat Vehicle recognition guide. London: HarperCollins. pp. 298–299. ISBN   0-00-712759-6.
  6. Venter, War in Angola (1992), pp. 7; 9.
  7. Heitman & Hannon, Modern African Wars (3): South-West Africa (1991), p. 22.
  8. Photos of Zastava M55 autocannons captured by the Rhodesian Security Forces in Mozambique, September 1979.
  9. Kassis 2012, p. 15.
  10. Sex & Abi-Chahine 2021, p. 173.
  11. Lebanese Arab Army M113 APCs with ZU-23-2 and Zastava M55 autocannons
  12. 1 2 Kassis 2003, p. 27.
  13. Cooper & Santana, Lebanese Civil War Volume 1: Palestinian diaspora, Syrian and Israeli interventions, 1970-1978 (2019), p. 50.
  14. 1 2 Kassis 2019, p. 233.
  15. Leigh Neville, Technicals: Non-Standard Tactical Vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces, New Vanguard series 257, Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford 2018. ISBN   978-1-4728-2251-2, p. 15.
  16. Kassis 2003, p. 66.
  17. 1 2 El-Assad, Moustafa (2008). Civil Wars Volume 1: The Gun Trucks. Sidon: Blue Steel books. p. 93. ISBN   978-9953-0-1256-8.
  18. Zastava M55 autocannon of the Al-Mourabitoun militia in the Lebanese civil war
  19. 1 2 Sex & Abi-Chahine 2021, p. 157.
  20. Jureidini, McLaurin, and Price, Military operations in selected Lebanese built-up areas (1979), appendix A, table A-6.
  21. Kassis 2012, p. 53.
  22. 1 2 "Baku reports intensive fighting in Karabakh throughout night". TASS. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  23. 1 2 Roblin, Sebastien (11 December 2022). "To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets". Forbes. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  24. Wondo Omanyundu, Jean-Jacques (23 May 2018). "Joseph Kabila continues to over-equip his regime militarily for the upcoming political deadlines". desc-wondo.org. Archived from the original on 29 July 2018.
  25. IISS 2023, p. 79.
  26. IISS 2023, p. 81.
  27. IISS 2023, p. 400.
  28. IISS 2023, p. 403.
  29. Tarigan, Robert (27 December 2020). "Triple Gun Artileri Andalan Paskhas TNI-AU Jaga Kedaulatan NKRI". Karosatuklik.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  30. IISS 2023, p. 466.
  31. Francois, David (30 June 2023). El Salvador: Volume 2: Conflagration, 1984−1992. Helion and Company. p. 152. ISBN   978-1-80451-504-4.
  32. IISS 2023, p. 399.
  33. IISS 2023, p. 358.
  34. IISS 2023, p. 487.
  35. IISS 1989, p. 121.
  36. Mitzer, Stijin; Oliemans, Joost. "Documenting Equipment Losses During The September 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Oryx. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 Cullen & Foss 2001, pp. 250−252.
  38. 1 2 Cullen & Foss 1992, p. 218.
  39. Cullen & Foss 1992, p. 311.

Bibliography