IS-2
For the Chinese Standard counterpart of this tank, see IS-2 (Chinese Heavy Tank)
IS-2
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[Client Values; Actual values in
4,700  Cost |
| 1280256 HP Hit Points |
| 46.27/48.422.72/48.4 t Weight Limit |
- Commander (Radio Operator)
- Gunner
- Driver
- Loader
| 600600 hp Engine Power |
| 34/14 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3838 deg/s Traverse |
| 12.9726.41 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| NoNo Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 100/90/90100/90/90 mm Turret Armor |
AP/APCR/HE
AP/APCR/HE Shells |
1025/4800/608
1025/4800/608 Shell Cost |
| 390/390/530390/390/530 HP Damage |
| 175/217/61175/217/61 mm Penetration |
|
4.88 r/m ▲
4.88 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Standard Gun |
|
1903.2 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1903.2 Standard Gun ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Standard Gun |
|
0.46 m ▲
0.46 m With 50% Crew: 0.57 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.57 m |
| 3.4 s 3.4 s Aim time |
| 2828 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -6°/+25°-6°/+25° Elevation Arc |
| 2828 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 1515 % Chance of Fire |
| 350 m 350 m View Range |
| 730 m 730 m Signal Range |
VII
4700
The IS-2 is a Soviet tier 7 premium heavy tank.
Built in 1944, the IS-2 (IS-122) heavy tank was a modification of the IS-1. It featured a simple cast glacis plate. Elite Soviet Guards heavy tank regiments used the IS-2 extensively in the assaults on the fortress cities of Budapest, Breslau, and Berlin. These vehicles featured thick white stripes for quick identification by other Soviet tank crews. This vehicle, a tank of the 7th Guards Independent Heavy Tank Brigade, was made famous in a photo taken in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIII | 122 mm D-25T | 175/217/61 | 390/390/530 | 4.88 | 0.46 | 3.4 | 2590 | 125140 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | V-2IS | 600 | 15 | 750 | 36000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | IS-2M | 48.4 | 38 | B/2 | 11500 | 20000 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X | 10RKM | 730 | 100 | 52200 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- 122mm gun hits hard allowing peek-a-boom tactics where this tank excels
- Has the potential to generate a large amount of credits
- Relatively quick and nimble which helps getting into the face of enemies
- Strongest sloped upper plate of all 3 IS counterparts - 165mm effective with no additional angling
- Higher HP than regular IS - 1280 vs. 1230
Cons:
- No limited MM, however, sees same opponents as regular IS
- While generally sound, armor should not be completely relied on due to somewhat obvious weakspots (lower plate, cupola)
- Expensive premium APCR ammunition eats into credits if used excessively
- Poor accuracy and somewhat long aim time can make aiming for weak spots difficult
- Less engine power and worse radio range compared to regular IS
Performance
Generally speaking, the IS-2 plays like the regular IS with the top 122 mm gun. It has a weaker engine, but this is partially compensated by improved ground-resistance. It's hull armour is weaker at the front, but has better angling and sloping. The upgraded turret gives it an extra 50 HP compared to the Soviet IS (and no other bonuses), for a tiny extra bit of survivability. Otherwise the only difference is the reduced signal range.
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
The Iosif Stalin tank was a series of heavy tanks developed as a successor to the KV-series by the Soviet Union during World War II.The tanks were based off of the KV tanks. The heavy tank was designed with thick armour to counter the German 88 mm guns, and carried a main gun that was capable of defeating the German Tiger and Panther tanks.At first, it was to be armed with a 85mm cannon, later, a 100 mm, and finally a 122mm. It was mainly a breakthrough tank, firing a heavy high-explosive shell that was useful against entrenchments and bunkers. It could easily destroy the Tiger I's and Panthers. The IS-2 was put into service in April 1944, and was first used as a spearhead in the Battle of Berlin by the Red Army in the final stage of the war.
