The turret was developed by Balzhi himself. Experience from building the Object 701 was indeed used, especially when it came to the hull. The new tank took its first steps on November 25th, 1944. This was the starting point for the development of an improved Kirovets-1. NKTP order #729ss issued on December 16th, 1944. The tank would use IS-2 components but receive radically improved protection designed using the experience of the Object 701, hence the index "701-A". The project was meant as an intermediate step between the IS-2 and Object 701. The lead designer on this project was N.L. The project was initially called "experimental prototype 701-A" and later "Kirovets-1". Nevertheless, the work started from scratch in the fall of 1944. The Chelyabinsk Kirov Factory SKB design bureau decided to work on their own modernization and even built a prototype. Initially the factory #100 design bureau was working on this project, but it was abandoned halfway through and the bureau began working on its own tank, the IS-6. The drama around the development of a modernization for the IS-2 tank rivals a soap opera. The appearance of IS-3 tanks at the Victory Parade in Berlin was a true shock for the Western Allies, and this tank remained the gold standard for a modern fighting vehicle for seven years. It did not reach the battlefield, but it worked flawlessly on the ideological front. The IS-3 was the last Soviet tank to be accepted into service during the Great Patriotic War. The army did not initially want to mass produce it, although the decision to do so later proved correct. The IS-3 tank, the result of a deep modernization of the IS-2 launched in April of 1944, was accepted into service on that day. March 29th, 1945, was an important date for Soviet tank building.
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