• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Type-5 Ke-ho Light Tank

The Type-5 Ke-ho Light Tank is a light tank developed by the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of World War II. It was the last vehicle as a series of light tanks of the Japanese Army. Due to the lack of time, it was decided not to develop a tank from scratch, but to remake an existing one. On the chassis of the light tank Ke-Ni was installed a turret with weapons from the tank Type 97.

At the beginning of World War II, the Japanese army commander realized that the Japanese Army’s standard Type-95 light tank was obsolete. Although the Type 95 Ha-Go in battle against the China National Revolutionary Army performed well, and in mid-December 1941 it defeated the US military M3 light tank in Bataan. But the performance of the car quickly became inadequate. Although the 37mm gun installed can penetrate most of the light armor designed and put into production in the 1930s, like the tank made in the United States before 1941, the Type-95 was designed to support infantry rather than fight against enemy tanks. The Type 95 can't even resist the attack of a .50 inch caliber machine gun.

The development charge was Hino Heavy [a branch of Toyota Corporation]. Development began in 1942 (Showa 17), but development was delayed because resources were given priority to aircraft and ships rather than tanks. Because the Japanese Army Staff Headquarters was forced to hand over the raw materials to the Navy for the manufacture of combat aircraft and warships , the project was also put on hold. It was not until 1945 that the authorities agreed to mass produce such tanks, but it was too late.

It is reported that only one prototype was completed in 1945 (Showa 20). However, there is not a single photograph, and only the side view remains. Detailed information is unclear, as the materials are incinerated. There are few existing materials and there are many mysterious vehicles. It is an advanced type tank that inherited the design of the 98 type light tank Keni and the 2 type light tank ke-to, and is next to Ke-ni as a secret name.

As for the structure of this car, it is speculated that the turret used many parts of the Type-97 medium tank, and the body and traction parts of the Type-89 light tank and the Type 2 light tank.

The tank body was armored plate with a maximum armor thickness of 20 mm assembled by welding. The outer shape is very similar to that of the Type 98 light tank, but slightly larger. The illustration is equipped with a turret similar to the ones of the Type-97 medium tank Chiha Kai, the complete middle tank Chihe, or the experimental made Type-98 medium tank Chiho at the top of the body. It is unclear as to whether a command tower was set up on the turret.

As the main armament, "the trial production 47 (short) tank gun" was under development in the 1st Army Research Institute Research Project in 1982. The research started in September 1942 (Showa 17), and the completion test in June of the following year, the practical test in October of the same year, and the completion of December of the same year were scheduled. The first Army Technology Research Institute revised research plan, the initial speed of 740m / s, high and low range -15 ~ +20 degrees, the direction of the shooting field such as 10 degrees for each right and a specific number was listed, but the completion schedule was significantly delayed to March 1945 ( Showa 20).

The complete 47 mm tank gun is one of the most powerful arms for light tanks, and there are few vehicles in this class equipped with such strong arms in other countries. The 47mm shell for the main gun was loaded with 90 shots. The complete 47 mm tank gun has a powerful anti-armor power, but on the other hand, it has some problems when it is mounted on a light tank because the reaction at the time of shooting is large. Therefore, in parallel with the development of the car, it was decided to develop a tank gun of the type that suppressed reaction at the time of shooting based on the complete 47 mm tank gun. The tank gun was given the designation "Prototype 47 mm (short) tank gun" and was developed in September 1942. The plan was to be completed in December of the same year, but as with the car car, the development of a prototype 47 mm (short) tank gun was significantly delayed.

The theory that only a single- armed 7.7 mm machine gun is the secondary armament, but it is unclear where it was installed. The figure on the right is taken as the front of the car body, but if the car body is very similar to the Type 98 light tank, the car body is unarmed, and if the turret is similar to a thing like Chiha Kai, the turret is the same, it may have been equipped on the side or the rear of the turret.

The model has been increased in weight by 3 tons over the Type 98 light tank, and a 300 mm track was adopted to cope with this. The engine used a diesel engine with enhanced power with a supercharger. The output was reduced to 150 horsepower, compared to the 988 light tank at 130 horsepower. Although the details of this engine are unknown, it is speculated from the condition of in-line 6-cylinder diesel with a 150 HP supercharger, and one theory is Tokyo Gas Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., which was developed for light tanks in 1937 (Showa 12) There is a theory that says "chiyoda EC type". However, there is a question that it is not a controlled engine that is almost adopted as a tank of Japanese Army because the specification of the Chiyoda EC type is a specification of bore × stroke = 115 mm × 150 mm, displacement 9.3 L. Or maybe the control 100-type air-cooled in-line 6-cylinder diesel mounted on the Type 98 light tank or the 2 type light tank was modified and a supercharger was attached. The mounted volume of the fuel tank (fuel tank) of this car was 130 liters.

For the bulletproof light tanks, a suspension device such as a horizontal coil spring suspension was housed inside the body for bulletproof purposes. However, this method is disadvantageous in that the volume inside the vehicle is reduced, and the ammunition fuel load and the battle operation are restricted. So for the Five Type Light Tank, the suspension system was again equipped on the outside of the vehicle. The internal power transmission mechanism is similar to that of keni.

It is a light tank, but rather it is close to the middle tank Chiha Kai, and it is speculated that it had the best performance among the Japanese light tanks. A similar plan vehicle, the vehicle body of the Type 98 Ke-Ni Kenya and Type 2 Ke-To-keto, in ninety-seven formula equipped with the new turret of the tank Chiha break, Type 98 Ke-Ni breaks and Type 2 Ke-To.