- Yes
- No
- Tech tree
- Premium
- Event (Squadron, Battle Pass, etc.)
- I do not want it
Hello !
I’d like to suggest the addition of the SU-152P based on a very familiar chassis and armed with a powerful 152 mm gun.
Did you know? The P in SU-152P denotes the fact that it uses a conventional gun. Likewise, the G in SU-152G means that it carries a howitzer. (Yes, I’ve been heavily inspired by the official devblogs haha)
History
Spoiler
Following the end of World War 2, the Soviets were very keen on getting their own lightweight guns that would be even lighter than their current self-propelled guns while keeping their key characteristics. However, at that point, no one had any idea what to do. Factory n° 9 proposed a duplex of a 100 mm gun and a 122 mm howitzer and that was the gist of it. The GAU (Main directorate of the artillery) and GBTU (Main directorate of armored vehicles) didn’t know what factory could make those vehicles and more importantly, what they wanted those vehicles to be.
It was not until May 1946 that UZTM would receive basic needed specifications. UZTM and all the factories working alongside (n° 8, 9, 172) agreed on designing open top vehicles. This led to the creation of 6 different vehicles : the SU-100P, SU-122G, SU-122P, SU-152G, SU-152P as well as a ZSU-85.
Overall, the vehicles would share a similar concept with the Ardelt Waffenträger that the Soviets were trialing in early 1946 but that’s where the similarities would end. Work on the program was fast but was still delayed in late 1947, so the first SU-100P was not ready until June 1948. However, it was not until late July that the vehicle would enter factory trials.
Following good results and according to the plan, UZTM prepared all the blueprints necessary for the production of the SU-152G in the summer. Initially, the vehicle should have been going through trials by that time but the early delays of the SU-100P led to the SU-152G only being prepared in October.
The SU-152P itself was to be built by the last quarter of 1948. However, this one looked less promising. The weight and recoil force of the 152 mm gun were deemed excessive and the Soviets were not sure it could fill the requirements laid down. As such, the project stalled and the GBTU only approved the drawings and plans of producing a prototype by late January 1949. The SPG was now to enter factory trials by September and state trials 2 months later.
Of course, that didn’t happen. The SU-152P was a mess to deal with and was initially exceedingly overweight, reaching a whopping 29,2 tons in April. Somehow, UZTM managed to bring it back to the specified 26 tons by the end of the year but it was still a bit too heavy, not being helped by the fact that the shells’ total weight ended up being 71,5 kg (projectile + charge).
The project was cancelled in October 1949 and the vehicle only barely partook in factory trials, showing mobility issues.
Specifications
Crew : 5
- Driver
- Gunner
- Commander
- Loader
- Loader
Armament
- One 152 mm M-53 (Ammo : 30)
- Sights : Unknown (likely to be similar to SU-100P)
- Elevation : -5°/+30° (at the front)
Dimensions
- Weight : 26,1 t
- Length : 9,21 m (gun forward)
- Width : 3 m
- Height : ~2,6 m
Mobility
- Engine : V-105 (400 hp)
- Top speed : 55 km/h / -24 km/h
- Transmission : 5 forward / 2 reverse
Armor
This is the armor scheme of the SU-100P but the SU-152P shared the same.
Sources
- Трудная школа (ISBN 978-5-9906886-2-9)
- Отечественные бронированные машины 1945-1965 гг. (ISBN 978-5-85905-623-1)