War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

ISU-152

2020-01-30T03:07:29Z

U154318: /* Development */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_isu_152}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. Wielding the same infamous 152 mm gun as on the [[SU-152]], the ISU-152 presents better armour, mobility, and firepower with the addition of the heavy-hitting HEAT round for the gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (75°) ''Front glacis'' 90 mm (31°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 mm || 60 mm (50°) ''Top'' 60 mm (39°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 90 mm (29°) ''Front glacis'' 65 mm (7-69°) ''Gun mantlet case'' 100 mm ''Gun mantlet'' (0-45°) || 75 mm (14-15°) || 60 mm (1°) || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''

=== Machine guns ===
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great calibre provides enormous damage output
* Powerful HEAT ammo with good HE blast
* Fast reload for the calibre
* Good-ish armour capable of deflecting quite a lot of enemy shells if wiggling and angling ( Powerfull armor when downtiered )

'''Cons:'''

* Armour cannot stand up against high-rank cannons
* Small crew compartment
* Armour not angled
* Rather sluggish
* Very inadequate gun depression of -3°
* Gun breech often gets damaged while under enemy fire

== History ==

===Development===
Development of the '''ISU-152''' already started alongside the [[SU-152]], its predecessor (both nicknamed "Beast Slayer"). The SU-152 was based off the KV-1S tank, which itself is a lighter version of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] heavy tank. The vehicle, while highly praised in its performance, saw a need for modernization with the KV-1's phasing out of the Soviet's inventory and being replaced with the new [[IS-1|IS]] heavy tanks. The modernization process began on May 25, 1943, with the goal of using the IS tank as the basis of the vehicle and also increasing armour protection alongside other improvements. Development began in July under Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin, a chief designer of Soviet heavy tanks, who worked alongside G. N. Moskvin as the main designer. The designing of the improved vehicle went on for a month before the first variant was ready, designated the ''IS-152''. This was tested in September 1943, which revealed defects and deficiencies with the design, so it was redone into a second variant called ''Object 241'' in October 1943. Trials began on ''Object 241'', which was successful through the factory and state trials and adopted on November 6, 1943, as the '''ISU-152'''. Production began in December at the Chelyabinsk Kirovsk Plant, producing 3,242 units from then all the way until 1947, with 1,885 units made by the end of World War II.

===Design===
The ISU-152 was the successor to the SU-152, retaining the same 152 mm ML-20S howitzer needed to destroy enemy fortifications in offensive operations. The vehicle was run on a torsion-bar suspension system from the [[IS-2|IS]] tank chassis. The crew consists of four or five men in the vehicle, the optional crew member being a loader. The crew had external views through periscopes and two gun sights, a panoramic and a telescopic one. Crew communication was possible with an intercom system and a 10R or 10RK radio was available to communicate between vehicles. The crew had access to two PPSh submachine guns and grenades in the tank to defend themselves against infantry.

A drawback to the vehicle's design was the gun ammunition and internal storage. The large ammunition pieces were limited to about 20 rounds in the vehicle, and each round was extremely heavy and large that reloading the tank can take up to 40 minutes and lots of strength. Rate of fire was also reduced by the ammunition's heavyweight.

===Combat usage===
The ISU-152 was issued in a similar manner to the SU-152 in independent Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Regiments. Each regiment, of which 53 were formed from May 1943 to 1945, had 21 guns divided into four batteries of five vehicles and a commander vehicle. These regiments were supported by other military units to be flexible against threats. In December 1944, the Guards Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Brigades were formed to provide heavy fire support. These brigades had up to 65 vehicles, which would consist of ISU-152s or [[ISU-122]]s.

