Ukraine denied modern Shilka air defense systems by Poland

Poland refused to supply to Ukraine the developed samples of the Soviet-made Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.

It is noteworthy that at present the Polish army does not have modern air defense systems designed to defeat parades and other low-flying air targets, so the Polish troops still use the air defense systems that they previously received during the Warsaw Pact. .

According to some reports, the Polish army then received about 50 Shilka complexes. It was planned to replace by the end of the nineties with locally produced PZA Loara self-propelled systems weighing 45 tons. It is based on the platform of the PT-91 Twardy main battle tank. However, the system, equipped with Oerlikon 35mm guns, became complex and expensive for the local industry, and the project was scrapped after only a few were launched.

After the failure of the aforementioned project, the Polish side focused on mastering the technical characteristics of the Soviet-made system, which was converted into the ZSU-23-4MP Byala complexes, as it received an electron-optical target detection kit, upgraded 23 mm caliber ammunition and Grom missiles , as modernized versions of Soviet-made Igla missiles.

In total, about 20 Shilka complexes have been modernized, and their appearance does not differ from unfinished samples. As for the models that were not subject to modernization, some of them were delivered to the Ukrainian army last year, which uses them against ground targets.

Source: Russian newspaper