Zastava M55
| Zastava M55 | |
|---|---|
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 range | 2,000 m (6,600 ft) (air), 2,500 m (8,200 ft) (ground targets) |
| Maximum firing range | 4,000 m (13,000 ft) (vertical), 5,500 m (18,000 ft) (horizontal) |
| Feed system | 3 x 60 round top-fed drum magazines |
The Zastava M55, also designated 20/3-mm-M55, is a Yugoslavian/Serbian 20mm triple-barreled automatic
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
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)
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
Combat history
Africa
The Zastava M55 A2 was employed extensively by the
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
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War
Azerbaijan's
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
Armenia[22]
Democratic Republic of the Congo[24]
BOV-3 as of 2023[25]
Cyprus − 36 as of 2023[26]
Guatemala − 16 as of 2023[27]
Honduras − 24 M55 A2 as of 2023[28]
Indonesia[29]
Mozambique[30]
El Salvador[31] − 31 as of 2023[32]
Tunisia − 100 as of 2023[33]
Ukraine[23]
Zambia[34]
Former
Angola[35]
Armed Forces of Liberation of Angola (UNITA) – Handed over by South Africa or captured from FAPLA.
Artsakh − Seized by Azerbaijan after the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh[36]
Bosnia and Herzegovina[37]
Lebanon[37]
North Macedonia[37]
PLO – Captured from the Lebanese Armed Forces[19]
Rhodesia – Captured from FPLM or ZANLA.
Serbia and Montenegro[37]
Slovenia[37]
United Arab Emirates[38]
Yugoslavia[39] − Passed on to successor states
Zimbabwe[38]
See also
References
- ^ "Zastava Arms".
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b "1945 – 1970 | Zastava-arms". www.zastava-arms.rs. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ a b c d "1970-1992 | Zastava-arms". www.zastava-arms.rs. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ISBN 0-00-712759-6.
- ^ Venter, War in Angola (1992), pp. 7; 9.
- ^ Heitman & Hannon, Modern African Wars (3): South-West Africa (1991), p. 22.
- ^ Photos of Zastava M55 autocannons captured by the Rhodesian Security Forces in Mozambique, September 1979.
- ^ Kassis 2012, p. 15.
- ^ Sex & Abi-Chahine 2021, p. 173.
- ^ Lebanese Arab Army M113 APCs with ZU-23-2 and Zastava M55 autocannons
- ^ a b Kassis 2003, p. 27.
- ^ Cooper & Santana, Lebanese Civil War Volume 1: Palestinian diaspora, Syrian and Israeli interventions, 1970-1978 (2019), p. 50.
- ^ a b Kassis 2019, p. 233.
- ISBN 978-1-4728-2251-2, p. 15.
- ^ Kassis 2003, p. 66.
- ^ ISBN 978-9953-0-1256-8.
- ^ Zastava M55 autocannon of the Al-Mourabitoun militia in the Lebanese civil war
- ^ a b Sex & Abi-Chahine 2021, p. 157.
- ^ Jureidini, McLaurin, and Price, Military operations in selected Lebanese built-up areas (1979), appendix A, table A-6.
- ^ Kassis 2012, p. 53.
- ^ a b "Baku reports intensive fighting in Karabakh throughout night". TASS. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
- ^ a b Roblin, Sebastien (11 December 2022). "To Stop Killer Drones, Ukraine Upgrades Ancient Flak Guns With Consumer Cameras And Tablets". Forbes. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 79.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 81.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 400.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 403.
- ^ Tarigan, Robert (27 December 2020). "Triple Gun Artileri Andalan Paskhas TNI-AU Jaga Kedaulatan NKRI". Karosatuklik.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 466.
- ISBN 978-1-80451-504-4.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 399.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 358.
- ^ IISS 2023, p. 487.
- ^ IISS 1989, p. 121.
- ^ Mitzer, Stijin; Oliemans, Joost. "Documenting Equipment Losses During The September 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict". Oryx. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Cullen & Foss 2001, pp. 250−252.
- ^ a b Cullen & Foss 1992, p. 218.
- ^ Cullen & Foss 1992, p. 311.
Bibliography
- Cullen, Tony; ISBN 978-0-7106-0979-3. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- Cullen, Tony; ISBN 978-0-7106-2320-1.
- Helmoed-Romer Heitman & Paul Hannon, Modern African Wars (3): South-West Africa, Men-at-arms series 242, Osprey Publishing Ltd, London 1991. ISBN 978-1-85532-122-9
- ISBN 978-0080375694.
- ISBN 978-1032508955.
- Kassis, Samer (2003). 30 Years of Military Vehicles in Lebanon. Beirut: Elite Group. ISBN 9953-0-0705-5.
- Kassis, Samer (2012). Véhicules Militaires au Liban 1975-1981 [Military Vehicles in Lebanon 1975-1981]. Chyah: Trebia Publishing. ISBN 978-9953-0-2372-4.
- Kassis, Samer (2019). Invasion of Lebanon 1982. Abteilung 502. ISBN 978-84-120935-1-3.
- Paul Jureidini, R. D. McLaurin, and James Price, Military operations in selected Lebanese built-up areas, 1975-1978, Aberdeen, MD: U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Technical Memorandum 11–79, June 1979.
- Sex, Zachary; Abi-Chahine, Bassel (2021). Modern Conflicts 2 – The Lebanese Civil War, From 1975 to 1991 and Beyond. Modern Conflicts Profile Guide. Vol. II. AK Interactive. EAN 8435568306073.
- Tom Cooper & Sergio Santana, Lebanese Civil War Volume 1: Palestinian diaspora, Syrian and Israeli interventions, 1970-1978, Middle East@War No. 21, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull UK 2019. ISBN 978-1-915070-21-0
- Venter, Al J. (1992). War in Angola. Hong Kong: Concord Publications. ISBN 962-361-030-0.
External links
- Official website of Zastava Arms
- 20/3 mm M55 A2 (Serbia), Towed anti-aircraft guns
- 20/3 mm M55 A3 B1 (Serbia), Towed anti-aircraft guns
- 20/3 mm M55 A4 B1 (Serbia), Towed anti-aircraft guns
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| Semi-auto | ||
| Assault rifles | |
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| Battle rifles | |
| Hunting rifles | |
| Sporting rifles | |
| Sniper rifles | |
| Anti-materiel |
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