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IS-2M
The IS-2M was a comprehensive post-war modernization of the Soviet IS-2 heavy tank, introduced in the late 1950s. The programme was intended to extend the service life of the ageing vehicle and bring it closer to contemporary Cold War standards. Improvements focused on areas such as optics, communications, crew conditions, reliability, mobility and operational range, allowing the IS-2M to remain useful alongside much newer Soviet armoured vehicles. Although its frontline relevance gradually declined, the type remained in Soviet service for decades, with surviving examples continuing in reserve and static roles well into the 1990s.
Importantly for War Thunder, the tank could potentially be given the APDS and HEAT-FS ammunition developed for the D-25T during the Cold War, significantly improving its anti-armour capability compared with the wartime ammunition.
Modernization In-Depth
Spoiler
- Firepower: The 122 mm D-25T gun remained the main armament, but it could potentially be given the 3BM-7 APDS and 3BK-10 HEAT-FS rounds, both developed for the D-25T family during the Cold War.
- Fire Control & Vision: The IS-2M received improved optical sights and a new prism periscope for the driver. IS-2Ms were also equipped with night vision systems like the TVN-2 or NRZ, improving the tank’s mobility in low-light conditions. As part of the night driving package, one FG-series headlight was fitted with a blackout cover, while the other received an I.R filter (although headlights generally varied). Both headlights were covered by protective cages. Two green front marker lights (габаритные фонари) were fitted near the outer edges of the hull, allowing the tank’s width and position to be identified during nighttime movement.
- Engine & Mobility: The tank recieved the V-54K-IS (В-54К-ИС), a 12-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel derived from the T-54’s V-54 family. Its rated output was 520 hp at about 2,000 rpm. It came with an electric starter, NIKS-1 preheater, MZN-2 electric oil-priming pump, and VTI-2 air cleaner, while the lubrication and cooling systems were modified to suit the new installation. The tank also incorporated T-10M tracks and roadwheels. Combined with upgraded transmission and suspension components, this provided better off-road performance and increased reliability. The enhanced engine performance and upgraded transmission would have contributed to better responsiveness and maneuverability on the battlefield.
- Equipment: The tank’s internal ventilation was improved with a new turret fan (replacing the rear-facing MG), and the original hull-mounted machine gun was eliminated. IS-2M received the R-113 “Granat” VHF radio together with the R-120 tank intercom, replacing the wartime 10R/10RK-series radio equipment and TPU-4-bisF intercom. The wartime IS-2’s relatively simple fenders were replaced by much more substantial mudguards/fenders carrying large enclosed stowage “bunkers” (ЗИП boxes) along both sides of the turret box. Additional pair of 200-liter fuel drums could be mounted above the smoke canister racks at the rear. The IS-2M received several structural reinforcements to the hull and drivetrain mounting. Some IS-2M tanks received an auxiliary oil tank mounted on one of the front mudguards, while others were fitted with a boxed MZA-3 fuel-pump unit on the opposite mudguard. Some vehicles also carried a wooden unditching log for self-recovery. The tank also received a splashguard on the front hull. Some IS-2M vehicles additionally carried lifting shackles or towing eyes on top of one of the front mudguards, although this was not universal. Hooks on the turret allowed a tarpaulin to be secured externally.
- Defensive Equipment: One of the key additions was the installation of BDSh-5 smoke canisters on the rear of the hull, giving the IS-2M a rudimentary but effective smoke screen deployment capability for concealment during retreat or repositioning. The IS-2M’s machine guns were upgraded to the post-war DTM and DShKM. The AA mount was replaced and standardized with the contemporary T-54 installation. The tank retained a hull machine gun. Armor protection remained essentially unchanged from the original IS-2.
Operational History and Legacy
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The IS-2 heavy tank, a formidable vehicle originally developed during World War II to counter Germany’s heavy armor, such as the Tiger and Panther tanks. Having proven its worth in major offensives during the war’s final phase, including the Battle of Berlin, the IS-2 remained in Soviet service well into the post-war period. However, by the early 1950s, advances in tank design and battlefield tactics had rendered many of its features outdated. In response, the Soviet Union launched a modernization effort aimed at extending the operational life of its existing WW2 heavy tank fleet that still had some service life left in it. Between 1954 and 1958, most IS-2s were upgraded to the IS-2M standard, receiving changes to their hull design, updated engines and other minor upgrades. These upgrades were intended to keep the IS-2M relevant on the Cold War battlefield, allowing it to serve effectively alongside the newer Soviet tanks.
Photograph depicting IS-2M tanks in service with the Cuban armed forces.
