SU-122-54 is a tank that was in service with the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War II. The self-propelled artillery installation had several advantages compared to its predecessors, such as a powerful gun and good tilt angles, which allowed the tank to even oppose excellent enemy weapons. The history of the creation of the project and the first prototypes of this model is quite long, but this is due to the fact that the tank had to become something fundamentally new and valuable in the arsenal of the Soviet Union in order to overshadow its predecessors and bring only victory. The end justified the means, the tank came out powerful, persistent and stood out nicely against the background of weak enemy armored vehicles.
A bit of history
The predecessor of the SU-122-54 was the well - known self-propelled artillery mount SU-100, which became obsolete and needed improvements, and in 1947 it was completely discontinued. Already in 1948, government bodies decided to begin the development of a new self-propelled guns, which would be equipped with a 122-mm gun based on ST T-54.
Responsible for the project was appointed I. S. Bushnev. All calculations were to be submitted in July 1948, but since there was a delay in the design of the cannon for the tank, the first prototype was shown to the government with identification in a few months, namely in December.
After eliminating the shortcomings, the drawings were again sent for consideration to a special commission. In August 1949, the layout was approved, and the tank factory began to create prototypes. Soon, the work was temporarily suspended due to changes in the technical characteristics of ST T-54. It was decided to modernize the initial layout and change the layout of the tank, which significantly slowed down the preparation of the final version of the project.
First samples and production
The first prototype saw the world already in 1950, by the end of which factory tests had already been completed. Preliminary testing of the machine took place in June and July 1951, and in August of the same year the SU-122-54 was sent for state diagnostics. During the research, several shortcomings were found, which were then corrected, after which all the documents necessary for sending the new machine to serial production were prepared for the tank destroyer. A few years passed research on this model before it was ready for production, which was impossible due to the lack of suitable guns. Self-propelled guns SU-122-54 was adopted by the Soviet Union in 1954, and put into production in 1955. The machine was created in small batches, the total number of finished copies was about 100 pieces.
The production of the tank was short-lived, this is due to the fact that quickly developed projects of new, more powerful tank weapons. The designers were engaged in the creation of missiles, both ground and sea, guided missiles, which were much more accurate. Therefore, the tank soon became obsolete and ceased to be produced. The remaining copies can be seen in the tank museum of the city of Kubinka.
General specifications
- The crew includes 5 people.
- The mass of self-propelled guns is 35.7 tons.
- The length of the tank is 9.97m.
- Height - 2.06m.
- Frontal armor - 100 mm.
- Side armor - 80 mm.
- The top speed is 48 km / h.
- The gun - D-49.
- Machine gun - 2 * KPVT 14.5 mm
- Ammunition - 35 rounds / 600 rounds.
- Range - 13.4 km.
- Engine - B-54.
- Engine power - 52 horsepower.
Crew
The crew of this self-propelled artillery installation includes five people: a commander, a gunner, a driver and two loaders (left and right). In SU-122, the control department is combined with the combat department, which allows all crew members to communicate freely.
Felling and forehead
During the construction of the tank, great attention was paid to armor and protection. Especially the creators were worried about the cabin, which was cooked from armor plates so that the tilt angles were maximum, and, consequently, the possibility of a rebound increased. The thickness of the frontal armor reached 100 mm with an angle of inclination of 51 degrees, which gave the front of the tank an excellent level of protection.
Engine
Since the diesel engine was in the housing in the transverse position, this made it possible to modernize the engine-transmission compartment and make it more compact. The chassis, transmission and power plant were taken from the predecessor of the PT SAU SU-122-54 and slightly modified.
A gun
A D-49 gun was installed on the machine, which could inflict no less damage than the gun of the heavy Soviet tank IS-3. The elevation and horizontal guidance of this gun were 16 degrees. The gun is also equipped with an ejector and a rammer, which is designed to help the loader and improve the rate of fire to 5-6 rounds / minute.
D-49 was installed in the front compartment of the hull, which was the most armored part of the tank. The ammunition SU-122 included a wide variety of shells, including armor-piercing, high-explosive fragmentation and standard howitzer grenades. The D-49 was paired with a KPVT machine gun with a pneumatic reload system, which was mounted on the roof of the wheelhouse. In the same department was a rangefinder.
Armor and penetration zones
Tank SU-122-54 also known under the production name "Object 600" has gained wide popularity in the game World of Tanks ("World of Tanks"). This is not at all surprising, since interest in Soviet armored vehicles in the CIS has remained quite high for many years.
In the game, as on a real battlefield, any equipment will have weaknesses. For SU-122 in a frontal collision, it is recommended first of all to aim at the rangefinder, since although it has good armor, there are very small tilt angles, therefore, the tank can be seriously damaged.
The lower armor plate has very powerful protection and a rare tank will be able to damage it. The same applies to the corps, although it is less fortified, it remains an unattainable goal. Only a tank with a very powerful weapon can penetrate such armor.
The board and the feed are more vulnerable, the armor in these areas is 80 and 45 mm, respectively. Accurate entry into the stern can cause a fire in SU-122-54. The World of Tanks offers a wide variety of configurations for both this vehicle and its predecessor, the T-54.
Surviving models
Until now, reliable information exists exclusively about one copy, which is presented in the Armored Museum of Kubinka. In one of the museums in Kiev dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, an imitation of SU-122-54 is presented, which, in fact, is the SU-100, whose trunk is cut off. There is also evidence that in the military unit in Sertolovo there is a tractor that was converted from SU-122.
A brief review of the SU-122-54 shows that even taking into account some of the shortcomings of the machine, it was in demand. At a minimum, this confirms the number of copies released. After the first tests in battle, the rifle unit awarded the self-propelled gun with many positive reviews and praises. In the future, after the self-propelled guns were already widely used on the battlefields, improved armor was added to the successful layout. In later versions of the model, another, more powerful gun was also installed. Therefore, in general, the SU-122 can be called a strong and popular machine. This is evidenced by the requests of front-line commanders, who insisted that it was this tank that was allocated to them even after it was withdrawn from production.