Type 2 Ke-To
Type 2 Ke-To | |
---|---|
Type 2 Ke-To light tank | |
Place of origin | Empire of Japan |
Production history | |
Designed | 1941 |
Produced | 1944–1945[1] |
Number built | 34[2] |
Specifications (Type 2 Ke-To[3]) | |
Weight | 7.20 tonnes |
Length | 4.11 meters |
Width | 2.12 meters |
Height | 1.82 meters |
Crew | 3 |
| |
Armor | 6–16 mm |
Main armament | Type 1 37 mm gun |
Secondary armament | 7.7 mm machine gun |
Engine |
Mitsubishi Type 100 air-cooled diesel 130 hp (97 kW) |
Suspension | Bell crank |
Operational range | 186 kilometers |
Speed | 50 km/h |
The Type 2 Ke-To (二式軽戦車 ケト Nishiki keisensha Ke-To) was a light tank of World War II, produced in small numbers for the Imperial Japanese Army as an improvement of the existing Type 98 Ke-Ni. It was not used in combat.[4]
Design
The Type 2 Ke-To was based on the Type 98, using the same engine and bell crank suspension.[3][5] However, the gun turret was enlarged and the main armament was changed to the more powerful Type 1 37 mm gun,[5] with a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s.[4] The new 37 mm gun used gave the tank "slightly better performance".[5] The designation “Type 2” represented the year 1942, “Ke” represented “light”, and “To” represented the number seven.[4]
Production
Production commenced in 1944, with 34 units completed by the end of the war.[2][4] They were never used in combat.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ Zaloga 2007, pp. 17, 18.
- 1 2 Zaloga 2007, p. 17.
- 1 2 World War II vehicles website
- 1 2 3 4 5 History of War: Type 98 Type 2 Ke-To Light Tank
- 1 2 3 Zaloga 2007, p. 18.
References
- Foss, Christopher (2003). Great Book of Tanks: The World's Most Important Tanks from World War I to the Present Day. Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-1475-6.
- Foss, Christopher (2003). Tanks: The 500. Crestline. ISBN 0-7603-1500-0.
- Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.