MOSCOW, Russia — Russian state defense conglomerate Rostec has publicly positioned its new 30 mm ZAK-30 “Tsitadel” (Citadel) anti-aircraft artillery system as a cost-effective direct competitor to Western point-defense and counter-UAS platforms, including Germany’s Rheinmetall Skynex and the U.S. Phalanx / C-RAM systems.
First unveiled in May 2026 at the 1st International Security Forum in the Moscow region, the ZAK-30 Tsitadel is built around an automated remotely operated weapon station derived from the BM-30-D Spitsa turret, housing a 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon. The system utilizes remotely set time-fuzed 30 mm shrapnel airburst rounds designed to detonate directly in front of target flight paths, creating dense fragment clouds to neutralize Class 1–3 UAVs and loitering munitions with low round-count expenditure.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: ROSTEC ZAK-30 TSITADEL C-UAS SYSTEM 
* Developer & Exporter: Rostec State Corporation / JSC Rosoboronexport
* System Integration & Turret Base: BM-30-D Spitsa-derived weapon module
* Primary Armament & Ammunition Architecture:
* Cannon Type: Single-barrel 30 mm 2A42 automatic cannon
* Ammunition: 30 mm remotely fuzed smart airburst / shrapnel rounds with controlled detonation programming
* Engagement Mechanics: Algorithmic calculation of detonation points to burst ahead of targets, reducing per-kill round consumption
* Sensor Suite & Target Acquisition:
* Detection & Tracking: Dual-channel system incorporating 3D search/tracking radar and electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) optronics suite
* Automation Level: Fully automated target detection, threat prioritization, and automated tracking solution computation
* Engagement Envelope & Operational Deployment:
* Fixed-Wing UAV Engagement Range: Up to ~1.0 km (0.6 miles)
* Multicopter Engagement Range: Up to ~800 meters (2,620 feet)
* Deployment Configurations: Stationary point-defense mount for industrial/military infrastructure protection; mobile variants on Ural 6×6 truck chassis and naval integration under evaluation
* Comparative Western Benchmark Arguments (Rostec Claims):
* vs. Rheinmetall Skynex (35 mm AHEAD): Offers lighter, less expensive 30 mm ammunition and smaller mount footprint
* vs. U.S. Phalanx / C-RAM (20 mm Vulcan): Employs smart airburst/shrapnel rounds vs. high-rate unguided kinetic saturation, drastically lowering magazine consumption per engagement
