Japanese Type 10 main battle tank

In the summer of 2011, new photographs of Japan's main battle tank appeared Type 10. It is believed that the photo shows one of the 13 prototype tanks ordered in 2010. The prototype was first presented on 02/13/2008, it did not have a bulldozer blade; the turret and hull have not undergone significant changes. The Type 10 MBT is developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and weighs 10 tons less than the Type 90 MBT.

Such criteria were presented for the use of the tank in cramped and mountainous areas of Japan. The main feature of the Japanese tank is the use of modular composite armor. Armament is a 120 mm smoothbore gun developed by Japan Steel Works with an automatic loader and 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns. It is believed that the weight of the Type 10 main battle tank with all armor sets will be about 50 tons.

3
Specific power, hp/t	27,3
Length with gun forward, mm	9420
Width, mm	3240
Height, mm	2300
Gun type	SHG
Gun caliber, mm	120
Machine guns, number x mm	1 x 7.62, 1 x 12.7
Armor	modular ceramic composite
engine's type	diesel
Engine power, l. With.	1200

Photos of a modern Japanese tank:

Click on the tank photo to enlarge

In terms of dimensions, the Type 10 is closer to the Japanese Type 74 tank. The main complaint of the Japanese military about the Type 90 tank was precisely its high cost - 7.4 million dollars, 3 million more than the price of the American Abrams, as well as the mass dimensional characteristics that prevent the free transportation of tanks by rail and independent movement on roads within the country. So when creating the Type 10, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. fulfilled the wishes of the military and developed a cheaper and more compact version of the MBT. The cost of the Japanese Type 10 tank is estimated at 6.5 million US dollars.

Comparative performance characteristics of some modern tanks

Merkava


Merkava Mk.4
Year of adoption	2004
Combat weight, t	65,0
Crew	4
Gun caliber, mm	120
Guided weapons	LAHAT
Ammunition, shots	48
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	Yes
Active protection	Trophy
Engine power, l. With.	1500
Specific power, l. s./t	23,1
Maximum speed, km/h	70
Cruising range on the highway, km	450

Japanese Type 10. Tank with no chance of attack

Japan's Self-Defense Forces are severely limited by the post-war constitution that the United States imposed on a capitulated Japan. According to this document, Japan renounces war as an instrument of international interaction and does not have an army at all. True, Japan's self-defense forces look quite powerful, but there is a clear bias towards defense.

The current Japanese government considers the current situation offensive and the constitution overly pacifistic. And after the recent elections, the ruling coalition managed to obtain a parliamentary majority, which allows us to expect a change in the Japanese constitution in the near future. True, it is unlikely that immediately after the constitutional change, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will rename themselves into the army and immediately go to war with China. But the opportunity will open up for the export of military equipment.

Photo: pro-tank.ru

The Japanese consider their newest main battle tank Type 10 to be one of the main candidates for sale abroad, but this vehicle, although quite modern, has a number of distinctive features that make the prospects for exporting this vehicle very vague.

Japanese electronics

The strength of this tank is its electronic content. The C4I (command, control, communications, computers, and (military) intelligence) system allows Type 10 tanks to exchange information with each other automatically within the unit. This will undoubtedly enhance the combat capabilities of Japanese armored units. A fire control system and an automatic system for ejecting smoke grenades when the tank is irradiated with laser beams would not be a problem. These electronic tanker assistants are useful for any modern tank, and having them on the Type 10 is a must. However, such systems are no longer new.

But other strengths of the Japanese tank may well become obstacles to export.

Problems with excess weight

The Type 10 was originally designed as a lighter tank compared to its predecessor. The base weight of the vehicle does not exceed 44 tons, and if you remove the modular metal-ceramic armor, it will be reduced by another 4 tons. The low weight is due to the geographical features of Japan. Many islands of volcanic origin are replete with ravines, gorges and failures, over which bridges of very moderate load-bearing capacity are thrown.

Photo: russian.china.org.cn

Even a lightweight Japanese tank can move only 85% of the largest bridges in Japan, while the MBTs of the leading tank powers approach 50 tons in weight, and some, like the Israeli Merkava or the American Abrams, weigh more than 60 tons. Thus, the Type 10 is ideally suited for moving around Japan, but when participating in international tenders it turns out that armor had to be sacrificed for the sake of less weight.

Armor, suspension and gun

The Type 10 is positioned by the Japanese military as an ideal tank for fighting irregular forces. Particular attention is paid to protection against RPG-7 and its countless modifications. For this reason, the tank is equipped with powerful side armor, which can be expanded with additional modules. However, the American experience of the war in the Middle East shows that mines are a popular means of countering tanks among militants, but the Japanese, accustomed to operating on their home islands, are not doing well with mine protection.

Another dubious advantage is the hydropneumatic suspension. In the difficult terrain of Japan, it turns out to be simply irreplaceable, but in the conditions of a relatively flat theater of operations, it becomes more of an additional complex mechanism that can also break down.

