IS-6

IS-6

IS-6

USSR

V Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
7.7	7.7	7.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Heavy tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The IS-6 is a premium gift rank V Soviet heavy tank with a battle rating of 7.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.67 "Assault". This is one of the most dreaded tanks of its BR spread since it features a good cannon and awesome mobility packed inside a heavily sloped thick armour that most APHE shells cannot penetrate. Use this tank in any role and situation, it will surely find its place on the battlefield. Having very good mobility and a respectable reverse speed allows the IS-6 to plow through sticky situations that many other tanks would struggle with.

General info

Survivability and armour

100 mm sloped at more or less 60­° on all sides provide this vehicle with a reputation to be a ricochet master. Firing on the hull from almost any angle will only result in a glancing shot. The only weak spot being the lower sides of the hull and turret sides and rear, the only way to reliably penetrate it is to get a shot from the side. An attentive player that never shows the sides is an invincible opponent. However, be aware of the frontal armour, as the extremely angled turret armour encasing the cannon breech can create a shot trap and ricochet the shell into the driver's area. This will likely result in your ammo exploding. Be wary when facing any opponent.

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (hull, turret roof, cupola roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (turret, cupola)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	100 mm (62-65°) Front glacis 120 mm (53°) Lower glacis 100 mm (65°) Driver's port	120 mm (45°) Top 100 + 10 mm Bottom	60-75 mm (60°) Top 60 mm (30°) Bottom	20 mm
Turret	150 mm (6-45°) Turret front 100-200 + 50 mm (1-76°) Gun mantlet	150 mm (7-51°)	100 mm (5-50°)	30 mm
Cupola	100 mm (cylindrical)			100 mm Outer ring 30 mm Centre

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick. Torsion bar connectors by the wheels are 60 mm thick.
• Spaced armour plates are placed on the sides, giving an additional 10 mm of side armour.

From the front, only high-end rounds (HEAT-FS, HESH, APFSDS) can penetrate the IS-6. Otherwise, flank it since its lower side armour is flat behind the tracks. In a close to medium range fight, if the IS-6 is static and facing you, try to shoot its right side turret cupola, a penetrating APHE shell may knock out the commander and gunner, disabling the tank (some large calibre rounds can even knock out the loader and/or driver, resulting in an instant elimination). This strategy is not applicable with rounds that don't have HE filler.

Another weak spot is the left side of the mantlet which has the optics in it. This part of the armour is thin enough that most shells at the BR can penetrate it, and in doing do, incapacitate the commander and gunner and destroy the cannon breech. If you are lucky and the IS-6 has ammo in the back of its turret, there is a chance to detonate it as well for an instant elimination.

If you happen to flank an IS-6, take the time to aim since half of its side is covered by its dreaded armour. A missed shot will alert the IS-6 player, withdrawing with its fast speed from sight before another shot could be landed. Turret sides and back can ricochet rounds as well, so keep the hull as a priority target.

If encountering this foe from its back, keep in mind to aim for the middle of the engine deck since plates on both sides are as though as their frontal counterparts. If confident, go for it and aim at the turret back.

Any round penetrating the crew compartment leads to an ammo rack detonation most of the time since this tank's interior is filled with ammo all over the place.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	48	19	51.1	904	1,336	17.69	26.14
Realistic	45	18		619	700	12.11	13.7

If used well, the IS-6 can get into position as fast as a T-54. It is certainly one of the fastest late IS-series tanks. It reaches 44.3 km/h (27.5 mph), the top speed in RB, with ease and has a reverse speed of -16.1 km/h (10 mph).

Armaments

Main armament

The IS-6 features an upgraded version of the D-25T gun found on other IS series variants, the D-30T. Though identical ballistically, it provides a much faster reload, with the IS-6 having a default reload rate only 0.5 seconds longer than the T-10M. The IS-6 uses the same ammo load as the IS-2 with the best shell being the BR-471B, which means the tank will have trouble against some heavies it may encounter from lacking penetration. In addition, the IS-6 does not have access to the BR-471D, which is usable on the IS-3, also at 7.3 rating.

122 mm D-30T					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	30	-3°/+20°	±180°	N/A	11.33	15.68	19.04	21.06	22.40	20.54	18.17	16.75	15.80
Realistic					8.33	9.80	11.90	13.16	14.00

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-471	APHE	205	201	183	162	144	128
BR-471B	APHEBC	205	203	191	178	166	155
OF-471	HE	37	37	37	37	37	37

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-471	APHE	795	25	1.2	19	246.4	47°	60°	65°
BR-471B	APHEBC	795	25	1.2	19	246.4	48°	63°	71°
OF-471	HE	800	25	0.1	0.1	3,600	79°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the IS-6

Full ammo	Ammo part	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
30	Projectiles Propellants	17 (+13) 25 (+5)	13 (+17) 19 (+11)	9 (+21) 13 (+17)	7 (+23) 7 (+23)	5 (+25) 1 (+27)	3 (+27)	1 (+29)	No

Turret empty: 13 (+17)

Machine guns

12.7 mm DShK
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	300 (50)	600	-4°/+85°	±180°

7.62 mm DT
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	2,000 (63)	600	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The IS-6 brings about improved mobility characteristics compared to the IS-3 in the tech tree, yet retains similar armour characteristics and firepower (though it lacks the higher-penetrating BR-471D shell). This mobility improvement should not be taken lightly as it allows the IS-6 to react faster to new threats, whether it be an offensive push, a repositioning, or a short withdrawal.