Like its predecessor the [[SU-152]], the ISU-152 also served as a multi-role vehicle as a heavy assault gun, tank destroyer, and self-propelled artillery. As an assault gun, the vehicle was valuable during the Soviet's offensive operations assaulting fortified cities held by the Axis forces. The 152 mm gun was very successful in demolishing fortifications and strong points. The greater armour protection on the ISU-152 compared to the SU-152 (90 mm vs. 65 mm) made the vehicle very durable against German anti-tank weapons, even forcing the [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] to come within close range to penetrate the vehicle. Usual tactics of the ISU-152s in urban combat was to act in one or two vehicle groups with infantry to deter infantry anti-tank weaponry like the Panzerfaust. As a tank destroyer, the ISU-152 worked its unintended role well enough that it inherited the nickname ''Zveroboy'' ("Beast Killer") from the SU-152s. The ISU-152 was very capable of destroying many of the more armoured German tanks like the [[Panther G|Panthers]], [[Tiger E|Tiger Is]], and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger IIs]]. Though not as rapid-firing or as accurate as dedicated anti-tank guns, the rounds of the 152 mm howitzer could blow the turret off a Tiger tank, and a direct hit would definitely cause extensive internal damages to the tank's internal mechanisms or kill the crew due to spalling of the hull due to the explosive force. The tank destroyer role was phased out with the introduction of dedicated vehicles like the [[SU-100]]. As a self-propelled artillery piece, the ISU-152 is able to successfully fire in indirect bombardments against enemy targets up to 7,000 meters away. Though it was not really a specialized vehicle for the role, it was better than typical towed artillery pieces due to being able to move and being an enclosed vehicle to protect the crew. The ISU-152 served in all these roles in all of the Soviet offensive operations into German territory all the way until the Battle of Berlin.

Many ISU-152s were exported by the Soviets after World War II to assist its allies and other Warsaw Pact members. Countries that had access to the ISU-152 in their military were Finland, Poland, China, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, Egypt, Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Romania. All of which used the ISU-152s up until the 1970s at the latest.

=== In-game description ===
"In the autumn of 1943, the KV-1S heavy tank was removed from mass production along with the successful SU-152 SPG based on the KV tanks. However, the fact that the KV and IS chassis were similar meant that a new SPG could be built based on the new heavy tank.

The SPG's layout was standard. A cabin made from rolled armour plates was installed in the front of the vehicle, combining the driving compartment and fighting compartment into one section. The engine compartment was placed in the rear of the vehicle. Because of the smaller width of the IS in comparison to the KV, the side plates' vertical slope was decreased from 25° to 15°, and its rear plate's slope removed altogether. At the same time, the cabin's frontal armour thickness was increased to 90 mm and its side armour to 75 mm. The gun mantlet was 60 mm thick, subsequently increasing to 100 mm. The vehicle was armed with a 152.4 mm ML-20 Mod. 1937/43 gun-howitzer with a 28 calibre barrel length and an ammunition capacity of 21 shells. After the war, the SPG's ammunition capacity was increased to 30 shots during modernisation. Starting from October 1944, an anti-tank turret equipped with a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun was attached on a traversing base on the commander's hatch.
From November 1943 until the end of mass production in 1946, 3,242 of them were manufactured.

The ISU-152's main role in battle was providing fire support to advancing tanks and infantry. These heavy SPGs were sometimes used in artillery preparation strikes. They could fire both directly and from cover. The SPGs were indispensable in urban battles. ISU-152s were used to suppress the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.
ISU-152 SPGs served in the Polish Army. After the war, Czechoslovakia received these vehicles. At the beginning of the 1960s, an Egyptian army regiment had an ISU-152 in service.

Among the vehicle's drawbacks, poor fighting compartment ventilation was noted. The shells' high weight demanded good physical endurance from the loader, and even then, the SPG's rate of fire was unsatisfactory. Its small on-board ammunition capacity and internally placed fuel tanks were also seen as serious flaws."

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_isu_152 ISU-152] in Warthunder Live.

