#type 10

Type 10

The three tanks in the modern JGSDF arsenal

The Type 10 “Hitomaru”

At the dawn of the 21st Century the Japanese had decided to revamp their now aging tank force of Type 74s and Type 90s as warfare has advanced and changed rapidly in the past 20 years. The basis for the new AFV was that it was to meet weight requirements and to utilize the C4I (Command, Control, Communication and Computing) system. After assessing the Type 74 and Type 90, it was found that neither tanks had the internal space to be upgraded with the C4I system, therefore the Ministry of Defense concluded that a new design would have to be developed. 

In 2008 the first “MBT-X“ was revealed at the Technology Research and Development Institute (TRDI) in Sagamihara. During it’s reveal there was heavy emphasis put on the C4I’s ability to enhance performance, firepower, protection and mobility.

Unlike the Type 90 which was armed with the Rh 120, the Type 10 uses a completely new gun developed indigenously by Japan Steel Works. There is an option for longer barrels of 50 and 55 but the gun can fire JM-33 and all standard NATO 120mm ammunition. The Type 10 retains the secondary armament of the Type 90 which is a single M2HB backed up by a Type 74 machine gun. 

The Type 10 is powered by numerous 4 stroke V8 Engines that deliver 1,200 horsepower which give the Type 10 one of it’s most interesting abilities. The Type 10 can achieve a top speed of 70 km/h (40 mph) in both forwards and reverse! The Type 10 also retains the Hydro Pneumatic suspension that the Type 74 and Type 90 possess. 

More interesting features include the Type 10′s weight compared to it’s predecessor the Type 90, the Type 10 weighs a massive 6 metric tons less which is a very good thing because compared to the Type 90 which was only deployed on Hokkaido and could only use 65% of Japan’s 17920 bridges, the Type 10 can use 84% of the bridges. As another comparison only 40% of the bridges can be utilized by Western MBTs.