The Object 261 is a Soviet tier 10 self-propelled gun.
Developed on the basis of the IS-7 in 1947. The vehicle was supposed to feature a 180-mm naval gun. However, the project was discontinued.
Rather than using the 203mm gun from the the 212A, it mounts the 180mm which may turn some people off with its lack of damage. It does compensate with a higher rate of fire, and has good accuracy which makes some players would use Armor Piercing shells for more consistent damage and better penetration. Unfortunately it only carries 18 rounds as opposed to 40 rounds on the 212A. It is quite mobile for its size, having the second highest top speed of the five Tier 10 SPG's. Also, Update 9.18 removed AP and HEAT rounds from SPG's that aren't premium, leaving HE sitting in dust on this arty. Damage and pen per shell is on par with M40/M43 (T8) and American SPG's have the best firepower. However, these drawbacks doesn't setback it against its competitors.
The Object 261 marks the end of its Soviet self-propelled gun line.
Player Opinion[]
Pros and Cons[]
Pros:[]
- Longest Gun range in the game at 1470m
- Most accurate artillery in the game
- Very fast shell travel time for artillery. Combined with high accuracy means hitting targets is easy
- Artillery is fairly mobile, being only slightly slower than many mediums
Cons:[]
- Shells travel on an extremely flat trajectory, making it difficult to hit targets behind cover
- Horrible gun traverse
- Horrible gun arc, albeit 2 degrees larger than its predecessors
- Low trajectory somewhat negates the high accuracy, although it is still very accurate
- Somewhat low damage per shot for Tier 10 SPG's (although it's still better than the B-C 155 58)
Performance[]
The Object 261 has the lowest arc of any artillery piece in the game, meaning it has almost no ability to shoot over cover. However, this low arc combined with a high shell velocity means this SPG has the lowest shell travel times, making it easier to lead moving targets. However, the narrow gun arc means that if you do not pre-aim, you will have to re-position often to keep targets in your reticle. Due to it's narrow arc, "TD mode" can be difficult against enemies who force you to aim laterally, meaning you need to aim ahead of said enemy. However, the low shell arc does come a bit in handy here, as the shells go towards the approaching enemy much faster.
This arty plays a lot like the French B-C 155 58 but without the autoloader. The DPM is only 200 damage lower than BC 155, but if this arty uses Innovative Loading System, this arty is only behind 70 DPM (26 second reload time. B-C 155 58 with no rammer, as it has only an autoloader, and autoloader only tanks cannot use rammers. As such, it can't use Innovative Loading System, either.).
Penetration value is the lowest of all arty given that it has more flat trajectory. This makes the arty easier to hit the sides and rooftops of tanks which could do the same amount of damage as "1k damage per shot" artys when they hit. Use your expertise and aim for weak spots on tanks (like FV4005 turret).
Using a Wear-Resistant Gun Laying Drive (or just the normal one) would speed up the aim time to 3.84 seconds which is only about a second longer the IS-7 and Type 5 Heavy. They think that popping out to use their armor to ricochet or to bait shots to do damage is safe but your short aim time (and even when you just have to re-aim for an even better shot) will prove them wrong. Also dispersion values are on par with the Type 5 Heavy while moving (especially when turning the vehicle which is 0.19)!
Historical Info[]
During work on perfecting the IS-7 design in 1947, OGK LKZ and Experimental Factory #100 developed projects for high power heavy SPGs.
- Object 261-1, closed type, with a forward fighting compartment and a 152 mm M-31 gun with a 880 m/s muzzle velocity (later re-designated Object 261)
- Object 261-2, half-open type, rear fighting compartment, 152 mm M-48 gun with 1000 m/s muzzle velocity (later re-designated Object 262)
- Object 261-3, half-open type, rear fighting compartment, with a 180 mm naval MU-1 gun with a muzzle velocity of 920 m/s. This gun is also known as the 180mm B-1-P