Type 74 MBT
The Type 74 MBT, manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, is armed with the British-designed 105mm L7 type rifled tank gun manufactured under licence. New 105-mm APFSDS and high-explosive antitank missile projectile (HEATMP) were developed in Japan for the Type 74. The Type 74 tank was a typically Japanese-type tank containing many Japanese-originated ideas. The hydropneumatic suspension system, including the attitude controls, make the vehicle excellent for operation over rugged Japanese terrain. The vertical variability of the road wheel positions provides superior suspension capabilities.
The Type 74's hydropneumatic suspension has a vertical travel of 450 mm, provided a major improvement on the cross-country speed of the tank, compared to the predecessor Type 61 which used a torsion-type suspension with a travel of 190 mm, Leading-edge technology of the times included gun-control and targeting devices comprised of computerized laser range finders, fire-control systems, and gun stabilization systems. The choice of an electrically powered gun turret was validated when the fourth Middle East war demonstrated that hydraulics-driven tank turrets were susceptible to fire. Mobility is roughly expressed by power-to-weight ratio and is 19 horsepower per ton for the Type 74, ranking first-class among tanks of its generation.
The Type 74 tank is equipped with floodlights with xenon lamps instead of tungsten lamps and, the initial design of the floodlight filter measured 60 cm in diameter and broke easily from the shock or air blast each time the gun was fired. Night-vision operating systems were based on models obtained through technical aid from the United States and consisted of the periscope-type hanging from the hatch above the driver's head.
The Type 74 is equipped with the ruby laser type laser range finder. The night vision device equipped with the Type 74 prototype is an active infrared type, and if the enemy has a passive night vision device, there is a risk of easily revealing their existence. The passive type amplifies the faint light in the natural world, and although the detection rate has been greatly reduced, it has the disadvantage of being influenced by natural phenomena.
The Type 74 tank was developed as a successor to the Type 61 tank, and is a second-generation tank of the Ground Self-Defense Force. The Type 74 tank, which was developed with the latest technology of the time, had performance comparable to tanks from other countries, and was able to compete well with the tanks of the Soviet Union, the notional enemy at the time. Even after the successor Type 90 tank and Type 10 tank have been developed, it was still the main battle tank of the Ground Self-Defense Force in terms of numbers.
Around 1962, when the Type 61 tank equipped with a 90mm gun began to be deployed, the T-54 and T-55 equipped with a 100mm rifled gun became mainstream in the Soviet Union, and the T-62 equipped with a 115mm smoothbore gun was also deployed. was beginning. In addition, tanks equipped with 105mm guns began to appear in the West, and the Type 61 tank was already one step behind. Therefore, in 1964, soon after the Type 61 tank was deployed, development of a new tank equipped with a 105mm gun began.
Development began in 1964, and in 1969, the first and second prototypes were tested. In 1969, the first prototype vehicle called ST-B was completed, and various tests were repeated. Prototype vehicles were produced up to car No. 6, and then in September 1974 they were officially adopted as Type 74 tanks and mass production began, and deployment began in 1975.
By the end of production in 1989, 873 vehicles had been produced, and from around 1999, retirement began with vehicles that had passed their service life. About 30 to 40 cars were retired annually, and as of the end of March 2013, the number of these cars is believed to be 373. The final procurement unit price was about 400 million yen per car.
It was undoubtedly the best second-generation tank in the West at the time it adopted its unique hydraulic suspension system and advanced fire control system. But then the era moved to the era of third generation tanks, and it became obsolete in about 10 years. Since the Type 90 tank has become virtually exclusive to Hokkaido, the Type 10 tank, which is smaller and lighter than the Type 90 tank, began to be deployed as a successor, and it is thought that renewal will proceed in the future. The Type 74, which had a curved turret designed to avoid bullets, is more stylish than the Type 90 and has many fans because it can be seen at base festivals in various places.
