MPK Pr.122bis

Description

The MPK Pr.122bis is a premium gift rank Soviet sub-chaser with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On" as a reward for the 2019 "Battlefield Engineer" crafting event.

General info

Survivability and armour

The MPK Pr.122bis has a good armour, her most well defended zone is at the centre and her most vulnerable area is the primary weapon. The ammo magazines are not much of a problem because they are well protected.

The crew size of the boat is 60 sailors, which is consequent and makes it hard to knock out the boat just with crew depletion.

Mobility

The MPK Pr. 122bis has mediocre mobility at best. The ship can nominally make 39 km/h maximum forward speed in Realistic, though the actual operating speed of the vehicle will typically be lower. The ship's turning circle and rudder shift time are all rather inadequate, meaning that the ship takes a long time to accelerate and turn. As a result, captains of the MPK Pr. 122bis must always stay alert, as the ship must take early evasive action to avoid any torpedoes or obstacles.

Modifications and economy

Armament

Primary armament

The primary weapon on the MPK Pr.122bis is the 85 mm 90-K cannon. A good gun in its own right that only really needs high-explosive shells to handle most of its opponents. The gun has great frontal firing arcs, reaching all the way to the ship's sides to nigh-rear, with the ±160° horizontal traverse range. However, the slow traverse speed means that the MPK Pr.122bis shouldn't expect to fight enemies coming in at all sides.

Secondary armament

The secondary armament on the MPK Pr.122bis is two 37 mm 70-K automatic guns. With the two placed in the rear, they provide enough firepower to compensate the 85 mm cannon's inability to attack towards the ship's stern. Carrying a full complement of explosive shells can help take care of any boats and planes trying to attack from the ship's stern.

• Universal: HEF-T · AP-T · HEF-T · HEF-T · AP-T
• 37 mm HE clips: HEF-T · HEF-T · HEF-T · HEF-T · AP-T
• 37 mm AP clips: AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · AP-T · HEF-T

Anti-aircraft armament

The tertiary armament of the MPK Pr.122bis are three turrets of dual-mounted DShK machine guns, one in the front and two in the rear. Though not as powerful as the 37 mm 70-K guns, these machine guns help supplement the firepower against approaching boats and planes.

Additional armament

Describe the available additional armaments of the ship: depth charges, mines, torpedoes. Talk about their positions, available ammunition and launch features such as dead zones of torpedoes. If there is no additional armament, remove this section.

Usage in battles

The Pr. 122bis can be thought of and played as a heavier armed, less manoeuvrable version of the tech tree MPK pr.122A or the MPK-163. Make use of the ship's massive armament to pulverize any boats that dare get in your way.

The Pr. 122bis has lacking manoeuvrability, meaning that it isn't particularly effective at rushing to bases or charging into battle. Instead, one good strategy is to find a good piece of cover (i.e. a small island) to protect the ship's more vulnerable central section. If you just leave the ship's bow sticking out, most enemy ships won't be able to damage your main section. This leaves the powerful frontal 85 mm cannon exposed, allowing you to engage enemy ships with ease.

However, this strategy doesn't allow usage of the ship's powerful secondary and AA armament suite, which offers a second gameplay option: serving as a brawler or mid-ranged gunship. This strategy maximizes the Pr. 122bis's high crew count and powerful armament spread across the vessel. When doing so, utilize the ship's powerful 85 mm gun to engage heavier targets (such as the SC-497) and utilize the 37 mm automatic cannons to engage smaller, faster targets. The 37 mm guns are also highly effective against enemy aircraft, capable of destroying most enemy aircraft with a couple of hits at most.

When playing the MPK Pr. 122bis, always stay aware of your surroundings. The ship's lacking manoeuvrability may prevent it from dodging a torpedo if the torpedo isn't noticed early enough. As well, pay attention to enemy ships in the vicinity, particularly heavier-armed vessels such as the SF40 series anti-air ferries. These vessels typically carry numerous hard-hitting automatic guns which will quickly destroy the ship's crew.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful 85 mm main gun, capable of firing powerful HE shells with 700+ grams of explosive filler
• Extremely potent secondary armament of 37 mm cannons and 12.7 mm machine guns, which are wonderful at destroying soft targets such as boats and aircraft
• Large crew complement of 60 crew members, giving the ship good survivability
• Relatively long hull meaning that crew is more spread out - this increases the ship's survivability by making it harder to knock out compartments
• Premium bonuses allow it to speed up research of the Soviet coastal fleet tree
  • As it is a premium vessel, all modifications are unlocked by default.

Cons:

• Lacking manoeuvrability including a long rudder shift, large turning circle and inadequate top speed for a boat of its size
• The ship's hull isn't armoured at all, meaning that the vital components can be hit very easily
• Ammunition storages and engines all lie partially above the waterline, meaning that they can be hit and destroyed easily
• Main gun is incapable of firing behind the ship, limiting its effectiveness in certain situations

History

The significantly upgraded version of the Project 122 small patrol boats designated Project 122bis MASB has been evaluated by experts as one of the most successful models in its class in the Soviet navy. This version varies from the Project 122 and 122A versions due to its new powertrain, differently-constructed cabin and enhanced anti-air weapons (aft 37 mm autocannons), as well as other improvements. The Soviet navy began employing the RGB-12 rocket-powered bomb against enemy subs in 1953. In later versions, the boats of Project 122bis had bomb launchers mounted on their forward sections for firing these rocket-powered bombs – two rail-type launchers with a constant firing arc that could be aimed horizontally by correcting the ship's course. The Soviet navy used the submarine chasers of Project 122bis until the late 60s, and they also exported them to many other countries.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the MPK Pr.122bis from live.warthunder.com.

Images

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  The MPK Pr.122bis at the hangar with its standard all-grey camouflage and red wood flooring.

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  The MPK Pr.122bis at the hangar with its event (and historical) Soviet Navy camouflage with "deforming" pattern.

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Videos

See also

Links to articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the ship;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] The big submarine chasers of Project 122bis: bombs away!