2S3M
Contents
Description
The 2S3M ("Akatsiya") was a modernized version of the 2S3 self-propelled artillery. As the first of three modernization attempts, it featured a new 2A33 howitzer capable of loading more advanced ammunition, increasing its effective range, reliability, and accuracy. The 2S3M also incorporated a single mechanized ammunition rack, as opposed to the 2S3's two. This change allowed for an increase in the maximum ammunition capacity from 40 to 46 rounds. Even though the changes weren't significant, they were seen as a step in the right direction toward bringing Soviet artillery efficiency more in line with that of western nations. The 2S3M served as the main production model of the series and was widely deployed in the Soviet Union and its allies. Further efforts to extend the service life of the series were undertaken in the mid-1980s and early 2000s, resulting in the 2S3M1 and 2SM2 variants, respectively.
The 2S3M was introduced in Update "Winged Lions". In comparison to the SU tank destroyer series, it offers significantly different gameplay. Other than the obvious difference of not being a "casemate", it is very lightly armoured but highly mobile. Its cannon relies on the use of HE and HE-VT shells capable of disintegrating even the most heavily armoured tanks at its battle rating. The proxy shells are also sufficient against low flying aircraft, as they have a very capable fuse and a high explosive effect that can cause significant damage.
General info
Survivability and armour
The survivability of the 2S3M is extremely situational. Due to having absolutely no effective armour to stop any munition but small firearms such as 7.62 mm machine guns, it is very vulnerable to all damage. However, solid shots such as APCR, AP or APDS have a chance to go right through the armour without causing any damage whatsoever. The armour of the 2S3M can also partially stop artillery strikes fragmentation depending on the distance between the explosion and the platform. The best armour of the 2S3M is not to be seen. As a howitzer with a very potent weapon, it should be never stay stationary after firing, as this can disclose the location of the platform and be killed. The engine in the front of the hull can occasionally absorb some shots, allowing the 2S3M to fire back and disable the enemy.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 15 mm (74°) | 15 mm Top 15 mm Bottom |
15 mm | 10 - 15 mm |
| Turret | 10 - 30 mm Turret front 20 mm Gun mantlet |
15 mm | 15 mm | 10 - 15 mm |
| Cupola | 10 mm | 10 mm | 10 mm | 5 mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The 2S3M, while not the fastest tank at its BR, is quite speedy and able to get to key positions before most of the enemy. It takes time to accelerate and brake due to the heavy weight of the main gun, but it reaches the top speed fairly easily. It holds a max speed of 60 km/h, which is fast for a tank at this battle rating, and it often reaches its top speed. As it is based on the SU-100P hull, it has a very decent turn rate and reverse speed, being able to reach up to -14 km/h while on reverse. It has a very capable cross-country capability and when track module is researched, along with a much better turn radius.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 66 | 16 | 27.5 | 739 | 992 | 26.87 | 36.07 |
| Realistic | 60 | 15 | 460 | 520 | 16.73 | 18.91 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
The 2S3M has access to the 152 mm 2A33 howitzer, a very potent gun with a significant firepower at the cost of a long reload time. The performance of the gun is excellent, with a shell that has one of the highest amount of explosives at its rank. While it is slower in performance compared to the Type 75 SPH or the Bkan 1C, only going 655 m/s compared to the Bandkanon's 850 m/s and the Type 75's 750 m/s , it holds one of the most devastating rounds in game: the 3OF25. Holding more than 10 kg of TNT equivalent explosive mass, it is able to annihilate any lightly armoured ground vehicle with a direct hit anywhere and even the most protected vehicles can still be destroyed in one shot if aimed properly.
Additionally, the 2S3M also has the 3OF25 (PF) shell. This is a proximity-fused high-explosive shell which detonates automatically when it gets close to a tank or plane, which allows it to explode above the roof of an enemy vehicle, destroying it in a similar fashion to a top attack missile. However, it will detonate on any features of the map, be that a rock, a mound of dirt, or even the ground. This, combined with its trigger radius (from 1 to 3 m) makes it little effective for shooting down vehicles hiding just behind ridge lines or obstacles, but effective against planes. The proximity fuse arms past 300 m, against closer targets the fuse doesn't work and the shell will perform just like the standard 3OF25 shell.
