The tier 7 SU-122-44 premium Russian tank destroyer is a hard hitting mobile platform that is capable of dishing out a lot of damage for a premium tier 7 tank. With its 122mm gun it carries an above average damage round while also having a very high rate of fire. Due to this damage potential the SU-122-44 does pay in other areas, but does it pay to much for this damage capability? This tank guide will help you understand how the SU-122-44 plays and whether or not it is a good purchase for your garage. The SU-122-44 will be broken down into firepower, armor, mobility, miscellaneous attributes, and also have tactics to help you perform well in it.
The main attraction of the SU-122-44 is its 122mm gun that packs a 390 damage shell into a tier 7 premium tank destroyer. Most tier 7 tank destroyers do not have over 320 damage rounds, so already the SU-122-44 has a leg up on most of them in that area. With 390 damage it gives it the capability of killing most tanks it sees in 3 or 4 shots. With 7.5 rounds per minute the SU-122-44 has an excellent 2,925 damage per minute value that is higher than most other tier 7 tank destroyers. It does pay for this slightly by having .41 accuracy, a 2.9 second aiming time, and lower penetration that other tank destroyers. Its AP round has 175mm of penetration, the APCR round has 217mm of penetration, and HE has 64mm of penetration. While the penetration is lower than other tier 7 tank destroyers it isn’t a huge issue since it is still enough to face tier 8/9 tanks with a few APCR rounds.
SU-122-44 | 390 Damage | 7.50 RPM | 2,925 DPM | .41 Acc | 2.9s Aim Time | 175mm/217mm/64mm Pen
SU-152(122mm) | 390 Damage | 8.11 RPM | 3,163 DPM | .41 Acc | 2.9s Aim Time | 175mm/217mm/64mm Pen
Jagdpanther | 320 Damage | 7.32 RPM | 2,342 DPM | .34 Acc | 1.7s Aim Time | 200mm/244mm/60mm Pen
T25 AT | 320 Damage | 6.59 RPM | 2,109 DPM | .38 Acc | 1.7s Aim Time | 198mm/245mm/53mm Pen
Comparing the SU-122-44 to its closest peers at tier 7 you notice that aside from the SU-152 the SU-122-44 has a huge leg up in the damage per round/DPM areas. The SU-152 when equipped with the top 122mm has a better rate of fire giving it more damage per minute, but the SU-122-44 isn’t that far behind. The Jagdpanther and T25 AT both have 320 damage rounds with lower rate of fires and the SU-122-44 will easily out damage them. It is clear that both SU Russian tank destroyers are worse at fighting at long range due to accuracy/aiming time and also have a harder time against well armored enemies. Overall the SU-122-44’s positive values when it comes to firepower far out weigh the small negatives and it will easily be able to do damage as long as you stay alive to do so.
On paper the Su-122-44’s armor values do not look like they are anything special but they do end up providing enough protection to consider it a positive trait. While the armor is not capable of protecting you against tier 7 and up tanks reliably it is enough to make facing tier 6 and 5 tanks much easier. You even get get some lucky bounces off of tier 7+ tanks if your frontal armor is angled horizontally or they hit the gun mantlet area. The listed values of the SU-122-44 are 90mm/75mm/45mm and they are largely straightforward with no hidden surprises. The entire front is a minimum of 90mm thick with only a small 15mm strip located above the gun mantlet(and before the roof). The sides are 75mm thick and the rear is mostly 45mm thick with a 20mm strip located on the upper portion. The frontal armor is the only true important part since the upper sloped section has 175mm of effective armor which is above average for a tier 7 tank destroyer.
SU-122-44 | 90mm/75mm/45mm Hull Armor
SU-152(122mm) | 75mm/60mm/60mm Hull Armor
Jagdpanther | 80mm/50mm/40mm Hull Armor
T25 AT | 88.9mm/76.2mm/38.1mm Hull Armor
While the listed values for all the tank destroyers are similar the SU-122-44 manages to pull ahead by a noticeable margin. Frontally the SU-122-44 has most of its armor with 175mm effective armor, the Jagdpanther/T25 AT is closer to 130mm/140mm effective armor, and the SU-152 only has 87mm effective armor covering most of its front. While the SU-152 does have a highly angled plate with 267mm effective armor it isn’t hit very often due to its location and size. In the armor area the SU-122-44 wins compared to these other tier 7 tank destroyers and while it won’t be relied upon it will provide a decent amount of bounces(especially against tier 5/6 tanks).
The SU-122-44 has a great gun, decent armor, but does does it have good mobility? While the SU-122-44 has the weakest engine of the bunch it’s being compared to it also weighs the least. The SU-122-44 weighs 32.5 tons before equipment and has a 500 horsepower engine. This gives it a large enough engine to make it accelerate good and move around the map with ease. It won’t climb hills quickly due to the power to weight ratio but it does move around good for a tank destroyer. Its top speed going forward with 47.5 km/h which is plenty and it has a 13 km/h limit on its reverse. Another plus is the 1.0/1.2/2.0 terrain resistance values for good/moderate/poor terrain areas. When you add all these values together you have a tank destroyer capable of moving around the map easily aside from in poor terrain. It won’t win in a race against a E-25 but it still is fast enough to get the job done.
