The ZAK-57 MSK made its first public appearance during the Center-2026 strategic command-and-staff exercise. Designed to counter different types of drones, the system carries a 57mm automatic cannon. The 21,500-kilogram vehicle has a three-person crew and can cross water obstacles under its own power.

Specialists say the system is intended to engage aerial targets at longer ranges, beyond the effective zones of 30mm guns and 12.7mm and 7.62mm machine guns.

Few details about the ZAK-57 MSK have been disclosed so far. The new system continues the development of a Soviet design that became known by the nickname «Hellish Thresher.»
The drills also involved the 2S38 Derivatsiya-PVO. Built on a BMP-3 chassis, the self-propelled system carries an uncrewed combat module armed with a 57mm cannon.

According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, its reconnaissance and targeting suite operates in passive mode, allowing the vehicle to detect and engage aerial threats without revealing its position.
The 2S38 can fire at drones, cruise missiles, aircraft and helicopters both while stationary and on the move. It also carries a 7.62mm PKTM machine gun. Its main weapon has a maximum engagement range of 6,000 meters and a rate of fire of up to 120 rounds per minute, while the vehicle can reach 70 km/h.

Derivatsiya-PVO is far from the first Russian vehicle to be tested with 57mm artillery. The same type of weapon was previously installed on the PT-76 light tank, which remains in service with several foreign armies. The upgrade sharply increased the older vehicle’s firepower, giving it the ability to engage foreign infantry fighting vehicles including the American M2 Bradley, German Marder and Swedish Strf 90.

According to the publication, a 57mm gun would allow Derivatsiya-PVO to destroy a Leopard 1 from any direction. Heavier armored vehicles such as the M1 Abrams, Leopard 2, Leclerc and Challenger 2 could be disabled by hits to their sides.

The same caliber has also been tested on the BMP-3, the BRM-3K armored reconnaissance vehicle and the T-15 heavy infantry fighting vehicle built on the unified Armata platform. The 57mm gun was also used in the Atom, Barys and Lazanski projects.

Materials from the latest exercises and experience from the special military operation indicate growing interest in 57mm artillery systems. The 2S38 was previously reported to have undergone testing in the special operation zone. Military experts also noted additional external equipment fitted to the vehicles on display, intended to improve their safety and effectiveness in combat.