Russia’s Rostec State Corporation formally presented the ZAK-30 Tsitadel, a short-range anti-aircraft artillery system designed to engage unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) using programmable, remotely detonated airburst shrapnel shells, for display at the First International Security Forum in Moscow Oblast. The official technical rollout on May 25 confirmed previous footage circulating on May 20 that showed the system already deployed successfully against Ukrainian drones.
The Tsitadel’s fire control calculates a detonation point based on the target’s flight trajectory and programs each shell to detonate in the drone’s path rather than requiring a direct hit. “Far fewer such shells are required to destroy a target compared to conventional ammunition,” Rostec stated.
Rostec is presenting the Citadel anti-aircraft complex with “smart” munitions at the First International Security Forum.
The ZAK-30 “Citadel” is a 30 mm caliber system designed to protect stationary objects from strikes by multi-copter and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles… pic.twitter.com/m9gHDZcRQb— Andrei_bt (@AndreiBtvt) May 25, 2026
According to the company, the ZAK-30 Tsitadel is equipped with integrated “optoelectronic and radar systems for detecting and tracking enemy drones.” Rostec noted that the platform’s optical channel operates across both the visible and infrared spectrums, adding that its entire operational workflow, “from target detection to destruction, is highly automated.”
Published specifications place detection range at 2,000 meters against fixed-wing UAVs and 1,000 meters against multicopters, with an engagement range of 1,000 to 1,300 meters. The system carries 250 rounds.
Rostec stated the system’s performance has been confirmed “in real-world conditions,” referencing the war in Ukraine without providing operational details.
Russian open-source analysts identified the system in footage published May 20 by Telegram channel Povyornutye na Voyne, which appeared to show the system engaging four Ukrainian Liutyi fixed-wing strike drones in semi-automatic mode. These claims have not been independently verified.
At approximately 600 million rubles, or roughly $8 million, the Tsitadel covers a firing sector of roughly 300 degrees with an effective radius of about 1.2 kilometers. Covering a large oil refinery against fixed-wing UAV attack would require six to 10 units at a combined cost of up to 5.8 billion rubles, according to btvt.info analysis.
