IT-1
Contents
Description
The IT-1 is a rank VI Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows" and was one of the first ATGM-equipped vehicles to be in the game. The IT-1 is a niche modification of the T-62 chassis with a new, low profile turret designed to carry a 3M7 Drakon ATGM launcher, which is the vehicle's only weapon system and mounted above its turret.
General info
Survivability and armour
Armour type:
- Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull)
- Cast homogeneous armour (Turret)
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear (Slope angle) | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | 100 mm (60°) Front glacis 100 mm (55°) Lower glacis |
80 mm | 45 mm (1-2°) Upper 45 mm Lower |
30 mm |
| Turret | 200 mm (19-60°) | 120 mm (23-61°) | 65 mm (21-56°) | 30 mm |
| Cupola | 40 mm (spherical) | 40 mm | ||
Notes:
- Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick, tracks are 18 mm thick
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 | 55 | 9 | 34.5 | 899 | 1,107 | 26.06 | 32.09 |
| Realistic | 51 | 8 | 513 | 580 | 14.87 | 16.81 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Main armament
| 3M7 missile | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 15 | -9°/+17° | ±180° | Two-plane | 22.0 | 30.5 | 37.0 | 40.9 | 43.5 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Realistic | 14.9 | 17.5 | 21.3 | 23.5 | 25.0 | ||||||||
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 | ||
| 3M7 | ATGM | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| Shell details | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||||
| 3M7 | ATGM | 224 | 3,000 | 54 | 0 | 0.1 | 3,880 | 80° | 82° | 90° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 4 (+11) | 1 (+14) | No |
Notes:
- Missiles are modeled individually and disappear once shot.
Machine guns
| 7.62 mm SGMT | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal |
| Coaxial | 2,000 (250) | 600 | -6°/+17° | N/A |
Usage in battles
- Gameplay summary
Like most ATGM tank destroyers, being only equipped with the 3M7 anti-tank missile can put the IT-1 at a disadvantage in many situations when facing conventional enemies armed with a cannon, but it does have the capacity to excel in certain situations. The 3M7 missile itself is one of the largest at this tier, with 3.8 kg of TNT equivalent explosive mass, compared to 2.4 kg of the TOW missile and 3 kg of the HOT missile. Coupled with its decent penetration, it can take out virtually anything it will face with a single hit. In addition, the launcher can depress up to 9 degrees, making it easy for the IT-1 to take advantage of cover to become virtually untouchable, and the turret can rotate a full 360 degrees, which is pretty unique among ATGM vehicles. Finally, the IT-1 is relatively well armored compared to most other vehicles that carry ATGMs, and while it is insufficient to rely on especially against higher tier opponents, it still offers decent protection.
- Close range engagements
The IT-1 is completely outclassed in close-range engagements when it is in the open, as any cannon-armed vehicle will win a snapshot competition. However, if the IT-1 can remain behind cover, such as behind ground rubble or on top of a hill, it can often outclass conventional tanks attempting to push it as it will often be able to fire first owing to its raised launcher.
- Long range engagements
The IT-1 performs best at medium to long ranges while behind cover. The ATGM will easily dispatch of most enemy vehicles, and the IT-1 is very difficult to kill when it uses cover effectively. However, keep in mind that the 3M7 ATGM is not particularly fast and is somewhat less manoeuvrable than other ATGMs, so enemies may have time to retreat to cover or simply outrun the missile's tracking ability before it reaches them. If an enemy is pushing towards your cover and a retreat is needed, the ESS can come in handy.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Anti-tank missile 3M7 is slightly faster than ones found on early light tanks
- Despite being overall weaker than ones of competition, the 3M7 ATGM has a ridiculously wide overpressure area of effect for a HEAT warhead and will often destroy "glass cannon" tanks like ZT3A2 as a collateral and clean a larger area of trees and bushes
- Good armour of a T-62, will likely survive attempts to simply use HE or even HESH on it, can brawl with a light tank or SPAA, unless they have APDS belts or know all of the weak spots
- The turret has even lower profile than usual and is hard to punish for overextension and use of low cover due to its shape and armour value, unlike Swingfire, BMP-1, M60A2 and other alternatives
- Layout of the hull makes kinetic hits from the front easier to survive
- Relatively fast reload on any crew
Cons:
- No backup weapons, only one type of missiles, low penetration power like early ATGMs, missiles reload slower than conventional tanks and tank can only use one per reload, which makes it overall less forgiving than other ATGM tanks in direct fight
- Missile on the top of the turret can be damaged by enemy machine guns. Optics to the right of it, while hard to hit, can also be exploited to push explosives inside of the tank if operator does not move around, so IT-1 is not invincible even when in cover
- Movement speed of this tank is less than average - it can't chase or run from many rank VI tanks and may be forced to fight light tanks for its sniping spots
- Missile has very low manoeuvrability in flight, making it extremely difficult to hit moving targets, especially at longer ranges.