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/2795/current/ [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> ISU-152 «Zveroboy»]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISU-152 [Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> ISU-152]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

ISU-152

2020-01-30T03:02:12Z

U154318:

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_isu_152}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} Russian tank destroyer {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced during the Closed Beta Test for Ground Forces before [[Update 1.41]]. Wielding the same infamous 152 mm gun as on the [[SU-152]], the ISU-152 presents better armour, mobility, and firepower with the addition of the heavy-hitting HEAT round for the gun.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===

'''Armour type:'''

*Rolled homogeneous armour
*Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 60 mm (75°) ''Front glacis'' 90 mm (31°) ''Lower glacis'' || 90 mm || 60 mm (50°) ''Top'' 60 mm (39°) ''Bottom'' || 30 mm
|-
| Superstructure || 90 mm (29°) ''Front glacis'' 65 mm (7-69°) ''Gun mantlet case'' 100 mm ''Gun mantlet'' (0-45°) || 75 mm (14-15°) || 60 mm (1°) || 30 mm
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Suspension wheels are 20 mm thick while tracks are 30 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===
''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.''

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''

=== Machine guns ===
''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''

== Usage in battles ==
''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great calibre provides enormous damage output
* Powerful HEAT ammo with good HE blast
* Fast reload for the calibre
* Good-ish armour capable of deflecting quite a lot of enemy shells if wiggling and angling ( Powerfull armor when downtiered )

'''Cons:'''

* Armour cannot stand up against high-rank cannons
* Small crew compartment
* Armour not angled
* Rather sluggish
* Very inadequate gun depression of -3°
* Gun breech often gets damaged while under enemy fire

== History ==

===Development===
Development of the '''ISU-152''' ("Beast Slayer") already started alongside the [[SU-152]], its predecessor. The SU-152 was based off the KV-1S tank, which itself is a lighter version of the [[KV-1 (ZiS-5)|KV-1]] heavy tank. The vehicle, while highly praised in its performance, saw a need for modernization with the KV-1's phasing out of the Soviet's inventory and being replaced with the new [[IS-1|IS]] heavy tanks. The modernization process began on May 25, 1943, with the goal of using the IS tank as the basis of the vehicle and also increasing armour protection alongside other improvements. Development began in July under Joseph Yakovlevich Kotin, a chief designer of Soviet heavy tanks, who worked alongside G. N. Moskvin as the main designer. The designing of the improved vehicle went on for a month before the first variant was ready, designated the ''IS-152''. This was tested in September 1943, which revealed defects and deficiencies with the design, so it was redone into a second variant called ''Object 241'' in October 1943. Trials began on ''Object 241'', which was successful through the factory and state trials and adopted on November 6, 1943, as the '''ISU-152'''. Production began in December at the Chelyabinsk Kirovsk Plant, producing 3,242 units from then all the way until 1947, with 1,885 units made by the end of World War II.

===Design===
The ISU-152 was the successor to the SU-152, retaining the same 152 mm ML-20S howitzer needed to destroy enemy fortifications in offensive operations. The vehicle was run on a torsion-bar suspension system from the [[IS-2|IS]] tank chassis. The crew consists of four or five men in the vehicle, the optional crew member being a loader. The crew had external views through periscopes and two gun sights, a panoramic and a telescopic one. Crew communication was possible with an intercom system and a 10R or 10RK radio was available to communicate between vehicles. The crew had access to two PPSh submachine guns and grenades in the tank to defend themselves against infantry.

A drawback to the vehicle's design was the gun ammunition and internal storage. The large ammunition pieces were limited to about 20 rounds in the vehicle, and each round was extremely heavy and large that reloading the tank can take up to 40 minutes and lots of strength. Rate of fire was also reduced by the ammunition's heavyweight.

===Combat usage===
The ISU-152 was issued in a similar manner to the SU-152 in independent Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Regiments. Each regiment, of which 53 were formed from May 1943 to 1945, had 21 guns divided into four batteries of five vehicles and a commander vehicle. These regiments were supported by other military units to be flexible against threats. In December 1944, the Guards Heavy Self-propelled Artillery Brigades were formed to provide heavy fire support. These brigades had up to 65 vehicles, which would consist of ISU-152s or [[ISU-122]]s.

