2S38 - The BMP to counter drones

Hello and welome.
Today we're gonna talk about a very interesting BMP, which isn't really a BMP. I'm talking about the Russian 2S38 Self-Propelled Anti Aircraft Artillery. It's basically a BMP-3 with a 57mm gun and certain systems which allow it to shoot down several types of aircraft.
This also might be a massive game changer for the war in Ukraine.
So enjoy this video :)

[@Janus_M]

I am surprised that the Russians recognized this lack of uav defenses and even built something to solve it. I don't really know how many of these are already deployed in the ground forces but I doubt that there are a lot in active service, since the vehicle just finished development last year. What I don't get is how the managed to effectivly halve the range of the main armament compared to the Zsu-23 series (which the 2S38 should replace). That seems like a major drawback if you want to engage targets at a safe distance. Btw where do you get your information from? I would really like to learn more about this vehicle.

[@bobiwt]

The 2S38 has been seen on parades and exhibitions but I haven‘t seen any on the ground. I don‘t think it‘s meant to replace the ZSU series completely. The ZSU is good but the 2S38 is more mobile which means it can stay closer to the ground forced and provide better support WITH them than a ZSU which is less mobile and can‘t cross water for example and therefore might stay more behind the troops. And since the 2S38 better in countering drones this would be a great addition to the Russian ground forces. It has armor piercing rounds as well so it can serve well in combat if it has to. I get my information from different articles, military blogs and other websites I find while poking around on the internet. This is the specific article from which I got the information for this video from: military-wiki.com/2s38-derivaciya-pvo-self-propelled-anti-aircraft-artillery-on-the-bmp-3-ifv-chassis/?amp

[@Janus_M]

@@bobiwt Thank you! I also don't think that the 2S38 will replace the ZSU series completely. But since Russia has lost numerous AA-systems like the ZSU-23-4 used for shooting down uavs, they need a replacement. And the 2S38 would be well suited for that role.

[@bobiwt]

@@Janus_M Yeah. Tbh I don‘t know why we haven‘t seen much (or anything) of the 2S38 in combat even tho it would be a pretty good addition. It was first introduced in 2019 so it‘s been quite some time. Maybe they need to do some more tests or further develop it or so. But I don‘t know why we haven‘t seen it yet.

[@KaiserPatrik]

2S38 is expected to be deployed soon