Ukraine’s Air Force Rifle Brigade has successfully adapted tactical Humvee vehicles into improvised “gun trucks” equipped with a GSh-23 aircraft cannon.
The modifications, reported by defense outlet Militarnyi, demonstrate Ukraine’s innovative approach to enhancing frontline firepower.
The brigade recently completed live-fire exercises using the modified vehicles, where crews practiced tactical maneuvers and honed their firing skills. The training included both direct-fire operations and indirect fire from concealed positions, using reconnaissance drones to adjust targeting beyond line-of-sight.
The mounted GSh-23L, a 23mm automatic cannon originally designed for aircraft, is capable of firing armor-piercing and high-explosive fragmentation rounds. It operates at a firing rate of 500 to 3,500 rounds per minute in controlled bursts of 8-10 shots.
While the effective direct-fire range is up to 2 kilometers, its range can extend two to three times farther when used in high-arc, indirect fire modes. The weapon compensates for its inherent inaccuracy at ground level with a dense rate of fire and the destructive power of its munitions.
The GSh-23L was specifically developed for airborne platforms, meaning it was not originally designed to operate under the harsh conditions of ground combat. The system lacks mechanical sights and is less resistant to environmental contamination, factors that pose challenges when repurposed for ground use.
To address these limitations, Ukrainian engineers have mounted the cannon on a specially designed turret equipped with ammunition containers and a feeding system. It is likely that targeting mechanisms, such as improvised optical sights, have been integrated to improve its accuracy in ground operations.