ZPU vs ZU-23-2: Specs Compared

FORCETALLY

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AAnti-aircraft guns

ZPU

Anti-aircraft gun Heavy machine gun

Credit

Dieter vogeler · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Resized · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source ↗ · Modified

BAnti-aircraft guns

ZU-23-2

Towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin autocannon

Credit

One half 3544 · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

First system

Second system

At a glance

Side by side

ZPUlarger figure on 0 of 1

None

ZU-23-2larger figure on 1 of 1

Calibre+59%

Counts only measures both sources give with the same scope. A larger figure is not a better system.

Measured figures

Head to head

59 of 126 rows sourced on both sides

—

4.57m

Length

All recorded figures & sources

4.57 m

Length

Single source

4.57 m (10 ft)^[source]

—

2.88m

Width

All recorded figures & sources

Configuration

Details

ZPU and ZU-23-2 configuration
Specification	ZPU	ZU-23-2
Type	Anti-aircraft gun Heavy machine gun^[source]	Towed 23 mm anti-aircraft twin autocannon^[source]
Place of origin	Soviet Union^[source]	Soviet Union^[source]
In service	1949–present^[source]	1960–present^[source]
Used by	See Operators for users^[source]	See Operators section^[source]

Wars	See Wars for wars^[source]	Angolan Civil War South African Border War Ethiopian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Soviet–Afghan War Western Sahara War Somali Civil War Iran–Iraq War United States invasion of Grenada Second Sudanese Civil War Siachen conflict Operation Praying Mantis Gulf War Georgian Civil War First Chechen War Second Chechen War War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) 2006 Lebanon War Russo-Georgian War First Libyan Civil War Sudanese conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile Syrian Civil War Northern Mali conflict Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas Second Libyan Civil War Yemeni Civil War (2014–present) Tigray War Russo-Ukrainian war War in Amhara Sudanese civil war (2023–present) 2025 India–Pakistan conflict Iran–Israel war 2026 Afghanistan–Pakistan war^[source]

Manufacturer	Degtyaryov Plant^[source]	—

Variants	ZPU-1, ZPU-2, ZPU-4^[source]	See Variants and upgrades^[source]

Shell	14.5x114mm^[source]	23x152B^[source]

Barrels	1-4^[source]	2^[source]

Action	Short recoil operation^[source]	Gas operated^[source]

Feed system	150 round belt each^[source]	2x 50 round belt^[source]

Designer	—	KBP Instrument Design Bureau^[source]

Designed	—	Late 1950s^[source]

Produced	—	1960–present [1]^[source]

Elevation	—	−10° to +90°^[source]

Traverse	—	360°^[source]

Reported operators	Reported operator · Afghanistan Reported operator · Albania Reported operator · Algeria Reported operator · Angola Reported operator · Bangladesh Reported operator · Benin Reported operator · Bulgaria Reported operator · Burkina Faso Reported operator · Burundi Reported operator · Cambodia Reported operator · Cameroon Reported operator · Cape Verde Reported operator · Chad Reported operator · China Reported operator · Congo-Brazzaville Reported operator · Congo-Kinshasa Reported operator · Croatia Reported operator · Cuba Reported operator · Cyprus Reported operator · Djibouti Reported operator · East Timor Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Ethiopia Reported operator · Gabon Reported operator · Ghana Reported operator · Guinea Reported operator · Guinea-Bissau Reported operator · Hungary Reported operator · Iran Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Islamic State Reported operator · Israel Reported operator · Kenya Reported operator · Laos Reported operator · Latvia Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Libya Reported operator · Madagascar Reported operator · Malawi Reported operator · Mali Reported operator · Malta Reported operator · Mauritania Reported operator · Mongolia Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Mozambique Reported operator · Myanmar Reported operator · Namibia Reported operator · Nepal Reported operator · Nicaragua Reported operator · North Korea Reported operator · Pakistan Reported operator · Panama Reported operator · Poland Reported operator · Qatar Reported operator · Romania Reported operator · Russia Reported operator · Sahrawi Republic Reported operator · São Tomé and Príncipe Reported operator · Seychelles Reported operator · Somalia Reported operator · South Africa Reported operator · Soviet Union Reported operator · Sri Lanka Reported operator · Sudan Reported operator · Syria Reported operator · Tanzania Reported operator · Togo Reported operator · Uganda Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Vietnam Reported operator · Yemen Reported operator · Zambia Reported operator · Zimbabwe	Reported operator · Afghanistan Reported operator · Albania Reported operator · Algeria Reported operator · Angola Reported operator · Bulgaria Reported operator · Burundi Reported operator · Cambodia Reported operator · Cape Verde Reported operator · Chad Reported operator · China Reported operator · Cuba Reported operator · Djibouti Reported operator · Egypt Reported operator · Ethiopia Reported operator · Gabon Reported operator · Ghana Reported operator · Guinea-Bissau Reported operator · Iran Reported operator · Iraq Reported operator · Israel Reported operator · Laos Reported operator · Latvia Reported operator · Lebanon Reported operator · Libya Reported operator · Mali Reported operator · Mauritania Reported operator · Mongolia Reported operator · Morocco Reported operator · Mozambique Reported operator · Myanmar Reported operator · Namibia Reported operator · Nicaragua Reported operator · North Korea Reported operator · Poland Reported operator · Russia Reported operator · Somalia Reported operator · South Africa Reported operator · Sri Lanka Reported operator · Sudan Reported operator · Syria Reported operator · Tanzania Reported operator · Uganda Reported operator · Ukraine Reported operator · Armenia Reported operator · Azerbaijan Reported operator · Belarus