Poland has refused to deliver advanced models of the Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon system to Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the Polish army currently does not have a modern air defense system dedicated to hitting parades and other low-flying air targets, so the Polish forces still use air defenses that they received earlier during the Treaty of Warsaw. .
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Polish “Shilka” systems.
According to some information, the Polish army at that time received about 50 “Shilka” systems. At the end of the nineties, it was planned to replace it with self-propelled systems of local production PZA Loara weighing 45 tons. It is based on the PT-91 Twardy main battle tank platform. However, the system equipped with a 35mm Oerlikon gun proved too complicated and expensive for the local industry, and the project was folded after only a few were released.
After the failure of the aforementioned project, the Polish side focused on mastering the use of the specifications of the Soviet-made system, which was converted into the ZSU-23-4MP Biała system, because it acquired an electronic-optical set for detecting targets. The 23mm ammunition and “Grom” missiles were upgraded as upgraded versions of the Soviet-made “Igla” missiles.
In total, about 20 “Shilka” systems were upgraded, and their external appearance did not differ from the unimproved models. Some of the models that did not undergo modernization were delivered to the Ukrainian army last year and used against ground targets.
Source: Rossiyskaya Gazeta
Source: Arabic RT
