Type 74

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Type 74

General characteristics
Crew	4
Length	9.41 m
Width	3.18 m
Height	2.25 m
Weight	38 tonnes
Armour and armament
Armour	120 mm
Main armament	105 mm rifled gun 55 rounds
Secondary armament	M2HB 12.7-mm machinegun 660 rounds Type 74 7.62-mm machinegun 4,500 rounds
Mobility
Power plant	Misubishi 10ZF Model 21, 10 Cylinders Diesel 750 hp (560 kW)
Suspension	hydropneumatic
Road speed	53 km/h
Power/weight	19 hp/tonne
Range	300 km

The Type 74 (Japanese: ななよんしきせんしゃ Kanji: 74式戦車) is a main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for the earlier Type 61. It was based on the best features of a number of contemporary designs, placing it in the same class as the US M60 Patton or German Leopard I. Like these designs, it mounts the excellent Royal Ordnance L7 105 mm gun. The design did not enter widespread use until 1980, by which point other western forces were starting the introduction of much more capable designs.

[edit] History

The JGSDF started studies on a new tank design with Mitsubishi in 1962, as it was realized that the Type 61 would not be able to defeat the latest Soviet designs like the T-62. Features from several designs were incorporated, including the controllable suspension of the MBT-70, the rolled steel hull of the Leopard 1, and the L7 gun. Features unique to the design included a rotating cupola for the commander, and a new autoloader for the main gun. The design was finalized in 1964 and various test articles were built between 1964 and 1967.

The first two prototypes, known as the STB-1, were delivered in late 1968 and underwent a number of modifications until 1969. The autoloader proved too complex, and was removed in the STB-3, which was delivered in 1973. Production finally started as the Type 74 in September 1975, with 225 being delivered by January 1980. Production ended in 1989, with total production running to 893 examples.

In service the tanks were updated with the addition of infra-red imagers (not image intensifiers) for the commander and gunner, and a laser rangefinder in the commander's cupola. The gunner's position included a digital fire control computer, fed range data from the commander's range finder. Rounds for the main gun were upgraded from HEP to APFSDS and HEAT-MP.

The Type 74 was generally outdated even before it entered service. The Type 90 was to have replaced it outright, but with the ending of the cold war these plans were scaled back. In 1993 four Type 74's were improved to the new Type 74 KAI standard, adding a passive infrared camera, side skirts, and so on. The upgrade proved to be extremely expensive, and the program was dropped.