SU-5-1

SU-5-1

SU-76M

SU-5-1

SU-76M

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.0

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

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Description

The SU-5-1 is a rank I Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault".

The SU-5-1 is a crude SPG built off the T-26 chassis. The T-26 chassis of the SU-5-1 allows it to place itself with relative ease on any spot of the map. The high gun shield can lure the enemy into firing too high, missing the crew. If a hit goes into the body, with a bit of luck, APHE ammo will not detonate on contact and instead go straight through, leaving little spalling damage. The vehicle's crew of 5 will allow some casualties before loss of efficiency.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull15 / 15 / 10

Turret15 / 15 / 0

Crew5 people

Visibility77 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, gun shield)
• Structural steel (gun barrel, gun breech)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	15 mm Upper plate 15 mm (17°) Upper plate - Driver hatch 7 mm (79°) Upper glacis 15 mm (10°) Lower plate 15 mm (53°) Lower glacis	15 mm	10 mm	7 mm (11°) Front glacis 8 mm Engine compartment
Gun shield	15 mm (27°) Gun shield - Top 15 mm Gun shield - Bottom 15 mm (cylindrical) Gun mantlet	15 mm	N/A	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick and tracks are 15 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 6 mm thick.

Given the very thin armour on the hull and gun shield, this vehicle is a textbook example of a glass cannon. The T-26 chassis has mobility, and due to the top and back having no armour, stray artillery strikes can easily decimate the whole 5 crew members. Moreover, any flanking light tank poses a paramount threat to the SU-5-1, since a spray of their machine gun and your crew is dead. However, you have a 76 mm gun armed with APHEBC, so a skilled marksman with this vehicle will pose a threat to any light or medium tank, easily knocking out any of them in a single shot at your battle rating.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB33 / 4 km/h

RB and SB31 / 4 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight10.0 t

Engine power

AB172 hp

RB and SB90 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB17.2 hp/t

RB and SB9.0 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	33	4	10	128	172	12.8	17.2
Realistic	31	4		80	90	8	9

SU-5-1 has very low mobility, sharing the chassis with T-26-4 and all of its drive characteristics. It will be left behind by pretty much every other unit, including low-BR SPGs, so taking the most attractive points will be tricky, but it's still sufficiently mobile to climb the hills or traverse muddy terrain. It's also able to turn in spot, although by braking one of the tracks, so neutral steering is not available.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB90 → 111

RB112 → 138

SB126 → 155

Total cost of modifications2 985

895

Talisman cost190

Crew training200

Experts1 000

Aces20

Research Aces96 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

10 / 20 / 20 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Suspension Research: 135 Cost: 40 35 Brake System Research: 135 Cost: 40 35 Filters Research: 250 Cost: 75 65 Transmission Research: 480 Cost: 145 120 Engine Research: 480 Cost: 145 120	Improved Parts Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Improved FPE Research: 135 Cost: 40 35 Crew Replenishment Research: 250 Cost: 75 65	Horizontal Drive Research: 200 Cost: 60 50 Adjustment of Fire Research: 135 Cost: 40 35 76mm_AP_1942_ammo_pack Research: 135 Cost: 40 35 Elevation Mechanism Research: 250 Cost: 75 65

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm 1902/30 cannon

Ammunition8 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

5.6 → 4.3 s

Vertical guidance-5° / 60°

Horizontal guidance-15° / 15°

The 76mm main gun has above average horizontal guidance for this SPG of ±15°, allowing th SU-5-1 to fight without traversing the hull too much. The stock BR-350A APHEBC shell, with its ~80mm penetration and 150g explosive filler, is able to frontally penetrate and one-shot pretty much any target (eg. Pz.IV C, Crusader, Chi-Ha, etc) it encounters within its BR, making the SU-5 a capable tank destroyer. The large explosive filling also means that if the shot is not placed well enough (eg. hitting the very edge of crew compartment instead of dead centre) it is still more than likely to knock out most of the crew with the explosion, which is less precision-demanding and more beginner-friendly. A similar gun can be found on the KV-1 (L-11), being a great testament to the staying power and the capability of this gun. The gun sewing speed is adequate to keep track of targets with moderate speed, but will struggle against fast targets like an AS 42, especially if they are up close. The reload rate, at ~6 seconds, is quite decent for the gun's power.

However, the biggest and most noticeable drawback of the SU-5-1's armament is the extremely limited ammunition capacity of only 8 rounds. While most players are likely to die before they can fire all of that, this can be a serious issue if one manages to survive long enough and has no friendly cap points nearby. As such, the player must make every shot count. Another disadvantage is the below-average gun depression of -5°, but this is not as limiting since the SU-5-1 is not a very tall vehicle.

