The 2K22 Tunguska was the successor to the legendary ZSU-23-4 and introduced the concept of a self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon (SPAAW) which combined both anti-aircraft guns as well as surface-to-air missiles for longer ranged engagements. The 2K22 was based on GM-352M which was used as a common armored chassis for numerous other Soviet and Russian vehicles, which offered protection against small arms and shrapnel as well as NBC protection. Layout was conventional with the driver at the front left, engine to the right, and the fighting compartment composing the rear of the vehicle. The 2K22 borrowed some inspiration from the German Gepard, itself a Western response to the ZSU-23-4, by having its armament mounted externally on the turret on two arms each with twin 30-mm 2A38 autocannons. These had an effective vertical range of 3,000 m and slant range of 4,000 m as well as a cyclic rate of fire of up to 2,500 rounds per minute. Below the guns were located a bank of four 9M311 (SA-19) missiles in a 2 x 2 configuration, with each of the two rows being capable of indepenedent elevation. Two missiles were typically fired at a target to increase hit probability, and these had a slant range of up to 8,000 m. Like the Gepard, the 2K22 was equipped with a radar system (known as 'hot shot') which was composed of a J-band tracking radar mounted at the front of the turret, along with an E-band surveillance radar on the rear of the turret, the latter which could be folded down to reduce the vehicle's height. Detection and tracking ranges were estimated at 18 km and 16 km respectively, and data was fed to an onboard computer. An optical sight was also added for semi-automatic tracking, and an IFF system was also included. The 2K22 entered Soviet service in the mid-1980s but the collapse of the USSR as well as the development of more advanced systems like the Pantsir meant that it was produced in lesser quantities than its predecessor. Foreign users include Belarus, India, Morocco, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine which has used it in combat in its war against Russia.

The requirement for a vehicle combining anti-aircraft guns and SAMs came out as early as 1970 with the first prototype of the 2K22 Tunguska completed in 1976 (the GRAU index of the vehicle alone is 2S6). Early production versions had only two missile blocks on each side and only a small number entered service from the mid-1980s before the upgraded 2K22M was introduced, which added a second row of missiles for a total of eight per vehicle as well as an upgraded 2A38M autocannon. Further development in the 2000s led to the 2K22M1 with more advanced 9M311-M1 SAMs which were capable of engaging with cruise missiles and also had greater ECM resistance.