By the late 1950s, the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev began phasing out the use of heavy tanks like the IS-2, IS-3, and IS-4. Advances in anti-tank weaponry had rendered their thick armor increasingly ineffective, while their excessive weight made them too slow and unwieldy for modern mobile warfare. Lighter tanks armed with high-velocity 100mm and 115mm guns were now considered sufficient to counter most battlefield threats, and better suited to the rapid, mechanized tactics that the Soviet military favored.
However, true to Soviet practice, these obsolete vehicles were not simply discarded. Instead, efforts were made to assign them secondary roles wherever possible. Though their engines required constant maintenance, the turret mechanisms and cannon were capable of functioning for decades with minimal upkeep. When static, their 122mm guns, originally designed for tank-to-tank combat, could be repurposed to fire indirectly like howitzers, delivering heavy shells over relatively long distances. These qualities made the IS-2 and its successors ideal candidates for conversion into coastal and border defense batteries, where mobility was no longer essential. On the Bar Lev Line, for example, the Israelis repurposed captured IS-3M tanks with unserviceable engines as static bunkers, utilizing their now-empty engine compartments for ammunition storage, which is exactly what the Soviets eventually did as well.
As a result, IS-2M tanks, alongside their other outdated brethren (including IS-3Ms, IS-4s and early T-54s), were repurposed for fixed defensive positions, particularly in strategically sensitive regions such as Sakhalin Island, the Kuril archipelago, and stretches of the Sino-Soviet border. There, they were entrenched as static artillery platforms and were used as armored deterrents against potential incursions. These vehicles, though obsolete by Western standards, were rugged and powerful enough to at least hold off any localized aggression.
Some IS-2Ms remained in operational use also as active components of reserve and second-line units, where they were still employed as regular armored vehicles. For example, they participated in high-profile exercises like the 1982 Odessa Maneuvers. Nevertheless, the IS-2M was eventually retired from active duty and placed into reserve storage. By 1995, the type was officially decommissioned, with fewer than 100 examples believed to have survived in any condition, many now preserved in museums or left to decay in remote corners of the Russian Federation.
Photograph depicting IS-2M tanks in East Germany.
Beyond the Soviet Union, the IS-2 and IS-2M served with several Soviet-allied nations, although their post-war combat use was far more limited than during the Second World War. China received a number of IS-2s in the early 1950s and deployed them during the Korean War, where Chinese sources confirm that they participated in combat alongside T-34-85s. Cuba received 41 modernized IS-2Ms in 1960, organized into two regiments. They were held in reserve during the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion and apparently never entered direct combat. At least some were later converted into fixed coastal-defense firing points, with surviving examples remaining in this role for decades. Hungary also operated around 68 IS-2s during the 1950s. Although some were mobilized during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Hungarian sources state that they did not participate in the fighting, and the surviving vehicles were subsequently returned to the Soviet Union. Overall, the IS-2’s Cold War career was dominated by reserve, training and defensive service, although its Chinese combat use in Korea was a notable exception.
Gallery
Spoiler
The photograph above shows the 200-litre rear fuel drums fitted with enough clearance beneath them to allow the smoke canisters to be mounted safely at the same time. The tank is also shown with its DShKM heavy machine gun fitted.
The photograph above shows an armored recovery vehicle or a driver training vehicle based on an IS-2M chassis.
Gun Bunker Sino-Soviet Border
Shikotan Island
Sakhalin Island
Modern day: IS-2M in perfect condition.
Specifications
Spoiler
- Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver)
- Combat Weight: ~46 tons
- Length (with gun): 9.90 m
- Width: 3.09 m
- Height: 2.73 m
- Main Armament: 122 mm D-25T gun (35 rounds carried)
- Secondary Armament:
- 1 × 12.7 mm DShKM heavy machine gun (roof-mounted)
- 2 × 7.62 mm DTM machine guns (hull/coaxial)
- Engine: V-54K-IS diesel, 520 hp
- Max Speed: ~37 km/h (on-road)
- Operational Range: ~240 km (on-road)
- Armor:
- Hull Front: Up to 120 mm
- Turret Front: 100 mm
Video
Sources
View
https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww2/soviet/soviet_is-ii.php
Introduction - Tank Turret Fortifications
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/military-vehicle-news/soviet-is-3-and-is-2-tanks.html
IS-2 / JS-2 (Josef Stalin) Heavy Tank Tracked Combat Vehicle
Cold War Soviet Heavy Tanks Archives - Tank Encyclopedia
https://www.reddit.com/r/Warthunder/comments/axj8t4/is2m/?utm_source