Photo: weapons-system.blogspot.ru

As for the gun, the Japanese designers did not fantasize and equipped the tank with a licensed copy of the German Rheinmetall Rh-120 tank gun with a 44-caliber barrel. The standard NATO caliber allows the use of shells already in stock, which is a definite advantage. But it’s worth remembering that Western designers are already working hard to create 130 and 140 mm. guns that will be installed on promising US and German tanks. Thus, there is no advantage in firepower for the Type 10.

Finally

The Japanese Type 10 is certainly a worthy representative of the tank family, but it is only focused on combat operations on its native islands. This is not surprising for a country that has not thought about armed expansion for the last half century. But the prospects for export supplies are limited by the same specificity of the tank.

As for Japan’s ability to export its armored units from the country for use in large-scale combat operations abroad, it is worth mentioning the meager landing capabilities of the Japanese fleet. Japan is not able to transport any significant number of tanks to the mainland.

Thus, the Type 10 will in the near future remain exclusively a means of defending Japan against armed invasion. Well, since there are no people willing to invade Japanese territory with weapons, the Type 10 actually becomes a tank with no chance of attack. Not so much a real combat vehicle, but a demonstrator of the capabilities of Japanese industry.

Arjun


Arjun Mk.I
Year of adoption	2011
Combat weight, t	58,5
Crew	4
Gun caliber, mm	120
Guided weapons	LAHAT
Ammunition, shots	39
Rate of fire, rds/min	6-8
Dynamic protection	n/a
Active protection	n/a
Engine power, l. With.	1400
Specific power, l. s./t	23,9
Maximum speed, km/h	70
Cruising range on the highway, km	450

Al-Khalid


Al-Khalid
Year of adoption	2001
Combat weight, t	48,0
Crew	3
Gun caliber, mm	125
Guided weapons	No
Ammunition, shots	49
Rate of fire, rds/min	8
Dynamic protection	Yes
Active protection	Varta
Engine power, l. With.	1200
Specific power, l. s./t	25,0
Maximum speed, km/h	70
Cruising range on the highway, km	500

Zulfiqar


Zulfiqar-3
Year of adoption	n/a
Combat weight, t	36,0
Crew	3
Gun caliber, mm	125
Guided weapons	No
Ammunition, shots	n/a
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	n/a
Active protection	n/a
Engine power, l. With.	780
Specific power, l. s./t	21,7
Maximum speed, km/h	70
Cruising range on the highway, km	450

Tiger of Storms


Tiger of Storms
Year of adoption	2002
Combat weight, t	n/a
Crew	n/a
Gun caliber, mm	125
Guided weapons	No
Ammunition, shots	n/a
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	n/a
Active protection	n/a
Engine power, l. With.	n/a
Specific power, l. s./t	n/a
Maximum speed, km/h	n/a
Cruising range on the highway, km	n/a

K1A1


K1A1
Year of adoption	2001
Combat weight, t	53,2
Crew	4
Gun caliber, mm	120
Guided weapons	No
Ammunition, shots	n/a
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	n/a
Active protection	No
Engine power, l. With.	1200
Specific power, l. s./t	22,5
Maximum speed, km/h	65
Cruising range on the highway, km	500

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pYUGLUU YPSHKYU, L	16.16
dKKhMYu, L	11.77
bSHYANRYU, L	4.31
OKNYYUDE YPSHKYU, L2	66.00
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tNRNCPYUTHH:	oPNRNRHO Type 10
Type 10 Model A
Type 10 Model A
Type 10 Model B

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Type 99


Type 99A1
Year of adoption	n/a
Combat weight, t	57,0
Crew	3
Gun caliber, mm	125
Guided weapons	n/a
Ammunition, shots	41
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	Yes
Active protection	JD-3
Engine power, l. With.	1500
Specific power, l. s./t	26,3
Maximum speed, km/h	80
Cruising range on the highway, km	450

Photo and video

Type 10 rear view

Type 10 in testing

Type 10 (left) and Type 90

Type 10


Type 10
Year of adoption	n/a
Combat weight, t	44,0
Crew	3
Gun caliber, mm	120
Guided weapons	n/a
Ammunition, shots	n/a
Rate of fire, rds/min	n/a
Dynamic protection	n/a
Active protection	n/a
Engine power, l. With.	1200
Specific power, l. s./t	27,3
Maximum speed, km/h	70
Cruising range on the highway, km	n/a

Combat potential

Of course, the Type 10 tank has never taken part in combat, but experts say that it has very serious potential. The modern C4I electronic system combines devices for control, communication, guidance and reconnaissance, allows you to exchange information between tanks and easily combat even small moving targets. In order to more effectively fight not only armies, but also partisan troops, the tank is especially strongly protected against light anti-tank machine guns.

Interestingly, due to the light weight of the tank, it can easily be used in Southeast Asia - the soil here is very soft, and the Leopard 2A6 or Abrams M1A2 will be ineffective in these conditions.

Today, virtually all Type 10s are based in Hokkaido, the center of the country's military deployment.