Like its predecessor the [[SU-152]], the ISU-152 also served as a multi-role vehicle as a heavy assault gun, tank destroyer, and self-propelled artillery. As an assault gun, the vehicle was valuable during the Soviet's offensive operations assaulting fortified cities held by the Axis forces. The 152 mm gun was very successful in demolishing fortifications and strong points. The greater armour protection on the ISU-152 compared to the SU-152 (90 mm vs. 65 mm) made the vehicle very durable against German anti-tank weapons, even forcing the [[Tiger H1|Tiger]] to come within close range to penetrate the vehicle. Usual tactics of the ISU-152s in urban combat was to act in one or two vehicle groups with infantry to deter infantry anti-tank weaponry like the Panzerfaust. As a tank destroyer, the ISU-152 worked its unintended role well enough that it inherited the nickname ''Zveroboy'' ("Beast Killer") from the SU-152s. The ISU-152 was very capable of destroying many of the more armoured German tanks like the [[Panther G|Panthers]], [[Tiger E|Tiger Is]], and [[Tiger II (H)|Tiger IIs]]. Though not as rapid-firing or as accurate as dedicated anti-tank guns, the rounds of the 152 mm howitzer could blow the turret off a Tiger tank, and a direct hit would definitely cause extensive internal damages to the tank's internal mechanisms or kill the crew due to spalling of the hull due to the explosive force. The tank destroyer role was phased out with the introduction of dedicated vehicles like the [[SU-100]]. As a self-propelled artillery piece, the ISU-152 is able to successfully fire in indirect bombardments against enemy targets up to 7,000 meters away. Though it was not really a specialized vehicle for the role, it was better than typical towed artillery pieces due to being able to move and being an enclosed vehicle to protect the crew. The ISU-152 served in all these roles in all of the Soviet offensive operations into German territory all the way until the Battle of Berlin.

Many ISU-152s were exported by the Soviets after World War II to assist its allies and other Warsaw Pact members. Countries that had access to the ISU-152 in their military were Finland, Poland, China, Czechoslovakia, North Korea, Egypt, Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Romania. All of which used the ISU-152s up until the 1970s at the latest.

=== In-game description ===
"In the autumn of 1943, the KV-1S heavy tank was removed from mass production along with the successful SU-152 SPG based on the KV tanks. However, the fact that the KV and IS chassis were similar meant that a new SPG could be built based on the new heavy tank.

The SPG's layout was standard. A cabin made from rolled armour plates was installed in the front of the vehicle, combining the driving compartment and fighting compartment into one section. The engine compartment was placed in the rear of the vehicle. Because of the smaller width of the IS in comparison to the KV, the side plates' vertical slope was decreased from 25° to 15°, and its rear plate's slope removed altogether. At the same time, the cabin's frontal armour thickness was increased to 90 mm and its side armour to 75 mm. The gun mantlet was 60 mm thick, subsequently increasing to 100 mm. The vehicle was armed with a 152.4 mm ML-20 Mod. 1937/43 gun-howitzer with a 28 calibre barrel length and an ammunition capacity of 21 shells. After the war, the SPG's ammunition capacity was increased to 30 shots during modernisation. Starting from October 1944, an anti-tank turret equipped with a 12.7 mm DShK machine gun was attached on a traversing base on the commander's hatch.
From November 1943 until the end of mass production in 1946, 3,242 of them were manufactured.

The ISU-152's main role in battle was providing fire support to advancing tanks and infantry. These heavy SPGs were sometimes used in artillery preparation strikes. They could fire both directly and from cover. The SPGs were indispensable in urban battles. ISU-152s were used to suppress the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.
ISU-152 SPGs served in the Polish Army. After the war, Czechoslovakia received these vehicles. At the beginning of the 1960s, an Egyptian army regiment had an ISU-152 in service.

