SU-122P
Contents
Description
The SU-122P is a premium rank IV Soviet tank destroyer with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.41.
General info
Survivability and armour
The armour and survivability of the SU-122P is poor. At its BR, the 75 mm sloped upper front plate is very much useless as most opponents you face have more than 150 mm of penetration which is more than enough to go through your front. You will also more frequently see tanks firing HEAT shells (eg. ST-A1, T114) who can just ignore your armour. The side armour is non existent. The only vehicles that cannot frontally penetrate you are SPAA (eg. M42, Kugelblitz) and lower tier tanks. These vehicles are however quite rare, and often the foes will not struggle to penetrate you.
Post-penetration survivability is bad, since the interior of the SU-122P is cramped and the crew members are closely sat. Late-war/Cold War heavy tanks/tank destroyers (eg. T30) usually fire explosive-packed large-calibre APHE which can always one-shot you easily. However enemies with HEAT shells might take a few more shots to finish you as the damage of HEAT are lower.
Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
---|---|---|---|---|
Hull | 75 mm (52°) Front glacis 45 mm (60°) Lower glacis |
45 mm Bottom | 45 mm (48°) | 20 mm 20 + 10 mm Engine vents |
Superstructure | 75 mm (52°) Front glacis 70 mm (52°) Driver's hatch 75 + 100 mm (spherical) Gun mantlet |
45 mm (18-41°) Top | 45 mm | 20 mm |
Cupola | 45 mm | 20 mm |
Notes:
- Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 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 | 61 | 10 | 31.6 | 710 | 992 | 22.47 | 31.39 |
Realistic | 56 | 9 | 442 | 520 | 13.99 | 16.46 |
The mobility of the SU-122P is on par with average medium tanks/tank destroyers at similar BR (eg. T-44, T25). While the top speed is 50 km/h, the average speed on common terrains (eg. grassland, dirt) is around ~30 km/h, which is usually enough to keep up with advancing teammates. The acceleration on soft surface or on a hill might feel sluggish, though. Hull traverse rate is adequate on all types of terrain, but a slight forward jerk might be required if the player wants to turn the hull quicker. The reverse speed is very slow at only -8 km/h while other late-war/Cold War-era vehicles are much faster. All in all, the SU-122P is not the fastest nor the most agile vehicle, but it will get to the places it needs to go in time.
Modifications and economy
Armaments
Main armament
The SU-122P is equipped with a classic 122 mm D-25S cannon that is very capable even against Cold War vehicles. At this rank, the player should feel comfortable with the long reload of such gun and should master its ballistics and shell velocity. Plus the reload of ~18 seconds is much shorter than earlier tanks with 122 mm guns. If every shell counts, the 122 mm cannon is a very deadly terminator. The recommended ammo is of course the BR-471B and BR-471D. The former is a perfect option against late-WW2 vehicles such as Panther II, M26, etc, while the latter is more for super-heavy/Cold War tanks like the Tortoise, T30, etc. These shells all have great post-penetration damage and thus can generally one-shot most opponents.
This fantastic firepower is somewhat limited by the gun's aiming speed and traverse angles. The horizontal aiming speed of around 6 degree/s is somewhat enough for medium range engagements but will feel slow in close range battle against fast tanks like the M41 and AUBL/74. The vertical targeting speed is much slower, and the gun depression of only -2 degrees makes it one of the worst vehicle in game at fighting in sloped terrains. A tiny hill will lift the nozzle up from the target. Finally, the gunsight zoom remains the same 3.5x which is just enough for medium range combat.
Note that since the gun is mounted towards the right side of the SU-122P, so when you aim and shoot to the left the tank will turn slightly to the right due to the huge recoil.
122 mm D-25S | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mode | Capacity | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
Arcade | 28 | -2°/+20° | ±7° | N/A | 6.16 | 8.53 | 10.36 | 11.46 | 12.19 | 21.71 | 19.21 | 17.70 | 16.70 |
Realistic | 4.17 | 4.90 | 5.95 | 6.58 | 7.00 |
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 | 182 | 161 | 143 | 127 |
BR-471B | APHEBC | 205 | 203 | 192 | 178 | 166 | 155 |
BR-471D | APCBC | 230 | 227 | 215 | 200 | 186 | 173 |
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° |
BR-471D | APCBC | 800 | 25 | 1.2 | 19 | 192.5 | 48° | 63° | 71° |
OF-471 | HE | 795 | 25 | N/A | 0.1 | 3,600 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
Full ammo |
Ammo part |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 | Projectiles Propellants |
22 (+6) 19 (+9) |
12 (+16) 14 (+14) |
11 (+17) 4 (+24) |
1 (+27) 1 (+27) |
No |
Notes:
- The SU-122P uses two-piece ammunition, composed of propellant bags (orange) and projectiles (yellow). Both have separate racks.
