The SU-100 was developed when Soviet designers sought a tank destroyer with a clear firepower advantage over the new T-34-85. The 100 mm D-10S offered substantially greater antitank performance.
Tank Destroyer / Assault Gun / Direct-Fire · Tank destroyerSU-100 · Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 100Primary image verified
SU-100. Primary reference image for this archive profile. Source date: 2013-08-17 17:05:37.Vitaly V. Kuzmin; CC BY-SA 4.0Image source
Rolemedium casemate tank destroyer
Main weapon / system100 mm D-10S gun
Platform / layoutT-34-derived chassis
MediaPrimary image integrated
Development and design
The vehicle retained the basic SU-85 arrangement but strengthened frontal protection and improved crew observation while fitting the larger gun. The resulting design remained compact compared with Soviet heavy assault guns. 1, 2
Operational use
SU-100s entered combat late in 1944 and became significant in the final offensives in Europe. The design remained useful after 1945 and was exported widely, giving it a much longer service life than its wartime predecessor. 1, 2
Role and significance
The SU-100 is the culmination of the T-34-chassis Soviet tank-destroyer line and an important bridge between wartime self-propelled guns and postwar Soviet direct-fire doctrine. 1, 2
Sources and further reading
Representative source set used for this profile. Primary image source and reuse terms are listed with the image.
