2K22 Tunguska

A Soviet-designed tracked short-range air-defense system combining twin 30 mm cannons, radio-command missiles and onboard radars to protect mobile ground forces from low-flying aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and drones.

Overview

The 2K22 Tunguska is a self-propelled gun-and-missile air-defense system developed in the Soviet Union for the protection of tank and motor-rifle formations. Its 2S6 combat vehicle places two twin-barrel 30 mm cannons, up to eight 9M311-family surface-to-air missiles, an acquisition radar, a tracking radar and an electro-optical sight on a tracked chassis. This combination gives a unit independent search, tracking and engagement channels while allowing it to accompany armored forces across terrain.

The system was conceived as the successor to the ZSU-23-4 Shilka, with larger-caliber guns and missiles intended to extend coverage against aircraft and attack helicopters beyond cannon range. The improved Tunguska-M1 can engage targets with missiles at up to 10 km, while its guns cover approximately 3–4 km. The design remains in service with Russia, Ukraine, India and several other operators, although current production of new 2S6 vehicles is not publicly established.

Combat in Ukraine has given the Tunguska a renewed counter-drone role. Ukrainian vehicles have used their guns against Shahed-type one-way attack drones, reconnaissance aircraft and reported jet-powered targets, while Russian systems have also suffered confirmed battlefield losses. The war has simultaneously exposed a central logistical divide: Russia retains access to the system's original industrial base, whereas Ukraine's stocks of Russian-made 9M311 missiles are finite and their present size is not publicly established.

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