Among the vehicle's drawbacks, poor fighting compartment ventilation was noted. The shells' high weight demanded good physical endurance from the loader, and even then, the SPG's rate of fire was unsatisfactory. Its small on-board ammunition capacity and internally placed fuel tanks were also seen as serious flaws."

== Media ==

Skin and Camouflages for the [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicleCountry=ussr&vehicleType=tank&vehicleClass=tank_destroyer&vehicle=ussr_isu_152 ISU-152] in Warthunder Live.

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/2795/current/ [Vehicle Profile<nowiki>]</nowiki> ISU-152 «Zveroboy»]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISU-152 [Wikipedia<nowiki>]</nowiki> ISU-152]

{{USSR tank destroyers}}

BTR-152A

2019-12-09T22:58:20Z

U154318: /* History */

{{Specs-Card|code=ussr_btr_152a}}

== Description ==

[[File:GarageImage_BTR-152A.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
{{break}}
The '''{{specs|name}}''' is a rank {{specs|rank}} Soviet Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft gun {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.71 "New E.R.A"]]. As with any APC, it features light armour on a spacey vehicle, a good crew count, a decent gun and good mobility. Since there is no infantry to fight, the BTR is used as an AA in-game.

The BTR-152 is an APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) on a six-wheeled, open-topped truck chassis, meaning unlike the Soviet truck-mounted AA vehicles, it can survive low-caliber MG fire from ground vehicles. However, anything above 30 caliber doesn't have much trouble taking this vehicle down. It features a top-mounted twin [[KPVT (14.5 mm)|KPVT]] gun mount with good traverse and elevation rate. Something to note is the presence of the two spare loaders in the back. Inexperienced players, or those who don't know the structure of the BTR-152A, tend to repeatedly shoot the cab of the truck, leaving these two crew members relatively unharmed.

== General info ==
=== Survivability and armour ===


While armour is nothing impressive for any BR, it is in no way rubbish or useless since it protects the crew from most light ground menaces such as machine gun fire, most indirect artillery shrapnel, low-caliber HE shells and even some medium-range heavy machine gun fire. These light plates have some chances not detonating incoming APHE rounds, virtually turning them into pure AP shells. To maximize this effect, one should never face tanks up front. It is recommended to always show side armour if fired at, as from the side, modules are quite spaced out. Avoid autocannons at all costs since any of them can shred this APC in no time from almost any angle. Anyways, in most scenarios, it is better recommended to '''just hit the gas''' and avoid any incoming shots/artillery fire.

'''Armour type:'''

* Rolled homogeneous armour

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Armour !! Front (Slope angle) !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
|-
| Hull || 13 mm (34-64°) ''Grille'' 13 mm (41°) ''Windshield'' 6 mm (84°) ''Hood'' || 10 mm (0-22°) ''Main hull'' 6 mm (0-38°) ''Above wheels'' || 8 mm (0°) || N/A
|-
| Turret || 6 mm (15°) ''Magazine'' 10 mm (0°) ''Gun rack'' || N/A || 6 mm (0°) || N/A
|-
|}
'''Notes:'''

* Wheels are 2 mm thick.

=== Mobility ===

Here is an interesting feature that can provide any wise commander with a few hits: BTR-152A's speed. This light APC can carry itself over the road at breakneck speeds, provided it can ride a paved road. In good circumstances, it can reach over 80km/h and keep its good speed even while turning, due to its wheeled chassis. Offroad mobility is not bad, meaning it can easily follow medium and light tanks on any terrain, making for an effective flanker. Backwards, speed tops at -20 km/h, which is enough to get out of an ugly situation if needed. With its large wheels, this truck can cross some small trenches and rivers, where its GAZ and ZIS truck counterparts would ditch. This truck's centre of mass is quite low, allowing it to turn at high speeds without rolling.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Mobility characteristic
|-
! Weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Add-on Armor weight (tons)
! colspan="1" | Max speed (km/h)
|-
| rowspan="2" | 8.6 || colspan="1" rowspan="2" | N/A || colspan="1" | 90 (AB)
|-
|83 (RB/SB)
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine power (horsepower)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|156
|173
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|97
|103
|-
! colspan="3" | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
|-
! colspan="1" | Mode
!Stock
!Upgraded
|-
|''Arcade''
|18.13
|20.12
|-
|''Realistic/Simulator''
|11.28
|11.98
|-
|}

