Image source: vestnik-rm.ru
During the storming of the Chechen capital on December 31, 1994, 2S6 "Tunguska" anti-aircraft missile gun systems were in the columns of Russian troops. In total, different sources mention two dozen ZRPC.
The fact that in our units from the very beginning of the operation to restore the constitutional order there were means of military air defense was not surprising, the Dudaevites managed to capture more than 110 L-39 aircraft located on the territory of Chechnya, which could carry 100-kilogram bombs and blocks with rockets. But there were also almost one and a half hundred L-29s and several MiG-15s and MiG-17s, two Mi-8 helicopters.
It is known that most of this aircraft was destroyed by the strikes of the Russian Air Force, but there was no guarantee that the militants could not save some part of the combat-ready light attack aircraft.
Therefore, 2S6, Strela-10 and ZSU-23-4 were involved. Fortunately, there were no air raids. Therefore, the crews of the "Arrows" were transferred to motorized skirmishes, but the "Shilki" and "Tunguska" began to specialize in the destruction of ground targets.
During the Grozny operation, the great advantage of anti-aircraft self-propelled guns was their ability to easily mow down enemy snipers, grenade launchers from the upper floors of buildings. In terms of their firepower, they were significantly superior to the BMP-1, BMD-1, BTR-70, BTR-80, BMP-2 and BMP-2.
It is usually written that of the 20 "Tunguskas" mentioned above, 15 were destroyed. In fact, it was only about damage. 2S6 just demonstrated a sufficiently high survivability for lightly armored vehicles. Even on several vehicles where ammunition was hit, the crews remained alive.
The ground-to-air missiles, which were completely useless in the conditions of the city, were not removed from the installations. This was a big mistake, according to the participants of the hostilities. Often, after the fragments hit, they just provoked the failure of the equipment. If this issue had been resolved, then there would have been fewer wounded Tunguskas.
