Type 90 Tank - Protection
The body and turret are welded structures with rolled steel plates, and composite armor is incorporated in the front part . The composite armor of the Type 90 tank is said to be a type called restraint ceramic type, similar to the Leopard 2 , and is said to have a structure in which ceramics and glass fiber are sandwiched with titanium and compressed modules are laminated. In the test, the 120mm smoothbore gun of the prototype No. 2 car was fired at the prototype No. 1 car, and at least 4 shots in total of APFSDS and HEAT -MP were hit directly on the front of the hull and 1 shot on the front of the turret from a close range. was not pierced. On the contrary, since there was no major impact on the function , it was self-propelled and returned to the base . At the time, the armor of the Type 90 tank, which could withstand the world's most powerful 120mm smoothbore cannon, could be said to have had the world's highest level of defensive power at the time.
In addition, the Type 74 tank had a curved structure with a bulletproof start, but against the current tank shells, it is difficult to deflect the bullets due to the bulletproof start, and it is compatible with composite armor that takes up space . As a result of considering bad things and productivity, the armor plate of the Type 90 tank has a vertical configuration.
In terms of defense capabilities other than the front, in tests, the side of the turret withstands a direct hit from a 35mm APDS from a distance of 1km, the side of the hull withstands a 14.5mm machine gun, and a static explosion test of a 155mm high-explosive shell at 10m above the head . From these test results and welding marks, the turret side is about 80mm bulletproof steel plate, the body side is about 5mm side skirt + 35mm main armor, the rear is about 25mm, and the top is about 30mm to 40mm. is estimated to be a bulletproof steel plate.
However, tank shells are also advancing day by day, and the DM53APFSDS currently in operation in Germany has an armor penetration of 650mm at a distance of 2km when combined with a Leopard 2A6 55 caliber smoothbore gun, and the Type 90. It has 40% more penetration than the tank DM33 and 44 caliber gun combination. In addition, the 3BM-42M of Russia's APFSDS for 125mm smoothbore guns is said to have an armor penetration of about 600mm at a distance of 2km, which is also 30% higher. The Type 90 tank has excellent defense, but it seems that it will never be safe in the future.
A laser detector is mounted on the top of the turret. This equipment was not found in the Type 74 tank, and in the modern age where the use of a laser rangefinder for sighting has become common, it is also important for detecting enemy attacks in advance. The laser detector of the Type 90 tank has three optical windows, and detects laser irradiation from about 180 degrees in front of the turret. In addition, the turret side has eight 76mm smoke grenade launchers, four on each side. The smoke bomb is mainly composed of red phosphorus, and is manufactured under license from the Swedish company FFV.
The NBC protection device is a line type (individual type), and it is a method of sending purified air directly to the crew's protective clothing. In the case of a system that pressurizes the entire vehicle like the Type 74 tank, the main gun closing machine requires a breech plug, so the main gun cannot be fired, and the combat capability is greatly reduced.In addition, it is necessary to completely close and seal various hatches. Because of the problem that the preparation is very time-consuming and impractical, it seems that the line type was adopted for the Type 90 tank.
There is no air conditioning in the car, and both the battle compartment and the cockpit are equipped with a hot water heating system using engine heat.
The vehicle is equipped with submachine guns, rifles, hand grenades, and signal pistols as self-defense weapons for crew members. The battle room and power room are equipped with an automatic fire extinguisher using halon gas, and a portable fire extinguisher is also provided.
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