The SU-152 was one of the most formidable armored vehicles to see combat during World War II, and was the first to mount the massive 152mm ML-20 gun; the largest caliber gun fitted on a tank or assault gun by any of the combatants. The gun was a potent anti-tank weapon as well due to its tremendous blast, capable of knocking out any German tank at a distance. However, the gun required a multi-component round which restricted the rate of fire to just two rounds per minute. As a result of this, and the fact that more powerful tanks like the T-34/85 and IS-2 soon entered service, the main role of the SU-152 became infantry support, but its tank-killing capability nevertheless led it to be nicknamed Zvierboy (Animal Hunter) due to its ability to destroy German Tigers, Panthers, Elephants and the like. Aside from this, the SU-152 was broadly similar to the SU-122 whose chassis it used, albeit with a slightly higher profile and larger mantlet needed to accommodate the massive new gun. The SU-152 was first seen in combat during the Battle of Kursk and remained in widespread use throughout the remainder of the conflict until replaced by the equally powerful but more heavily armored ISU-152.

Two prototypes were developed by Lt. Col. Z. Kotin and T. Troyanov in 1942 and were known as the KV-14 and and KV-12 respectively, the latter which was armed with an even more massive 203mm B-4 howitzer. The former (also known as Ob'yekt 236) was ultimately accepted into production as the SU-152 in February 1943. There were no variants.