Its semi-hemispherical cast turret (resembling that of an upturned soup bowl) became the hallmark of post-war Soviet tanks.

[7] Wartime production resulted in many mechanical problems and a hull weldline that had a tendency to crack open.

[5] Developments in High-explosive anti-tank rounds and guided missiles during the late 1940s and 1950s rendered the heavy tank concept obsolete.

[14] Even the 90 mm AP shell fired by the main gun of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) M48 Patton tanks could not penetrate the frontal armor of the IS-3s at normal battle ranges.

There were a number of engagements between the M48A2 Pattons of the IDF 7th Armored Brigade and IS-3Ms supporting Egyptian positions at Rafah in which several M48A2s were knocked out in the fighting.

[16][17] Zaloga notes that Israeli tankers were usually able to overcome the IS-3M through superior tactics and training and that Egyptian tanks were most dangerous when firing from ambush positions.

[15] Surviving tanks were regrouped into a single regiment which served as a reserve force during the Yom Kippur War.

[16] Most of the tanks captured by the IDF were converted into pillboxes (after having their engines removed) to reinforce the Bar-Lev Line,[18] while a few vehicles were briefly put into service in the late 1960s.

The IS-3M engine was poorly suited for the hot climate which made it unpopular with Israeli tankers; after the Yom Kippur War, surviving tanks were turned into stationary defensive pillbox emplacements in the Jordan River area.

Sources from the People's Republic of Donetsk claimed it was able to fire at a military outpost, killing and wounding several soldiers, before retreating and being abandoned.