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Russia Develops First 23mm Guided Detonation Munition - Source

Sputnik News

20230817

KUBINKA, Moscow Region (Sputnik) - The first guided detonation munition of the smallest caliber of 23 millimeters (0.9 inches), which will multiply the effectiveness of drone destruction, has been developed in Russia, a source told Sputnik on Thursday.

The test firing of the new munition type is set to take place in the near future, after which it will be demonstrated to potential customers, the source added.

"For the first time in our country, we have managed to install a controlled detonation [mechanism] in a 23-mm caliber ammunition. The development will allow to multiply the effectiveness of hitting small targets such as copters and drones," the source told Sputnik at the Army-2023 international military-technical forum.

Guided detonation munitions are designed to explode at a precise point on their flight path, calculated by the fire control system. In particular, when firing at ground targets, this makes it possible to hit enemy personnel hiding in a trench more effectively, as the projectile explodes when it reaches a point exactly above the trench. As a result, enemy soldiers are exposed to damaging factors such as shell fragments, high-explosive effect and shock wave.

When used against airborne targets, such as air-launched missiles or drones, these munitions provide a controlled detonation and create a field of attack elements precisely in the path of the projectile. This drastically reduces ammunition consumption and the time required to hit a target.

The 23x152-mm ammunition is mainly used in Soviet-era ZU-23-2 twin-barrel anti-aircraft autocannons and similar equipment. Such autocannons are designed to destroy air targets. Their rate of fire is 2,000 rounds per minute, and their range is 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) in height and 2.5 kilometers in range. Currently, there are several projects to modernize anti-aircraft cannons in Russia.

The Army-2023 forum is taking place in the Moscow Region's town of Kubinka from August 14-20. Sputnik is the official media partner of the event.

© Sputnik