| 152 mm 2A33 | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 46 | -4°/+60° | ±180° | N/A | 8.8 | 12.2 | 14.8 | 16.4 | 17.4 | 17.29 | 15.30 | 14.10 | 13.30 |
| Realistic | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 9.4 | 10.0 | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | ||
| OF-540 | HE | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 | 49 |
| BP-540 | HEAT | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| BR-540B | APHEBC | 171 | 169 | 160 | 150 | 141 | 133 |
| 3OF25 | HE | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
| 3OF25 (PF) | HE-VT | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| OF-540 | HE | 655 | 43.56 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 5,860 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| BP-540 | HEAT | 680 | 27.4 | 0.05 | 0.1 | 4,800 | 62° | 69° | 73° | |||
| BR-540B | APHEBC | 600 | 48.96 | 1.2 | 19 | 739.2 | 48° | 63° | 71° | |||
| 3OF25 | HE | 655 | 43.56 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 10,120 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |||
| Proximity-fused shell details | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Arming distance (m) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | |||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||||
| 3OF25 (PF) | HE-VT | 655 | 43.56 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 300 | 3 | 10,120 | 79° | 80° | 81° | |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Notes:
- The 2S3M uses two-piece ammunition, composed of projectiles (yellow) and propellant charges (orange). Both have separate racks.
- Projectiles and propellant charges are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
- Hull empty: 13 (+33) shells.
Machine guns
The 2S3M is also equipped with a 7.62 mm machine gun, which is useful for clearing bushes and fences in the path of this tank's high explosive shell. The PKT machine gun is not very effective against any planes directly. It serves more to attract a plane's attention and secure an easy destruction with the proximity shell, rather than being used as a weapon itself.
| 7.62 mm PKT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Pintle | 1,500 (250) | 700 | -6°/+15° | -160°/+155° |
Usage in battles
The 2S3M should be used as a support gun, able to take down even the heaviest of targets with a single shot. Teammates should be supported with the power of this weapon as well as the variety of projectiles available to it. It is not to be played as a frontline vehicle due to the immense reload time and aiming of the weapon. However it is a very good guerilla combatant and skirmisher if used as a backup for frontline vehicles.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful HE shells can finish off anything with overpressure, like Panther II, Tiger II (H), M4A3E2 (76) W, etc.
- HEAT with a penetration of 250 mm is able to penetrate most tanks at the rank
- Has a variety of shell types to suit different preferences and situations: HE, HEAT, HE-VT, APHEBC
- HE-VT shell lets it take an anti-aircraft role and potentially harm lightly-armoured enemies behind cover
- Is turreted, allowing more flexible tactics
- -14 km/h reverse speed is good enough to retreat into cover
- Has a dozer blade to build a dirt cover
Cons:
- Thin armour, any weapon larger than a MG is threatening
- Poor -4° gun depression limits its ability in hilly terrains
- Long reload time
- Turret is huge with ready rack at the back, easy to get spotted and destroy with ammo rack detonation
- Slow turret steering speed
History
By 1964, NATO was equipped with the M109 self-propelled artillery. However, the Soviet army were still using artillery developed during WWII. During an exercise at Yavoriv military base, senior officials determined that the various types of artillery developed during World War II were not suitable for the war at that time. In order to make up for the technological gap with NATO countries, Resolution No. 609-201, issued by the Central Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union on July 4, 1965, was finalized, starting the development plan for the new 152 mm self-propelled gun. In 1971, the Soviet Union passed the acceptance of the 2S3 self-propelled gun and began mass production.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
External links
| USSR tank destroyers | |
|---|---|
| SU-76M | SU-76M · SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps) · SU-85A |
| SU-57B | SU-57B · SU-76D |
| T-34 Derivatives | SU-122 · SU-85 · SU-85M · SU-100 · SU-122P |
| Heavy Tank Derivatives | SU-100Y · ISU-122 · ISU-122S · SU-152 · ISU-152 · Object 268 |
| SU-100P and Derivatives | SU-100P · Object 120 |
| Wheeled | YaG-10 (29-K) |
| Airborne | ASU-57 · ASU-85 |
| Rocket | BM-8-24 · BM-13N · BM-31-12 |
| ATGM | IT-1 · Shturm-S · Khrizantema-S |
| Artillery | 2S1 · 2S3M |
| Other | SU-5-1 · ZiS-30 · SU-122-54 · Object 775 |
| USA | SU-57 |