The role the IS-6 excels at is as a breakthrough vehicle. The IS-6 should take front stage when it comes to assaulting an objective. Its speed and armour can allow the heavy tank to take on enemy fire while on the move as most AP rounds will struggle to penetrate the IS-6 when its armour remains sloped towards the enemy. Make the enemies focus on the IS-6 so teammates can move up and engage the enemies from different angles. Once the enemy focuses on the teammates, move up and assist in taking out the enemy with the IS-6's 122 mm gun.

Firepower is rather lacklustre with the maximum 205 mm penetration at point-blank range, meaning most shots with the IS-6 needs to be carefully aimed towards the enemy's weak points. Combined with the lengthy reload, the first shot the IS-6 takes on an enemy is essential as it may determine the outcome of the engagement. These limiting factors mean that the ideal fighting range for the IS-6 is around 500 metres, as this allows the IS-6 to make the most of the 122 mm gun's penetration and velocity while staying far enough away that the enemy could not quickly rush the IS-6 while it is reloading. Although the reloading weakness can be mitigated by having an escape plan ready so to use the IS-6's mobility to make a tactical retreat.

These features make the IS-6 a somewhat good defender as well, taking the role after assaulting an objective. Making use of cover in a capture area, the IS-6 can lock down chokepoints and focus its 122 mm gun down the range, using its mobility to quickly withdraw after a shot. As the IS-6 would be watching in a more stationary role, the gun handling would be more stable so to be able to make longer-ranged shots against enemies attempting to (re)capture the point. Do keep in mind the gun's bad gun depression of only -3°, so the IS-6 is likely to have a good part of its armour exposed when attempting to face the enemy from a defensive position. As stated above, ensure a good escape strategy is formulated so that a bad 122 mm shot doesn't result in the enemy swarming the IS-6.

Facing enemies with HEAT-FS rounds is a dire situation for the IS-6 as the armour is not thick enough to withstand the round in any angle. Extreme caution should be taken when fighting those tanks. It would be more ideal to withdraw into a different firing position and either wait to ambush the enemy tank as it comes to pursue the IS-6 or provide teammates the opportunity to take out the enemy.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire	BR-471B
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Reload rate considerably faster than usual 122 mm, default is only half a second slower than the T-10M
• 12.7 mm DShK allows for defence against aircraft and lightly-armoured vehicles
• Excellent 100 mm sloping armour on front and sides
• Sleek turret design makes it a smaller target
• Lower glacis is thicker than the upper glacis (120 mm vs 100 mm), though not as sloped
• Suspension wheels, torsion bars, and tracks allow for better protection on lower side hull
• Agile despite its weight and heavy armour
• 150 mm gun mantlet cannot be penetrated by most German guns, due to its 50 mm spaced armour (cannot be normally seen in hangar)
• Good reverse speed
• Premium vehicle bonuses
• Very small weak spots at long distances
• Optics and MG can stop most shrapnel from eliminating the crew and damaging gun breech, which benefits even more from the 50 mm spaced plate

Cons:

• Inadequate ammunition against some upper rank vehicles such as Maus
• Very poor gun depression due to sleek turret design
• Ammunition is strewn all over the hull fighting compartment
• Its sloped armour can be defeated by high caliber British HESH and American HEAT-FS
• Speed goes down dramatically when turning
• Turret cupolas can be vulnerable at close ranges, if not over penetrated
• Gun mantlet design allows trap shots, but it is very random and rare
• Lower side armour is weak versus German guns at angles lower than 60°
• Low crew count for a heavy tank of 4 people

History

The Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant Work (ChKZ) began drafting the designs of a new heavy tank on 02 May 1944 with an electrotransmission, a drive system that was used on the German Ferdinand/Elefant. The plant was officially ordered to begin work on June 08 for two versions of the heavy tank, with emphasis of having significant advantages over the current IS-2 heavy tank. The heavy tank was designated as the IS-6 and the two versions were the Object 252 with a mechanical transmission and the Object 253 with a electric transmission. Both prototypes were produced in the Fall of 1944 and were sent to be tested at the NIIBT testing grounds at Kubinka.

The two prototypes differed in more ways than just the transmission. Object 252 used the mechanical transmission from the IS-3, with large road wheels and no track rollers for its torsion bar suspension. Object 253 used an electric transmission with a suspension that looked similarly to previous IS iterations with smaller road wheels and track rollers. The IS-6 prototypes failed to stay under the weight of the IS-2, being around 51.5 tons. The 122 mm gun arming the IS-6 was the D-30, compared to the D-25T on the predecessors. The D-30 implemented features such as the D-25's monobloc design, the 100 mm D-10's breech and gas block, a two-spring balancing mechanism, a lengthened D-25 mount, and a fume extractor. This gun was installed onto the IS-6 prototypes in December 1944.

The IS-6 prototypes were tested alongside the Object 701 (the prototype of the IS-4). The two IS-6 prototypes proved disappointing, with the Object 253's electric transmission being too complex, expensive, and unreliable. The Object 252's mechanical transmission also suffered from reliability issues. Suspension problems also impacted the IS-6, with its speed dropping below the heavier Object 701. It was hoped that the electric transmission would help make the tank more maneuverable, but the heavy weight prohibited any vast improvements. Overall, the IS-6 armour was deemed to not provide any improvements over existing designs, having only comparable armour, firepower, and mobility to the IS-2 and IS-3. In 1945, all work on the IS-6 ceased as work continued on the Object 701.

Media

The Shooting Range #37 - Metal Beasts section at 00:29 discusses the IS-6.

War Thunder - How to destroy the IS-6.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] IS-6: the Soviet Hammer