Production has already ended, and 873 cars were manufactured by 1989. It is scheduled to be updated to the 10-type tank sequentially, but the 74-type tank will continue to be active until it is completely replaced.
The official successor to the Type 74 tank is the Type 10 tank. The Type 90 tank, which was developed following the Type 74 tank, is a limited deployment vehicle in the northern area developed in consideration of the northern defense during the Cold War era. As a third-generation tank deployed nationwide, the Type 10 tank is the successor equipment.
Type 74 MBT - Derivatives
In general, the JGSDF weapons and equipment had not received much improvement. The Type 74 tank is no exception. However, small-scale improvements have been made, such as the adoption of new shells to increase firepower and the installation of thermal jackets on the barrels (however, the adoption of new shells has greatly improved firepower).
After the production of the initial type, the Type 74 tank has been refurbished to match the times, and types up to " B-G type " are made. The largest improvement of the Type 74 was carried out from 1993 to 1994. This improvement includes installation of side skirts, installation of a laser detection device, a caterpillar dropout prevention device for the drive wheels, and a passive night vision device. This improved vehicle is classified as Type 74 Tank (G) and is also called Type 74 Tank Kai. However, due to budget constraints, such as the cost of remodeling one car reaching 100 million yen, only one prototype car and four officially refurbished cars were remodeled. All of them were deployed in the tank training corps, but in March 2019, they were all abolished.
The Type 74 tank has undergone minor updates after production. Since 1993, apart from subtypes, improvements have been made such as the conversion to a Nd:YAG laser rangefinder and a digital ballistic calculator, and the addition of a liner to protect the crew from internal peeling of the armor when hit.
In addition, some equipment that uses the body and engine of the Type 74 tank has been developed. " Type 78 tank recovery vehicle " developed for the deployment of type 74 tanks for maintenance and repair, " type 91 tank bridge " which is almost the same as type 74 tanks except that there is no turret , equipped with various radars and computers. Type 87 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun ". By designing existing equipment and using parts, it leads to shortening the development period and reducing costs.
Type 78 Tank Recovery Vehicle
The Type 78 tank recovery vehicle is a tank recovery vehicle made by diverting the body of the Type 74 tank, and was developed as a successor to the Type 70 tank recovery vehicle that had been deployed until then. The installed hydraulic winch supports towing of 38t, which is the weight of a 74-type tank, and the crane has a lifting capacity of 20t or more. The upper part of the engine room is also equipped with a mount that can mount the power pack of the 74 type tank. For self-defense, it is equipped with an M2 12.7mm machine gun and a Type 74 60mm smoke grenade launcher. In addition, attitude control is also possible like the 74 type.
Type 87 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
The Type 87 self-propelled anti-aircraft gun is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun developed as a successor to the M42 Duster self-propelled anti-aircraft gun and the L90 anti-aircraft gun. As you can see from its appearance, it seems to have been based on the German Gepard , but since it is newer than Gepard, it has advantages such as a shooting control system with a digital computer and shooting while driving.
The undercarriage and power pack are diverted from the Type 74 tank, but the car body was newly developed due to the problem of space inside the car, such as the installation of an APU. Attitude control is also possible like the Type 74. Like the Gepard, it is equipped with two Swiss Oerlikon 35mm cannons, and has a tracking radar and a search radar at the top of the turret. Equipped with electronic optical sensors with automatic tracking functions such as a CCD camera, LLLTV, and laser rangefinder for backup, it is possible to intercept even in an ECM environment. Originally, the radar arrangement was to be the same as Gepard's, but due to patent issues, it was changed to the current arrangement.
Type 91 tank bridge
The Type 91 tank bridge is a bridge tank that has a bridge girder that is divided into two parts on the body of the Type 74 tank. It is possible to fully automatically build a bridge of about 20m, which can be passed by 90 type tanks, in about 5 minutes by hydraulic pressure. The front part of the vehicle is equipped with a laser detection device similar to the 90 type tank.
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