== Armaments ==
=== Main armament ===

{{main|KPVT (14.5 mm)}}

This is where this truck shines over its predecessor and followers: it has a higher rate of fire and more ammunition while retaining a good armour penetration and having a fully rotating turret (where the 72-K trucks are unable fire directly in front). Each ammo loadout can effectively engage tanks' sides with relative ease (at close range) and easily shred even heavy planes. The guns can fire for 10 seconds before overheating, or ~150 bullets, half of their magazine.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="6" | [[KPVT (14.5 mm)|14.5 mm KPVT]]
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="width:5em" |Capacity (Belt capacity each)
! rowspan="1" | Fire rate (shots/minute)
! rowspan="1" | Vertical guidance
! rowspan="1" | Horizontal guidance
! rowspan="1" | Stabilizer
|-
| colspan="2" | 1,200 (150) || 600 || -5°/+89° || ±180° || N/A
|-
! colspan="6" | Turret rotation speed (°/s)
|-
! style="width:4em" |Mode
! style="width:4em" |Stock
! style="width:4em" |Upgraded
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| ''Arcade'' || 27.4 || 37.9 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
| ''Realistic'' || 27.4 || 32.2 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
! colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
|-
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Stock
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Full crew
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Expert qualif.
! colspan="1" style="width:4em" |Prior + Ace qualif.
|-
| 10.4 || __.__ || __.__ || __.__
|-
|}

==== Belt statistics ====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type="text" | Ammunition
! colspan="6" | '''Penetration''' '''''in mm''''' '''@ 0° Angle of Attack'''
|-
! style="width:4em" |10m
! style="width:4em" |100m
! style="width:4em" |500m
! style="width:4em" |1000m
! style="width:4em" |1500m
! style="width:4em" |2000m
|-
| Universal || 31 || 27 || 22 || 17 || 15 || 13
|-
| API-T || 45 || 42 || 29 || 21 || 19 || 17
|-
| IAI || 27 || 26 || 19 || 16 || 14 || 12
|}

====Belt types====
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Belts''' || '''Shell composition''' || '''Combat usage'''
|-
| align="left" |'''''Universal ''''' || align="left" | AP-I, API-T, IAI || align="left" | This is the default belt in usage up until unlocking the API-T belt. It can effectively engage both tanks and planes but is not as good against tanks as the API-T belt.
|-
| align="left" |'''''API-T''''' || align="left" | API-T, AP-I(c), IAI|| align="left" | Once unlocked, this is the best belt for dealing with both ground and air target. 1/3 of its bullets can rip trough some side armour (close range) at this BR. Another 1/3 of this belt is specifically purposed against planes. The last 1/3 is general-purpose API-T, ''okay'' but not ''good'' against both tanks and planes
|-
| align="left" |'''''IAI''''' || align="left" | IAI, API-T || align="left" | Specific belt for hunting planes 1/2 of this belt is IAI ammo, which has no penetration but sets fires to planes quite easily. In emergency situations, can be used against tanks.
|}

==== [[Ammo racks|Ammo racks]] ====
[[File:Ammoracks BTR-152A.jpg|right|thumbnail|x150px|Ammo racks of the BTR-152A.]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Full ammo
! class="wikitable unsortable" |1st rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |2nd rack empty
! class="wikitable unsortable" |Visual discrepancy
|-
|| '''1,200''' || 600 ''(+600)'' || 0 ''(+1,200)'' || style="text-align:left" | no
|-
|}

== Usage in battles ==


As an AA vehicle, this thing is deadly to CAS that gets close. The MGs have good RPM and a good spread which is important in AA. As long as you lead correctly this vehicle can be used to shield you from 250 lbs - 1,000 lbs from the Allied aircraft or the 500 kgs from the Germans. If down-tiered, it should do alright against most tanks as it has quite good penetration, but if up-tiered, you need to get on the sides or rear of most tanks.

