MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Upgrade of the Shilka self- propelled air defense system to the level of ZSU-23-4M4 boosts its combat specifications and can attract interest of many foreign customers, a spokesman for the Ulyanovsk mechanical plant said on Wednesday.
ZU-23-4M4 is adapted for combating up-to-date aerial assault assets, the spokesman told Interfax-Military News Agency. The system has an absolutely new antenna and up-to-date digital calculator. The equipment is transferred to the modern elemental base. In-built telecode communication assets ensure automatic reception of outer target designation.
"All these factors made it possible to boost tracking accuracy and reliability and kill probability," the spokesman said.
A mobile intelligence and control post referred to as PPRU- M1 has been added to the unit of Shilka-23-4M4 systems for target detection and fire control. The post provides for transferring target designation data to the air defense system on the move and in a stable position through telecode channels.
"Taking into account that Shilka has been sold to many countries, ZSU-23-4M4 has a high export potential," the expert said.
According to him, about 3,000 Shilka systems have been exported to 30 countries since the mid-1960s. The system is in the inventory of Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Jordan, Laos, Mozambique, Syria, Vietnam and other nations.
"During the modernization at the Ulyanovsk mechanical plant, problems with the air defense systems' integration with already existing national air defense networks and foreign-made assets can be solved," the spokesman said.