The 57 mm S-60 anti-aircraft gun was retired from the Soviet era, but during the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the "old man" S-60 re-appeared
but in the role of self-propelled artillery, on duty to support ground fire
The 57mm S-60 anti-aircraft gun was developed by the Soviet Union at the end of World War 2
but was removed from the Soviet Army's combat service in the early 1970s, when mobile man-portable air defense missiles popular
But after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014, truck-mounted 57mm S-60 anti-aircraft guns appeared in the Donbass
This was a workaround due to the lack of fire support
The 57mm cannon proved to be an effective weapon against all light armored fighting vehicles and some wooden fortifications
At the same time, the self-propelled chassis makes it possible to quickly leave the battlefield, to avoid counterattacks
After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the "old man" S-60 continued to be trusted
The latest information about the participation of the old men S-60 has appeared on the social networks of both warring sides
During the operation in the city of Lisichansk, the S-60 anti-aircraft guns helped the pro-Russian militias defeat many Ukrainian targets
In recent times, there has been information about Russian S-60s, being taken out of storage in large quantities and sent to the Ukrainian battlefield
Analysts say that these anti-aircraft guns will also be mounted on trucks and continue a new life
After World War 2, the S-60 was considered one of the main air defense weapons and was mass-produced with tens of thousands of guns
In addition, they were also given aid to countries close to the Soviet Union
After anti-aircraft missiles were put into common use, the S-60 was retired from the Soviet army in the early 1970s
But now, such weapons are being taken out of storage and They continue to play a new role as direct fire support weapons on the ground
S-60 is an anti-aircraft artillery system, using AZP-57 automatic cannon firing 57 mm bullets
Its mission is to fight air and ground targets at a range of up to 6 km and an altitude of 5 km, with different types of ammunition
S-60 cannon battery up to 8 people
The barrel is relatively long, giving a muzzle velocity of up to 1,000 m/s and a very large straight-line firing range
The theoretical rate of fire is 120 rounds/min; but the reality does not exceed 70-75 rounds/min
The improved S-60 anti-aircraft gun into a self-propelled howitzer is a temporary solution
However it has certain advantages. First of all, maneuverability is improved, as the S-60 uses military off-road truck chassis
The AZP-57 cannon, although more than 70 years old, still shows high combat performance
The cannon is capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 6 km
In addition, the S-60 is also a relatively effective anti-light vehicle weapon
With conventional high explosive shells, at a distance of 1km it can penetrate through steel plate 95-100 mm thick
With such armor penetration, the S-60 is capable of defeating any modern light armored vehicle on the Ukrainian battlefield
Homemade S-60 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun also has a disadvantage, which is the lack of protection for the crew
Normally, the S-60 anti-aircraft gun has only one protective element, the cannon shield
The addition of protective armor around is absolutely necessary
The S-60 only has an old-fashioned optical sighting system, so accuracy is limited
The improved S-60 self-propelled gun using a truck chassis, although only a temporary solution
has helped improve the firepower of the pro-Russian Donbass militia, contributing to other fire systems
In addition, combat realities have once again shown the effectiveness of the 57 mm cannon in general