IS-6

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IS-6
ussr_is_6.png
GarageImage IS-6.jpg
IS-6
AB RB SB
7.7 7.7 7.7
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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

Armourfront / side / back
Hull100 / 120 / 60
Turret150 / 150 / 100
Crew4 people
Visibility102 %

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

Speedforward / back
AB48 / 19 km/h
RB and SB45 / 18 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight51.1 t
Engine power
AB1 336 hp
RB and SB700 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB26.1 hp/t
RB and SB13.7 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 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).

Modifications and economy

Repair cost
AB3 498 Sl icon.png
RB3 611 Sl icon.png
SB5 120 Sl icon.png
Crew training10 000 Sl icon.png
Experts490 000 Sl icon.png
Aces1 200 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 440 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
Talisman.png 2 × 150 / 210 / 240 % Sl icon.png
Talisman.png 2 × 196 / 196 / 196 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Mods tank reinforcement ussr.png
Crew Replenishment
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Mods tank ammo.png
122mm_APHE_ammo_pack
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Mods tank ammo.png
122mm_APCBC_ammo_pack

Armaments

Main armament

Ammunition30 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
20.5 → 15.8 s
Vertical guidance-3° / 20°
Main article: D-30T (122 mm)

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)
(+21)
13 (+17)
(+23)
(+23)
(+25)
(+27)
(+27)
 
(+29)
 
No

Turret empty: 13 (+17)

Machine guns

Ammunition300 rounds
Belt capacity50 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
Vertical guidance-4° / 85°
Ammunition2 016 rounds
Belt capacity63 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
10.4 → 8.0 s
Fire rate600 shots/min
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.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Can fire the 122mm gun ever 15.8 seconds, making its fire rate considerably faster than any of the other IS tanks armed with the 122.
  • The top 122mm shell is still dangerous at this BR. Has good overmatching mechanics and still has tremendous post penetration damage potential.
  • 100mm's of frontal armor sloped at a very steep angle. The front of the hull is basically immune to anything that isn't APDS or HEAT.
  • Like the IS3, the lower plate isn't a weak spot.
  • Very good as side scraping due to the high levels of side armor.
  • The turret is both small, well armored, and rounded.
  • The weak spot on the turret front is smaller than the Tiger II's. Hitting it at ranges exceeding 500 meters is very difficult.
  • Very low profile for a heavy. Can actually hide in places that the Tiger II simply can't.
  • Is very fast and maneuverable for a heavy tank.
  • Due to the armor, fire rate, and reverse speed, the IS6 is very good at shoot-and-scoot tactics as well as brawling.
  • Has a 12.7mm HMG on the roof.
  • Premium vehicle bonuses.
  • Due to the top speed, high levels of armor, and firepower, the IS6 is a more versatile tank than the IS3.

Cons:

  • Can't take the top 122mm shell that the IS3 can. Meaning that tanks like the Jagdtiger, M103, and Maus, are very difficult to kill from the front.
  • Enemies firing HEAT and APDS is very common at 7.3 and up. A lot of enemy tanks the IS6 can meet simply don't care about the IS6's armor.
  • The IS6 is still very capable of getting the turret front penetrated by tanks like the Tiger II, T29, and Centurion Mk 3.
  • Like most Russian heavies, has an abysmal 3 degrees of gun depression. Finding proper hull down locations is hard.
  • The 4-man crew is crammed in a small crew compartment that's full of ammo. Any APHE shell that enters the tank will likely kill every one in the turret, or set off an ammo explosion.
  • While more versatile than the IS3 due to the higher top speed and fire rate, the IS3 is superior when it comes to being an actual heavy tank. It has better frontal armor, a stronger turret with a much small weak spot, and fires a much better round top 122mm shell than the IS6.

History

The Chelyabinsk Kirov Plant Work (ChKZ) began drafting the designs of a new heavy tank on 02 May 1944[1] 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[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

The IS-6 prototypes were tested alongside the Object 701 (the prototype of the IS-4).[5] The two IS-6 prototypes proved disappointing, with the Object 253's electric transmission being too complex, expensive, and unreliable.[2] 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.[4] 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.[5]

Media

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

References

  1. TankArchives. "Electrical Transmission." Tank Archives. N.p., 02 June 2014. Web. 08 Jan. 2018. Website
  2. 2.0 2.1 Kinnear, James, and Stephen L. Sewell. Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants. N.p.: Osprey Pub, 2017. Print
  3. TankArchives. "Launch of the IS-6." Tank Archives. N.p., 20 Dec. 2016. Web. 08 Jan. 2018. Website
  4. 4.0 4.1 Boldyrev, Eugeni. "Last Heavy Tanks of the USSR." The Russian Battlefield. N.p., 18 Sept. 2011. Web. 08 Jan. 2018. Website
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 TankArchives. "Object 257: The First IS-7." Tank Archives. N.p., 12 June 2016. Web. 08 Jan. 2018. Website
  6. TankArchives. "D-30 Gun for the IS-6." Tank Archives. N.p., 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Jan. 2018. Website


USSR heavy tanks
KV-1  KV-1 (L-11) · KV-1 (ZiS-5) · KV-1E · KV-1S
KV-2  KV-2 (1939) · KV-2 (1940) · KV-2 (ZiS-6)
Other KVs  KV-85 · KV-122 · KV-220
IS-1/2  IS-1 · IS-2 · IS-2 (1944) · IS-2 No.321 · IS-2 "Revenge" · Object 248
Other IS tanks  IS-3 · IS-4M · IS-6 · IS-7
T-10  T-10A · T-10M
Multi-turreted  T-35 · SMK
Other  Object 279
Lend-Lease  ▂MK-II "Matilda"

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