76 mm 1902/30					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	8	-5°/+60°	±15°	N/A	7.04	9.75	11.84	13.09	13.93	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					4.76	5.60	6.80	7.52	8.00

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
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	87	85	76	67	59	52
BR-350SP	APBC	102	100	91	81	72	64
OF-350M	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	37	35	29	25	20	17

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%
BR-350A (MD-5 fuze)	APHEBC	662	6.3	1.2	14.0	150	48°	63°	71°
BR-350SP	APBC	655	6.78	N/A	N/A	N/A	48°	63°	71°
OF-350M	HE	680	6.2	0.05	0.1	621	79°	80°	81°
Sh-354T	Shrapnel	680	6.2	0.5	8.0	85	62°	69°	73°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the SU-5-1

Full ammo	1st rack empty	Visual discrepancy
8	1 (+7)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• It is recommended to go into battle with a full rack as the ammo capacity is already limited.

Usage in battles

This vehicle is the perfect (and only) SPG for Russian tech tree beginners: somewhat fragile, decently fast and a gun similar to what is found on higher ranks, it is a great trainer for later gameplay.

As an open-backed SPG, the SU-5-1 should never be seen by the enemy, especially if flanked. Since the gun's ballistics are somewhat tricky and the ammo count is limited, it is recommended to ambush enemies near capture points (preferably by your team's side). Aim carefully, regarding both the vertical and horizontal leading when attacking a moving target, although this is not recommended if the moving target is a heavy tank or is very fast, since that will make leading your heavy shells a hard task. With a capacity of 8 shells, you cannot afford to miss a shot

As a Tank Destroyer/SPG, you should bring supporting fire in the rear lines of the team, never at the front but not too far, repelling enemy assaults on the point. Find a spot with a good view near a capture point or bury yourself in a dark alley (if you have fast reflexes since if you miss the target might be aware and attack you) and wait to see the enemy fall into your sights. Do not forget to move to the nearest captured point after each 1-2 enemy down to reload since your ammo count is that low (sometimes you won't even have enough ammo to finish the second enemy, make sure to engage only if necessary in this case).

This role can be accomplished at any time in the game but it needs two things to be fulfilled: a captured objective nearby and a cooperative team. The objective will be your ammo and target supply since when waiting on a captured point you get an ammo refill. Ammo will be refilled one by one at roughly the same rate as your vehicle can shoot (about a minute for full loadout in this case). A cooperative team will help holding the point, since you can't do it all by yourself since moving means putting yourself in high risk of being spotted in a wrong position. If your team looses the point, do not rush for it (if you're not out yet...) since the enemy team may follow behind the person capturing the point. Wait for your allies to help and stay hidden, taking careful shots at well-chosen enemies. Remember to mobilize after firing a shot, since you pose a large threat in terms of firepower at that battle-rating, and the light tanks will start hunting for you if you keep camping.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent penetration on stock rounds
• Decent reload (6.5s base)
• Good gun traverse angle
• High crew count means it can afford to take a few shots, especially from tanks without HE filler or MG
• Transmission in the front can absorb shots (i.e. in a sniper battle, it is the "ideal" spot to be shot)
• Good shell diversity (somewhat meaningless since it is recommended to fill it with APHE)

Cons:

• Extremely low ammo count (8 rounds)
• Exposed and cramped gun crew that can be destroyed with machine gun fire, or a HE shell somewhere in the rear
• Rather tall profile due to gun placement
• Poor gun depression of -2°
• Weak front armour (machine guns can penetrate this vehicle)
• Somewhat low shell speeds means it's hard to land a shot on a moving target

History

Photograph of one of the SU-5-1 units built

SU-5-1 (СУ-5-1) was conceived as the first of "small triplets" (малого триплекса, the other two being SU-5-2 and SU-5-3), with a goal of providing support for the mechanized troops and cavalry using a standardized chassis for multiple roles. SU-5-1 was anti-tank, -2 was howitzer and -3 provided mortar support. This was to ease maintenance and production. An estimated 5 units were built, after testing they took part in 1939 invasion of Poland at the beginning of World War 2, however they never fired at the Polish units.

The dated, but abundant, 76 mm divisional gun M1902 is put on a modified chassis of the T-26. The key difference includes moving the engine to the front of the chassis, to make space for the gun crew. Overall the evaluators concluded the chassis to be overweight, and pressed for AT-1 instead, which in the end didn't enter into serial production either. Eventually the Soviet army settled for T-26-4 and BT-7A (BT-7a is the basis for the in game BT-7 (F-32)).

This SPG was operated from a stationary position, where two crew members operated the gun from the ground. It was designed to be accompanied by an ammunition carrier based on the same chassis, that would support the firing position.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the SU-5-1 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Community Choice, SU-5-1. Putting the record straight - Joseph 2000

SU-5-1 Tank Review - NUSensei

A Meme Gone Too Far - ☭SU-5-1 Tank Destroyer - MikeGoesBoom

See also

Vehicles of comparable role, configuration and era

• Panzerjager I
• Lorraine 37L
• Spj fm/43-44

External links

• [GlobalSecurity.org] SU-5 self-propelled artillery
• [The Online Tank Museum] SU-26