Stick close to the middle of the pack, but not too close to anyone to avoid becoming too obvious a target for tanks or aircraft. It is a good idea to stay close to the front lines, to help protect against aircraft and spot enemy tanks. It does have somewhat poor ammo capacity, so one might benefit from staying on a point to reload while swatting planes out of the sky.

This vehicle can easily be used as a frontline AA and skilled players can even flank with such a truck.

'''Frontline AA''' 
Stick to allies and watch the skies. Team play is key with this SPAA since it cannot effectively destroy most ground targets from the front; it will often have to rely on ally firepower. When the battle gets hot, do not hesitate to hit the gas and reach cover while keeping an eye on the sky. Watch out for fighters since they will try to strafe this juicy open-topped target. Loading the API-T belt is recommended, as it can engage both tanks and planes (both of them can appear in sight at any moment).

'''Flanker''' 
Be sneaky. Any tank can end this truck (or at least critically damage it) at any range. Use the road to maximize mobility and strike quickly. Take out tanks by their sides, empty your magazines and retreat to cover, and make sure to not stay in the same spot for too long. If the enemy knows your presence (turret turned towards you), abort flanking manoeuvres and return to the safety of the team.

=== Pros and cons ===


'''Pros:'''

* Good rate of fire (effective AA)
* All ammo loads contains AP shells with at least 25 mm of penetration
* Elevation of 89° and 360° rotating turret means very little to none AA blind spot
* Small turret and high mounted guns make hull-down position extremely effective
* Can fire a whole 10s before weapons jams due to heat
* Huge magazines, reloading is rare
* Huge ammo load means it is not likely to go dry
* Decent damage
* Can cross small trenches
* Fast turret traverse and elevation
* Small ammo racks
* Less likely to be destroyed by ramming compared to the GAZ trucks

'''Cons:'''

* AP rounds lose a lot of penetration between 100 and 500 m
* Very high vehicle and large target
* Long reload time
* If firing continuously, can only fire half of its mag before having to unjam weapons
* Atrocious performance in deep snow and sand
* API-T belt only consists of 1/4 cermet round, which is the highest penetration round
* Open-topped, vulnerable to strafing planes and artillery
* Vulnerable to HMG and autocannons
* Only -5 degrees of gun depression coupled with the high turret placement can make aiming at close targets difficult

== History ==


'''BTR-40''', despite being designed around the same time, was eventually replaced in the APC role by the '''BTR-152'''.

'''BTR-152''' (1950) – Basic APC based on ZiS-151 truck, many of which would later be covered and converted for other uses, such as ambulances, radio stations, and engineer vehicles. The basic BTR-152 has no winch, an open top, and no tire pressure control lines.

'''BTR-152A''' (1951) – BTR-152 converted into a SPAAG armed with a double (ZPTU-2) or quadruple (ZPTU-4) KPVT 14.5 mm antiaircraft heavy machine guns (2400 rounds) in a turret manually operated by a single soldier. The entire vehicle crew consisted of eight soldiers in the variant equipped with ZPTU-2 and five soldiers in the variant equipped with ZPTU-4. The turret is placed inside the troop compartment and can be manually operated by a single soldier. It can make a full turn and its guns can elevate between -5 and +80 degrees.

== Media ==
''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.''

== 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 ==


* [https://warthunder.com/en/news/4901-development-btr-152a-ztpu-2-skeet-shooter-en <nowiki>[Devblog]</nowiki> BTR-152A (ZTPU-2): Skeet Shooter]
* [https://community.apan.org/wg/tradoc-g2/ace-threats-integration/m/documents/213747 [APAN Communities<nowiki>]</nowiki> BTR Handbook - The Universal APC]

{{USSR anti-aircraft vehicles}}