SU-122-44 | 32.5 Tons | 500 Horsepower | 47.5/13 Km/h Speed Limit | 1.0/1.2/2.0 Terrain Resistance
SU-152(122mm) | 45.6 Tons | 600 Horsepower | 43/11 Km/h Speed Limit | 1.1/1.4/2.3 Terrain Resistance
Jagdpanther | 44.8 Tons | 700 Horsepower | 55/12 Km/h Speed Limit | 1.1/1.3/2.4 Terrain Resistance
T25 AT | 38.8 Tons | 704 Horsepower | 56/15 Km/h Speed Limit | 1.2/1.4/2.3 Terrain Resistance
Looking at the chart the SU-122-44 is the lightest tank by a decent margin and also has the best terrain resistance values. While it does have the least amount of horsepower it makes up for it with its weight/terrain resistance. The T25 AT does move around faster than the SU-122-44 overall but not by a huge margin.
Often small attributes of tanks are overlooked and they can drastically alter the way a tank performs on the battlefield. The SU-122-44 is unfortunately a tank that fits into this category since a couple of its miscellaneous attributes are well below average. The SU-122-44 only has 4 degrees of gun depression and 16 degrees of gun elevation. With only 4 degrees of gun depression it is difficult for the SU-122-44 to fight on uneven terrain. This is made better due to the SU-122-44 not being a large tank and also the gun being located in the front part of the tank. However, since it is only 4 degrees it still does pose issues that other tanks with better gun depression will not have to face.
Another negative of the Su-122-44 is the short view range which is only a minuscule 330m. While the SU-152 shares the same view range both tank destroyers are limited in what they can do because of it. With only 330m view range you will be spotted before you can see other tanks unless you have camouflage crew skills or something like a bush in front of you. This forces you to be very careful when moving in between areas where you will set up since you can easily be caught off guard before you can react. I suggest equipping a binocular telescope along with a rammer and ventilation. The binocular telescope will allow you to have “alright” view range when you are stationary. Usually I use coated optics but since the view range is so low at 330m they will not provide enough to warrant using an equipment slot on it.
The radio signal range is great at 700m and you will have no difficulties with connecting to the rest of your team. With 840 health points you have a slightly lower amount than the SU-152 but all tier 7 tank destroyers lack health points(especially against tier 8/9 tanks). With a capacity of 35 rounds of ammunition the SU-122-44 isn’t in any danger of running out of rounds quickly. The rounds are a tad bit on the expensive side with AP costing 1,025 credits, APCR 4,800 credits, and HE 608 credits. Due to the 390 damage rounds the cost is offset well and as long as you do not miss/bounce several rounds you will easily earn a good profit. Finally, the matchmaking of the SU-122-44 is not limited to seeing a maximum of tier 8 like some other premium tanks and it will see up to tier 9. This isn’t a huge negative since the gun is capable of holding its own in tier 9 matches but it is worth noting.
SU-122-44 | -4/+16 Depression/Elevation | 330m View Range | 700m Signal Range | 840 HP | 35 Ammo
SU-152(122mm) | -6/+18 Depression/Elevation | 330m View Range | 625m Signal Range | 870 HP | 32 Ammo
Jagdpanther | -5/+14 Depression/Elevation | 370m View Range | 710m Signal Range | 850 HP | 60 Ammo
T25 AT | -10/+20 Depression/Elevation | 350m View Range | 615m Signal Range | 840 HP | 40 Ammo
Playing the SU-122-44 is learning where you can set up to support your team and where you cannot set up since you will take a lot of return fire. Since the SU-122-44 has terrible view range it shouldn’t be expected to set up on the font lines at the start of a match unless you are one of the only tier 7 tanks. You are better suited to set up in an area behind your spotters or forward tanks and use your excellent damage/DPM to decimate the enemy. Although your accuracy is poor you can still damage up to tier 8 tanks reliably at long range and against tier 8/9 tanks have the option of using APCR shells. Use your mobility and decent camouflage values to move around off the front lines and set yourself up to rack up the damage.
After the initial engagements take place you can then either push ahead to join your allies with pushing or if you see an opening attempt to flank enemies. Since you are mobile you are capable of flanking somewhat effectively as long as you limit the chance of an enemy tank flanking you(no turret). There are also two small things to keep in mind when facing different tier enemy tanks. Against tier 5, 6 and some tier 7 tanks you frontal armor will bounce some shots especially if you angle it slightly since your side armor is somewhat thicker than expected. Take your shot then angle 10-20 degrees and you’ll be surprised at the amount of shots you bounce. Against tougher tier 7 tanks and all tier 8/9 tanks you should beware and avoid being shot at all costs. Many tier 8/9 tanks and some tier 7 tanks can kill you in 2 shots and ignore your armor completely.
The SU-122-44 is very dependent on what enemies it faces and the specific situation on how it should be played. Knowing when to play more aggressive, when to hold back a bit, and when to move to another area is key to performing well.
Although the SU-122-44 has regular matchmaking unlike some other premium tanks it doesn’t hold the tank destroyer back in the least bit. With its excellent firepower combined with good mobility and decent armor it is a great tier 7 tank destroyer. Soft stats(gun depression/view range) do make it difficult to play if you do not take into account its flaws but the SU-122-44 is good enough in most other areas to make up for these drawbacks. Credit earning potential is very high since it has a high damage round and isn’t dependent on premium APCR rounds. If you are in the market for a tier 7/8 premium tank then the SU-122-44 is a great purchase if you like hard hitting tank destroyers.
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