DGJP-422 Saljungjudan
| DGJP-422 Sajungjudan | |
|---|---|
| File:SKAP 422.png | |
| Type | SPAAG |
| Place of origin |  Menghe |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1962-present |
| Used by | Menghean Army |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Haeju Special Automotive Plant |
| Produced | 1965-1991 |
| No. built | about 2,100 |
| Variants | DGJP-222, DGJP-422 (basic), DGJP-422SD |
| Specifications (DGJP-422) | |
| Weight | 29 metric tonnes |
| Length | 7.02 m |
| Width | 3.35 m |
| Height | 2.41 m to turret roof |
| Crew | 3 (driver, gunner, commander) |
| Armor | welded steel plate |
Main armament | 4x 22mm DGGP-22/80 autocannon |
| Engine | 12-cylinder diesel 550 hp |
| Power/weight | 19.0 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion-bar |
| Ground clearance | 45 cm |
Operational range | 500 km |
| Speed | 55 km/h (road) |
The DGJP-422 (Menghean: 대공 자주포, Daegong Jajupo, "Anti-Air Self-propelled Gun," 4x22mm) is an early SPAAG developed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Menghe. It originated as the DGJP-222, an improvised weapon used by rebel forces in the Menghe War of Liberation, and was subsequently put into regular production as the more heavily armed DGJP-422. All types are built on the chassis of the MinChong-4 medium tank, a license-produced copy of the Erusuian UG-59. Its crews gave it the nickname Sajungjudan (살중주단, "quartet") due to the distinctive arrangement of its four autocannons.
Description
The DGJP-422’s main armament consists of four 22mm autocannons, two in the front center of the turret and one on each side further back. On all early variants, these were manually aimed by the gunner, who relied on a simple sighting mechanism that elevated in line with the guns. This made the system ineffective against fast jet aircraft at high altitudes, though it was kept in service to defend against strafing aircraft and helicopters. Because it uses a tank chassis, it was fairly well armored in its time, but modern anti-tank weapons can easily penetrate its hull, and the turret is open-topped and only thinly armored against shrapnel on the sides. It is also relatively slow, benefiting from a modest reduction in weight due to the removal of the turret but still driven by the original MCh-4 engine.
DGJP-422SD
Introduced in 1978, the DGJP-422SD (신세대, Sinsedae, "New Generation") is an upgraded version with a covered turret roof and a radar unit. The radar is only effective for targeting, and as such the vehicle lacks an independent air-search capability. Instead, each air defense battalion with the DGJP-422SD includes a self-propelled command vehicle with a radar, which can relay the approximate bearing and altitude of a target. In practice, however, DGJP-422SD crews often rely on the commander visually observing from his hatch. Because this hatch is directly in front of the targeting radar, crews often operate with the radar inactive, switching it on only once a target is detected and the commander withdraws into the turret. This lengthens response time, but has the added side effect of making the vehicle more difficult to suppress with anti-radiation missiles. If necessary, the gunner can also aim the guns manually by means of a periscopic sight.
Service
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the Sajungjudan was the main self-propelled anti-air gun of the Menghe People’s Army, and the only one equipped with radar targeting. Even so, the system’s limited range and poor accuracy constrained its effectiveness, especially as precision-guided standoff munitions allowed jet aircraft to strike from higher altitudes. In 1982, the Namyang Design Bureau began work on a replacement which would eventually become the DGJP-230 Jaebongtul, but this did not enter service until 1995.
Even as -230s were delivered to front-line units, the DGJP-422 remained widespread in the reserves, though most were converted to "SD" standard. The variant DGJP-422SD2 upgraded the radar set, allowing it to perform as a rudimentary search radar but switch to the targeting role when an enemy aircraft was detected. DGJP-422SD and -SD2 vehicles remain in use with most reservist units, with six vehicles in each regiment’s Close Air Defense Battalion. From 2013 onward, Mobilization Reserve units began receiving retired SKAP-230As as a replacement, but the Sajungjudan still accounts for about 70% of Mobilization Reserve regimental SP-AA guns, with 1,500 units in service as of 2016.