IS-7

IS-7

IS-7

USSR

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
8.3	8.3	8.3

Class:

Heavy tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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Description

The IS-7 is a gift Rank VI Soviet heavy tank with a battle rating of 8.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as the main reward of Operation S.U.M.M.E.R. 2018.

The IS-7 is the culmination of decades of heavy tank development by the USSR, combining distinctive features of previous iterations of the IS series with more modern technology like an assisted loader. The IS-7 is the ultimate 'super heavy tank', rivaling the Maus and E-100 in pure survivability, with a massive 130mm naval gun. Nigh impenetrable from the front, even with all but the highest penetration HEAT rounds and ATGMs, this behemoth is more than capable of standing its ground at 8.0 when played correctly.

The IS-7 looks quite similar to the IS-3 and T-10M, however due to the assisted loader and much heavier armour, the turret is significantly longer. It has machine guns strewn all over the hull and turret, and a distinctive gun with a perforated cylinder type muzzle brake. Its’ top mounted 14.5mm KPVT machine gun is on an extremely tall spindle mount.

As with previous IS tanks, the IS-7 should be played at close to medium ranges, as the monstrous short-range power of the gun falls off with range. Unlike previous models, the IS-7 has far fewer issues with flankers, as the majority of its side armour is leagues ahead of what the earlier machines had. The frontal armour is impossible for almost any kinetic round to penetrate, and with very few weak spots it can be frustrating to deal with. The weapon has a great assisted loader, allowing the 130mm rounds to be loaded in as little as 10 seconds. This newly upsized C-70 cannon (exclusive to the IS-7) only has APCBC and HE rounds, but with 35mm additional penetration on the BR-482B over the top-tier ammunition from the previous D-25T gun (taking it to a total of 265mm at 10 meters), an experienced IS driver will be able to deal with the vast majority of enemy vehicles they come up against.

In addition to the formidable armour, the IS-7 has no less than 8 machine guns, a powerful deterrent for any light vehicles that may stray into the path of this machine. To top this off, the IS-7 has a significantly more powerful engine than previous models, with over 1300 horsepower relieving the acceleration and maneuverability issues encountered prior without costing at all in reverse speed or top forward speed. IS-7 drivers should not be deterred by any terrain, as the wide tracks and powerful engine will make quick work of any surface.

The IS-7 should be played as a breakthrough tank, pushing forward to enable team members in lighter vehicles and secure objectives. Beware, however, that it’s not entirely invulnerable and experienced opponents may take advantage of the few small weak points the vehicle has. In addition, some high-calibre HESH rounds (such as the FV4005 and Conway will have no trouble disabling your vehicle almost regardless of where they land. Always be aware of what you may encounter!

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	150 mm	150 mm Top 100 mm Bottom	60 mm	5 - 40 mm
Turret	101 - 235 mm Turret front 250 mm Gun mantlet	139 - 202 mm	63 - 179 mm	30 - 99 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	30 mm	30 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 30 mm thick, and torsion bars are 60 mm thick.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
68.0	N/A	63 (AB)
		60 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,356	1,669
Realistic/Simulator	929	1,050
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	19.94	24.54
Realistic/Simulator	13.66	15.44

Armaments

Main armament

130 mm C-70
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
30			-3°/+15°	±180°	N/A
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	16.2	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	11.9	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
10.00	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
BR-482B	APCBC	265	260	250	240	225	210
OF-482M	HE	31	31	31	31	31	31

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
BR-482B	APCBC	900	33	1.2	15	195.5	°	48°	63°	71°
OF-482M	HE	900	34	N/A	N/A	2,650	+0°	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
30	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Machine guns

14.5 mm KPVT
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
200 (50)				600	-5°/+85°	±180°
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
200 (50)				600	N/A	N/A

7.62 mm RP-46
Coaxial mount (x2)
Capacity (Belt capacity each)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
800 (400)				600	N/A	N/A
Fixed front mount (x2)
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
800 (400)				600	N/A	N/A
Fixed rear mount (x2)
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
800 (400)				600	N/A	N/A

Usage in the battles

The IS-7, similarly to the rest of the IS line, should be played as a breakthrough tank, taking advantage of the its extreme durability, and avoiding long-range engagements where its shells simply lose effectiveness. With upwards of 450mm of effective armour in places, there’s no need to shy away from taking on almost any opponent.

The IS-7's extremely thick and well-sloped armor means that the player can comfortably engage multiple threats at once without fear of being penetrated through the sides of his/her turret turret. With heightened awareness and a good sense of targeting priority, a well-rounded IS-7 player can swiftly clear out entire enemy squads with ease.

The IS-7 is capable of destroying almost any machine on the battlefield, and should have no qualms about combatting anything on the right terms. However, it’s best to be wary of tanks with ATGMs, high-penetration HEAT, large-calibre HESH and anything with APFSDS, as they are able to disable you, often through your frontal plate.

Fighting the IS-7

It’s best to avoid taking the IS-7 on if it stands any chance of firing back - it’s very likely that if it gets a shot off, it will be able to destroy your vehicle. Try disable the gun, or if behind or to the sides, attempt to take out the ammo - the primary store is in the back of the turret, with excess ammunition stored in the upper sides of the hull and beside the driver, as well as a small stash right below the gun breech. If forced to engage the IS-7 from the front, attempt to fire through the turret optic (just above and to the right of the gun when looking at the front), as this is your best opportunity to disable the gunner and the breech. Shooting from an angle significantly reduces the amount of effective armour your shells have to penetrate. The IS-7 can be vulnerable to trapshots or high-calibre HE rounds above the driver’s port, although it does have significantly more armour there than the IS-3.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 130mm BR-482B APCBC rounds does a lot of internal damage when it penetrates
• The only Soviet heavy tank to have a 5-man crew, increasing its survivability
• Has an assisted loader (which loads a shell every 10 seconds)
• Decent turret rotation (16.47° per second with a stock crew, 23.53° per second with a fully upgraded aced crew)
• A lot of machine guns; total of two 14.5mm KPVT's and six 7.62 mm RP-46's that are deadly against open top vehicles/ lightly armoured vehicles.
• Anti-aircraft 14.5 mm HMG that can can rip apart any thin skinned vehicles (45mm of penetration at 10m)
• Impressive armour display with heavily sloped turret, piked front hull, thick gun mantlet, spaced and sloped side armour
• Can be very difficult to be destroyed by players who do not know where to shoot it
• Good reverse speed and can accelerate backwards rather quickly
• Good acceleration for its weight

Cons:

• Rather low amount of ammunition it can carry for its main gun
• Terrible gun depression and elevation (only -3° depression and 15° elevation)
• Shots to the back of the turret will set off the ammo rack as that is where the first rack of shells that is loaded to the gun is
• The front turret optic is a reasonably easy to penetrate spot from the front, needing ~170mm penetration
• Vulnerable, as with all late heavy tanks, to chemical rounds and ATGMs
• 20mm of armour over the engine deck and only 5mm of armour plating over the engine ventilation, meaning planes can often cause engine damage and fires.
• Anti-air HMG has very slow traverse speed
• It takes a rather long time to replenish shells in the autoloader, and having an autoloader means it must reload a shell into the mechanism first before reloading the gun
• Not a lot of ammo for the machine guns, some of the machine guns cannot even reload once they've expended their first ammo belt

History

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