How to use ZSU-23-4 properly?

[Истина]

The question that confuses me most is that: why it's anti-air efficiency is so low compared to M163 and Gepard?Is it a mistake or I used it wrong?

ZSU-23-4 Shilka is now a common Radar AA for DDR division, while Soviet 39 have Biryusa and 35 have a non radar Afghanskii.
Right now I tried to use it many times and i still don't know how to use it well. It seems to have almost the same rate of fire as M163, but suppression on enemy helicopter is much less than M163 in my experience. It's range is relatively close and need to find a sheltered way to get close to helicopters, but it's speed is slow, 79km/h on road and 43 on field. Meanwhile, it's availability is lower than Strela.
Yes, it has a radar Air optics(even for non radar variants Afghanskii and M163 CS), but Radar optics is not somehow really needed, and it's close range and bad stealth means that i often need to place it where doesn't have a good LOS.

By the way, I think Strela-10M3 is over nerfed. Yes, it can fire when moving, Yes, it's won't be hit by SEAD, but move him to the same price as TOR has gone too far. What things is he can do while TOR can't do better? Accuracy? Air optics? Range? Aiming time? TOR has totally replaced him as a AA. I think this is a mistake.

[commissaire lachance🇫🇷]

it does a good job against infantry and light vehicles, so you can use it as direct fire support

[Истина]

Originally posted by commissaire lachance🇫🇷:

it does a good job against infantry and light vehicles, so you can use it as direct fire support

I don't think he is effective enough, plus 1200m ground range and slow speed makes it dummy in city combat.

[Grant]

It is basically to stop helicopter with rockets, infantries, and recon from flanking around your main line. It is cheap and placing several at the edge of the map with overlapping field of fire allow you to stop cheese maneuvers. Other AA would be too limited and expensive to do otherwise.
It is also useful as SEAD and EW bait, the enemy see them and will target them with SEAD and artillery, which means your actual SAM can be turn on to kill the SEAD once all their HARM been wasted on the cheap ZSU.
The game is all about trading units effectively. For example, send two large health militia units out in the open to lure enemy to send up their MBTs, helicopters, or HE bombers. Then you snipe those units (use MRLS for MBTs), the tactic will slowly but eventually wear out the enemy best units. Finally, you launch your attack (separate them out so they don't get one shot by artillery) and roll over the enemy.
Hence, why I like the PACT decks better overall. They have cheap but effective units that can be used to bait the NATO higher value targets or counter their cheap attacks. For example, the BTRs with 14.7mm, at 15pts they can take out enemy transportation and infantry from afar. Up close, they can even take out IFVs worth double their value. If you lose them, oh well, you still have the infantries holding the actual main line.

[Mr.Dukes]

in ranked gameplay its very important. Grant put it nicely.

[Истина]

Originally posted by Grant:

It is basically to stop helicopter with rockets, infantries, and recon from flanking around your main line. It is cheap and placing several at the edge of the map with overlapping field of fire allow you to stop cheese maneuvers. Other AA would be too limited and expensive to do otherwise.
It is also useful as SEAD and EW bait, the enemy see them and will target them with SEAD and artillery, which means your actual SAM can be turn on to kill the SEAD once all their HARM been wasted on the cheap ZSU.
The game is all about trading units effectively. For example, send two large health militia units out in the open to lure enemy to send up their MBTs, helicopters, or HE bombers. Then you snipe those units (use MRLS for MBTs), the tactic will slowly but eventually wear out the enemy best units. Finally, you launch your attack (separate them out so they don't get one shot by artillery) and roll over the enemy.
Hence, why I like the PACT decks better overall. They have cheap but effective units that can be used to bait the NATO higher value targets or counter their cheap attacks. For example, the BTRs with 14.7mm, at 15pts they can take out enemy transportation and infantry from afar. Up close, they can even take out IFVs worth double their value. If you lose them, oh well, you still have the infantries holding the actual main line.

Thanks, I'll try that.

[FREEZED]

zsu is older way to deal with enemy air, so it is planned to use at least 3 pieces as one team, so to make it effective you should have more than just one shooting at enemy air units.

[commissaire lachance🇫🇷]

Originally posted by Молодая гвардия:

Originally posted by commissaire lachance🇫🇷:

it does a good job against infantry and light vehicles, so you can use it as direct fire support

I don't think he is effective enough, plus 1200m ground range and slow speed makes it dummy in city combat.

yeah but its cheap so you can use several of them

[Mighty-Python-20]

Originally posted by Grant:

It is basically to stop helicopter with rockets, infantries, and recon from flanking around your main line. It is cheap and placing several at the edge of the map with overlapping field of fire allow you to stop cheese maneuvers. Other AA would be too limited and expensive to do otherwise.
It is also useful as SEAD and EW bait, the enemy see them and will target them with SEAD and artillery, which means your actual SAM can be turn on to kill the SEAD once all their HARM been wasted on the cheap ZSU.
The game is all about trading units effectively. For example, send two large health militia units out in the open to lure enemy to send up their MBTs, helicopters, or HE bombers. Then you snipe those units (use MRLS for MBTs), the tactic will slowly but eventually wear out the enemy best units. Finally, you launch your attack (separate them out so they don't get one shot by artillery) and roll over the enemy.
Hence, why I like the PACT decks better overall. They have cheap but effective units that can be used to bait the NATO higher value targets or counter their cheap attacks. For example, the BTRs with 14.7mm, at 15pts they can take out enemy transportation and infantry from afar. Up close, they can even take out IFVs worth double their value. If you lose them, oh well, you still have the infantries holding the actual main line.

Exactly. Well wrote good sir!
There is also small aa guns that can be placed in buildings. cant remember name of unit right now.
May have been removed since updates or stopped from entering buildings.
Anybody know??

[Истина]

Originally posted by Mighty-Python-20:

Originally posted by Grant:

It is basically to stop helicopter with rockets, infantries, and recon from flanking around your main line. It is cheap and placing several at the edge of the map with overlapping field of fire allow you to stop cheese maneuvers. Other AA would be too limited and expensive to do otherwise.
It is also useful as SEAD and EW bait, the enemy see them and will target them with SEAD and artillery, which means your actual SAM can be turn on to kill the SEAD once all their HARM been wasted on the cheap ZSU.
The game is all about trading units effectively. For example, send two large health militia units out in the open to lure enemy to send up their MBTs, helicopters, or HE bombers. Then you snipe those units (use MRLS for MBTs), the tactic will slowly but eventually wear out the enemy best units. Finally, you launch your attack (separate them out so they don't get one shot by artillery) and roll over the enemy.
Hence, why I like the PACT decks better overall. They have cheap but effective units that can be used to bait the NATO higher value targets or counter their cheap attacks. For example, the BTRs with 14.7mm, at 15pts they can take out enemy transportation and infantry from afar. Up close, they can even take out IFVs worth double their value. If you lose them, oh well, you still have the infantries holding the actual main line.

Exactly. Well wrote good sir!
There is also small aa guns that can be placed in buildings. cant remember name of unit right now.
May have been removed since updates or stopped from entering buildings.
Anybody know??

You might mean the 53T2 20mm in French 11 paratroop? It used to be able to enter buildings (and Javelin LML), but Eugen changed it, now it's just like AT gun that can't enter buildings. It's reasonable from my aspect.