Armament
Two candidate weapons were the A-19 122 mm gun and the BS-3 100 mm gun. The BS-3 had superior armour penetration (185 mm compared to 160 mm), but a less useful high explosive round. Also, the BS-3 was a relatively new weapon in short supply, while there was excess production capacity for the A-19 and its ammunition. Compared to the older 76.2 mm tank gun, the A-19 had very good armour penetration, similar to that of the effective 75 mm high velocity gun mounted on the German Panther, and delivered 3.5 times the kinetic energy of the older F-34. After testing both BS-3 and A-19 guns, the latter was selected as the main armament of the new tank, primarily because of its ready availability and the effect of its large high-explosive shell when attacking German fortifications. The A-19 used a separate shell and powder charge, resulting in a lower rate of fire and reduced ammunition capacity, both serious disadvantages in tank-to-tank engagements. The gun was very powerful, and while its 122 mm armour-piercing shell had a lower muzzle velocity than similar late-issue German 75 mm and 88 mm guns, Soviet proving-ground tests established that the A-19 could penetrate the front armour of the German Panther tank, and it was therefore considered adequate in the anti-tank role.
German Army data on the penetration ranges of the 122 mm A-19 gun against the Panther tank showed it to be much less effective when the Panther stood at a side angle of 30 degrees to the incoming round: the A-19 gun was unable to penetrate the glacis plate of the Panther at any distance, and could only penetrate the bottom front plate of the hull at 100 m. It was the large HE shell the gun fired which was its main asset, proving highly useful and destructive in the anti-personnel role. The size of its gun continued to plague the IS-2, and the two-piece ammunition was difficult to handle and slow to reload (the rate of fire was only about two rounds per minute). Another limitation imposed by the size of its ammunition was the payload: only 28 rounds could be carried inside the tank.
Production
The IS-122 prototype replaced the IS-85, and began mass production as the IS-2. The 85 mm guns could be reserved for the new T-34-85 medium tank, and some of the IS-1s built were rearmed before leaving the factory, and issued as IS-2s. The main production model was the IS-2, with the powerful A-19. It was slightly lighter and faster than the heaviest KV model 1942 tank, with thicker front armour and a much-improved turret design. The tank could carry thicker armour than the KV series, while remaining lighter, due to the better layout of the armour envelope. The KV's armour was less well-shaped and featured heavy armour even on the rear, while the IS series concentrated its armour at the front. The IS-2 weighed about the same as a German Panther and was lighter than the German heavy Tiger tank series, and was slightly lower than either. Western observers tended to criticize Soviet tanks for their lack of finish and crude construction. The Soviets responded that it was warranted considering the need for wartime expediency and the typically short battlefield life of their tanks.
Early IS-2s can be identified by the 'stepped' front hull casting with its small, opening driver's visor. The early tanks lacked gun tube travel locks or antiaircraft machine guns, and had narrow mantlets. Later improved IS-2s (model 1944) had a faster-loading version of the gun, the D25-T with a double-baffle muzzle brake and better fire-control. It also featured a simpler hull front without a 'step' in it (using a flat, sloping glacis armour plate). Some sources called it IS-2m, but it is distinct from the official Soviet designation IS-2M for a 1950s modernization. Other minor upgrades included the addition of a travel lock on the hull rear, wider mantlet, and, on very late models, an antiaircraft machine gun. In the mid-1950s, the remaining IS-2 tanks (mostly model 1944 variants) were upgraded to keep them battle-worthy, producing the IS-2M, which introduced fittings such as external fuel tanks on the rear hull (the basic IS-2 had these only on the hull sides), stowage bins on both sides of the hull, and protective skirting along the top edges of the tracks.
Operational history
The IS-2 tank first saw combat in early 1944. IS-2s were assigned to separate heavy tank regiments, normally of 21 tanks each. These regiments were used to reinforce the most important attack sectors during major offensive operations. Tactically, they were employed as breakthrough tanks. Their role was to support infantry in the assault, using their large guns to destroy bunkers, buildings, dug-in crew-served weapons, and other 'soft' targets. They were also capable of taking on any German AFVs if required. Once a breakthrough was achieved, lighter, more mobile T-34s would take over the exploitation.
By the 1950s the emergence of the main battle tank concept—combining medium-tank mobility with the firepower and later armour of the heavy tank—had rendered heavy tanks obsolete in Soviet operational doctrine. In the late 1960s the remaining Soviet heavy tanks were transferred to Red Army reserve service and storage. The IS-2 Model 1944 remained in active service much longer in the armies of Cuba, China and North Korea. A regiment of Chinese IS-2s was available for use in the Korean War, but saw no service there. In response to border disputes between the Soviet Union and China, some Soviet IS-3s were dug in as fixed pillboxes along the Soviet-Chinese border.
Historical Gallery