- Projectiles and propellant bags are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
Usage in battles
An important note when engaging tanks, especially Tiger I's, is that, with the implementation of volumetric shells, you can no longer expect your shells to pierce through small openings or right past an obstacle. The large 122 mm calibre of your shells will result in it catching on an armour plate's edge very often, losing all of its penetration. For example, a Tiger I has some edges that can absorb your shell unexpectedly, despite having flat armour. Thus you must always make sure that where you are aiming at is absolutely free of obstruction, or it may result in a non-penetration or a ricochet. This can be seen in the diagram to the right.
Specific Enemies Worth Noting
- T28 - You can only penetrate the cupolas on top of the tank. If they're hidden or you are unsure about the shot, you can try hitting the cannon barrel and running away.
- T34 / T29 - Turret cheeks can work, although it's best to go for the LFP because the ammo storage is very low in the tank. If you don't see the LFP, try going just below the turret ring, where the driver sits.
- Tiger II (H) / Panther II - You can easily penetrate the turret cheeks with BR-471B.
- Ferdinand - Go for the angled armour at the sides of the lower front plate (below the casemate, but above the lowest plates), this will disable Ferdinand's engine and/or driver, so you can flank and finish it off.
- Panther tank (Family), versions A, D, F and G - You can penetrate the UFP
- Tortoise - Shoot to the right of the gun of the Tortoise, when you see it head-on if shoot on the left plate there is a chance of a one-shot
- Ho-Ri Production - You cannot reliably penetrate or damage this tank frontally. You can try disabling the cannon barrel and then flanking is your best option (or running).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- One of the fastest reloading Soviet vehicles equipped with a 122 mm cannon
- The D-25S cannon is more than enough to completely destroy almost anything its shells penetrate
- Quicker and more agile than the ISU-122
- Smaller target than the ISU-122
Cons:
- Very poor gun depression
- Limited gun traverse
- Obsolete armour thickness, can easily be penetrated
- Reload time is still more than twice as long as its usual opposition
History
There had been delays in the production of the SU-100 in autumn 1944, and so a new design was offered in the meantime. Uralmash's Design Bureau offered a tank destroyer on the same SU-100 hull, but with a 122 mm D-25S anti-tank gun. The 122 mm gun could be fitted without modification due to the commonality of the gun mounts.
Trials of the new tank destroyer, called the SU-122P, began in October 1944. Afterwards, it was sent to Government trials, passing all of them. It was recommended for service, but it never entered production, partially because of the long reload time of the 122 mm gun.
Archive of the in-game description | |
---|---|
A new SPG, designated SU-122P, was designed in the spring of 1944. Its designers attempted to fit the previously developed SU-100 SPG with a powerful 122 mm D-25S cannon with the aim of increasing the SPG's firepower. Outwardly, this SPG differed from the SU-100 in that its barrel was longer and had a muzzle brake. In September 1944, the SU-122P SPG underwent factory testing, which it passed successfully. In spite of this, the order to put it into mass production did not follow. There were several reasons for this decision. First of all, the 122 mm D-25S cannon's penetration was lower than that of the D-10S by 4-5 mm, and its ammunition capacity was reduced to 26. Due to its separate loading, its rate of fire was reduced to 3-4 shots per minute, and the weapon's recoil was higher than that of the SU-100's, which negatively affected the undercarriage's durability. The previous issues of inadequate space in the fighting compartment had remained unsolved. In addition, SPGs with a similar cannon had already been designed based on the IS-2, which had a more suitable chassis, hull and cabin for heavy artillery weapons. Only 1 experimental SU-122P SPG was produced. |
Media
- Skins
See also
- Vehicles equipped with the same chassis
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
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 |
USSR premium ground vehicles | |
---|---|
Light tanks | BA-11 · RBT-5 · BT-7A (F-32) · T-26 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-26E · T-126 · PT-76-57 · 2S38 |
Medium tanks | T-34 (Prototype) · T-34 (1st Gv.T.Br.) · T-34E · T-34-57 (1943) · T-34-85E · T-34-100 · T-44-122 · TO-55 · T-55AM-1 · T-72AV (TURMS-T) · T-80UD · Т-80U-Е1 |
▂M3 Medium · ▂M4A2 · ▂T-III · ▂T-V · ▂МК-IX "Valentine" | |
Heavy tanks | SMK · T-35 · ▂MK-II "Matilda" · KV-1E · KV-2 (1940) · KV-2 (ZiS-6) · KV-122 · KV-220 · IS-2 "Revenge" · Object 248 · IS-6 · T-10A |
Tank destroyers | BM-8-24 · BM-13N · BM-31-12 |
SU-57 · SU-76D · SU-76M (5th Gv.Kav.Corps) · SU-85A · SU-100Y · SU-122P · Object 120 | |
SPAA | ▂Phòng không T-34 · ZUT-37 |