Japan Unveils New Main Battle Tank

[Mulboyne]

[YT]TLnjfYKhcU4[/YT]

Jane's: Japan unveils MBT prototype
Japan's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) has unveiled the prototype of the TK-X, its new ultra-light main battle tank. Designed to replace the ageing Type 74 and Type 90 MBTs, the '3.5-generation' tank was debuted at the Ground Systems Research Centre in mid-February. The 40-ton tank - which has a crew of three and was designed to be lightweight in order to comply with Japanese road laws - is 10 tons lighter than the Type 90. Laws banning heavy vehicles meant that the Type 90 could not operate outside Hokkaido, except at certain training facilities. However, the TK-X is light enough to be transported on standard, commercial trailers...more...

[Iraira]

...more...

Will this tank be like all the previous Japanese tanks, meaning unable to stop Godzilla?

[ttjereth]

Jane's: Japan unveils MBT prototype
Japan's Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) has unveiled the prototype of the TK-X, its new ultra-light main battle tank. Designed to replace the ageing Type 74 and Type 90 MBTs, the '3.5-generation' tank was debuted at the Ground Systems Research Centre in mid-February. The 40-ton tank - which has a crew of three and was designed to be lightweight in order to comply with Japanese road laws - is 10 tons lighter than the Type 90. Laws banning heavy vehicles meant that the Type 90 could not operate outside Hokkaido, except at certain training facilities. However, the TK-X is light enough to be transported on standard, commercial trailers...more...

Should we start taking bets on how soon till the first accident of some sort involving this tank occurs?

Maybe they'll accidentally run over a kei truck because they couldn't see it.

[Buraku]

Something very familiar about that design

perhaps they ripped-off/copied a French version

[Buraku]

Did a bit of searching
It's turret is stolen from the German Leopard, but overall I would say its a copy of the 'Leclerc'

look in the mirror and say cheese
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leclerc/leclerc13.html
120mm gun
54 tonnes
Speed 70 km
Secondary armament 7.62mm machine gun

Now here's the killer :
JAPAN PRICE
JPY¥800,000,000 or US $ 7 M.
Compared with M1A1 tanks which cost of $2.3–$4.3 M per unit

Reminds me of the time Japan could copy an old Falcon for the price of 12 Stealth fighters

[emperor]

I remember watching something on discovery channel a few years ago which implied that the production/design of tanks was going to move towards lower profiles, faster speeds + implementing radar absorbing stealth armour?

[Greji]

Should we start taking bets on how soon till the first accident of some sort involving this tank occurs?

Maybe they'll accidentally run over a kei truck because they couldn't see it.

My Land Cruiser will squash that turret bearing beer can!

[Oradea]

The SDF getting ready for guerilla warfare? If Japan ever do get embroiled in another war, it wont last long, thats for sure.

[unkosando]

Will this tank be like all the previous Japanese tanks, meaning unable to stop Godzilla?

LOL:D

[Grumblebum]

Did a bit of searching
It's turret is stolen from the German Leopard, but overall I would say its a copy of the 'Leclerc'

look in the mirror and say cheese
http://www.army-technology.com/projects/leclerc/leclerc13.html
120mm gun
54 tonnes
Speed 70 km
Secondary armament 7.62mm machine gun

What's that prove? MBT designs reached a peak around 20 years ago. They've been refined to a point that they all follow similar design philosophies - lowest chassis profile possible while still maintaining high mobility, and a low profile wedge shaped turret.
Designs are bound to be similar.

You might as well say that Toyota Corollas are copies of Honda Civics because they're both sedan-shaped.

[quote]
Now here's the killer :
JAPAN PRICE
JPY\800,000,000 or US $ 7 M.
Compared with M1A1 tanks which cost of $2.3–]

? You do know that the M1A1 is more than 20 years old, right?

[Mr Doricar]

See you on the drag strip bitches!

FORZA AZZURI!!!

[Charles]

[Buraku]

In Soviet Russia : Tank EATS HOUSE + everyone drunk VODKA =
all your base belong to Soviet Russia

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=188_1204915081

LMAO !

[GuyJean]

This is my favorite tank chase scene..

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The original article says the new tank is 'ultra-light'.. Is that a good thing for a tank?

GJ

[kurohinge1]

. . . The original article says the new tank is 'ultra-light'.. Is that a good thing for a tank?

It can be.

Whether under their own steam or not, weight slows them down and may even prohibit some modes of transport (trailer and/or air). The old Japanese tank was too heavy to legally transport around the country's roads (and it's really the bridges that are important, on a practical level) outside of Hokkaido. Very inconvenient for deployment.

The strongest tank in the world is no good if it can't get to the fight.

[Samurai_Jerk]

This otaku is shocked to hear that Japan doesn't already have the world's bestest and most advanced tank.

[Charles]

[quote="kurohinge1"]The strongest tank in the world is no good if it can't get to the fight.

]
The strongest tank in the world is no guarantee of winning, or even surviving the fight. There's a famous story about an M1A2 that got killed by an RPG in Iraq. It's supposed to be impervious to RPGs, but they think it was a new rare Romanian RPG round with a armor-penetrating copper sabot.

[Mulboyne]

[kurohinge1]

The strongest tank in the world is no guarantee of winning, or even surviving the fight. There's a famous story about an M1A2 that got killed by an RPG in Iraq. It's supposed to be impervious to RPGs, but they think it was a new rare Romanian RPG round with a armor-penetrating copper sabot.

The video and info. on this site suggests that the M1A2 is not having a good time in the middle east. Although, over there, I'd rather be inside one than outside.

But even if you thought the M1A2 was the strongest tank in the world, and splashed-out US$2.3-4.3 million for one, you wouldn't want to be told that it was 1,000 km away when you needed it, and couldn't be transported to you any time soon because it was too heavy.

[Charles]

The video and info. on this site suggests that the M1A2 is not having a good time in the middle east. Although, over there, I'd rather be inside one than outside.

But even if you thought the M1A2 was the strongest tank in the world, and splashed-out US$2.3-4.3 million for one, you wouldn't want to be told that it was 1,000 km away when you needed it, and couldn't be transported to you any time soon because it was too heavy.

Yeah, there were a couple of big Israeli tanks with all the latest Active Armor plating, they got tricked into driving over an IED and blew the hell out of them. All that armor on the outside doesn't do much good if you drive right over a buried bomb.

But I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the alternative, using quantity rather than quality. The US wants a bigger quantity of light armored vehicles, like the Stryker or Bradley, both of them are barely more than armored personnel carriers. I heard one military guy say, "They look like a tank so they're a high value target but they're just APCs. They're a great way to get a lot of infantry up into harm's way in an armor battle."

BTW, I should give more credit to that pic of the tank made from balloons. I ganked it from a sculpture exhibit by some German artist, I thought it was pretty clever. Talk about light tank, if you filled it with helium it would probably float away.

[kurohinge1]

. . . BTW, I should give more credit to that pic of the tank made from balloons. I ganked it from a sculpture exhibit by some German artist, I thought it was pretty clever. Talk about light tank, if you filled it with helium it would probably float away.

Inflatable tanks had a good success rate in WW2 . . . at least, where action was not required. And the Germans should know.

[Charles]

Yeah, I did think of that when I saw the balloon tank. One of my favorite WWII books is about deception and camouflage, they had pics of those inflatable tank decoys. But rubber was scarce and probably better used making tires than inflatable tanks.
I think my favorite pics from that book were of British aircraft decoys made of wicker and cloth. They were like 1:1 scale model airplanes.