- Like many Soviet tanks of the rank, IT-1 has only one fuel tank in the front, and any strong enough chemical shell will detonate it on direct hit, resulting in instant tank destruction
History
Development
The genesis of the concept of "missile tanks" came from the Premier of the Soviet Union at the time, Nikita Khrushchev. Khrushchev believed that missiles were the key to armour dominance, spelling the end of naval battleships and tanks. This belief led to his order that the heavy tank programs like the T-10 be cancelled in the 1950s. Khrushchev ordered that a missile-capable tank be fielded in replacement, with development starting in 1956 despite the immature technology. Though the military finds little favour with the concept, they begrudgingly carry it out by orders of the Kremlin and many facilities in the Soviet Union started on the concept.[1]
The Uralvagonzavod facility designed a missile tank labelled Object 150. The chassis was derived form the T-54/55 tanks, though the hull was lengthened for more stowage space for the missiles. The tank used the 2K4 Drakon missile system, a sophisticated machine that used a SACLOS guidance system and had a warhead able to penetrate 500 mm of armour. The missile, later designated the 3M7 Drakon, was still rife with problems and required further development. The design could carry 15 missiles, with 12 inside the vehicle's autoloader and 3 spare held in storage. The military dislike this storage as it was much lower than the 30+ rounds in their conventional tanks, but it was expected that the hit probability on the missiles would be higher to compensate. Firing tests started at the Kubinka Proving Grounds mid-1963 and was approved by Khrushchev in 1964. Then in October 1964, Khrushchev was overthrown. Without the constant urging by Khrushchev, the military delayed the Object 150 design's serial production to 1968 to prioritize on main battle tanks and to let the missile technology to develop to a more battle-worthy level. The benefit of the development of the Object 150 during this time period was that it provided a lengthened hull that would be used in the new Soviet tank design Object 165, which would be adopted as the T-62.[1]
Adoption & retirement
Object 150 finally entered production in 1968 with 220 units made between 1968 to 1970. Its purpose was to provide additional firepower to T-62 tanks. It was designated the IT-1 tank destroyer and issued to battalions at Belarus and Carpathian Military Districts, crewed by tank crews and artillery crews respectively.[1] A variant of the IT-1 was made with a turbine engine, designated the IT-1T. In the time period it spent in active-duty, it proved an unpopular vehicle. The low missile count did not sit well with the tank crews and the missiles had a dead zone of around 300-500 meters before the missiles could be guided. The IT-1 was also complicated to use and maintain compared to existing artillery vehicles, a fact that did not sit well with the artillery crews. Though the missile launcher was praised for its long-range accuracy, the IT-1 did not sit well with the overall military situation and was discontinued sometime after its deployment in 1972. The remaining missile tanks in inventory were converted to recovery vehicles.[1]
Though the missile tanks concept failed, many more attempts were made to incorporate a missile system as a secondary armament onto Soviet tanks, succeeding with the usage of missiles in the 125 mm smoothbore guns on Soviet tanks past the T-64.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
- Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
External links
References
| 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 · Object 775 · Khrizantema-S |
| Artillery | 2S1 · 2S3M |
| Other | SU-5-1 · ZiS-30 · SU-122-54 |
| USA | SU-57 |
