Soviet KV-122 Heavy Tank   

By 1944, the Great Patriotic War was approaching its climax, with the Red Army in need of vehicles capable of not only withstanding the attacks of the German King Tigers but also delivering devastating counterattacks over long distances. One such experimental response was the KV-122 heavy tank (Object 242), developed in early 1944 on the KV-85 chassis. This vehicle was a prototype with a powerful 122mm D-25T gun in a reinforced turret, designed to act as a "heavy armor hunter" and support breakthroughs up to 10 kilometers deep. The KV-122 was one of the last projects in the KV line, built in a single copy, and served as a testbed for the weaponry that would later become famous. IS-2Despite the lack of serial production, the KV-122 made a valuable contribution to the evolution of Soviet heavy artillery, confirming the superiority of the 122mm caliber in duels with the Wehrmacht and accelerating the transition to post-war standards.