SM79 wrote:
But the ZU-23 had a powered system or were manually trained? And if so, who should do it?
The
ZSU 23/2 was a manually operated Russian 23mm Canon... see the pictures above. There are no powered motors on the unit, it is ALL mechanical and manual.
It had a crew of 4... a
Gun Commander who sat in the right hand chair and who operated the mechanical computer which set the lead and dive angles as well as the speed of the incoming plane. 2Nd in charge and in the left chair was the
Gunner, who mechanically aimed the canon through an optical sight and who pressed the trigger with his foot. The 2 other crew members were
Ammo Loaders, responsible for yanking ammo boxes in an out... it was a hard job because of the rapid rate of fire and the weight of the full ammo boxes.
The canon weighs about 2 tons and was drawn behind a Gary or Long Wheel Base Landrover or a Samil 20... but had to be manually manhandled by the crew of 4, upon deployment... and we went for plenty of 2.4Km runs with the canon... manually drawn and pushed on the dirt roads of "The Farm"... not so pleasant to do, might I add.
Regards,
23mm Man