The IS-3 Kirovyets is a Soviet heavy tank developed towards the end of the second world war. The IS-3 was the third major iteration of the IS series of tanks, superseding the IS-2. The IS-3 was not a terribly successful design, by most accounts. While it represented a revolutionary design in armour configuration it suffered from, even by Soviet standards, poor crew accommodation and “fightability”, while its engine and drive train were apparently unreliable. The IS-3 is the third variant of the IS heavy tank family. The IS-3 featured a revolutionary front hull and turret design that would become the trademark of all postwar Soviet tanks until this day. Detailing the technical specifications, development, and operational history of the IS-3 / JS-3 (Josef Stalin) Heavy Tank Tracked Combat Vehicle including pictures. The IS-3 was a Cold War tank, of the same generation as the British Centurion and American Pershing. All three were conceived to fight the latest German tanks, but ended on opposite fronts and had a long Cold War career. Super heavy tank IS-3 from Czech The IS-3 (also known as Object 703) is a Soviet heavy tank developed in late 1944. Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl) became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks.