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Type 2 Ke-To light tank

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Type 2 Ke-To
Type 2 Ke-To light tank
TypeLight tank
Place of originEmpire of Japan
Production history
Designed1941[1]
Produced1944–1945[2]
No. built34[3]
Specifications (Type 2 Ke-To[4][5])
Mass7.2 tons
Length4.11 m (13 ft 6 in)
Width2.12 m (6 ft 11 in)
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Crew3
Armor6–16 mm[4]
Main
armament
Type 1 37 mm tank gun[4]
Secondary
armament
7.7 mm machine gun[4]
EngineMitsubishi Type 100 air-cooled diesel
130 hp (97 kW)[4]
Suspensionbellcrank
Operational
range
186 kilometers
Maximum speed50 km/h[4]

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. No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.[4]

Rear view of a Type 2 Ke-To

Design

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The Type 2 Ke-To was based on the Type 98 Ke-Ni, using the same engine and bell crank suspension.[6] However, the gun turret was enlarged to provide greater space for the crewmen and the main armament was changed to the more powerful Type 1 37 mm gun,[6] with a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s.[1] The new 37 mm gun used gave the tank "slightly better performance".[6] The conical turret also carried a 7.7 mm machine-gun in a coaxial mount.[7] Besides these modifications, the tank was essentially the same as the Type 98 Ke-Ni, using the same hull, engine and having the same maximum armor plate.[1] The designation "Type 2" represented the Japanese Imperial Year 2602 (1942 AD), "Ke" represented "light", and "To" represented the number seven.[4][8]

Production

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Production commenced in 1944, with 34 units completed by the end of the war.[3][4] No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.[4]

Variants

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Prototype Type 2 Ke-To based work vehicle
  • Prototype work vehicle

An experimental "work vehicle" based on the Type 2 Ke-To light tank was produced in 1944. The armament consisted of a Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun in a smaller, modified turret. It was equipped with a 30kw generator, a flood light for night work and a light crane behind the tower.[9]

  • Type 4 work vehicle

An engineering vehicle developed in late 1944 on the chassis of the Type 2 Ke-To light tank. It was equipped with a dozer blade on the front end for use in airfield construction. It was also equipped with a 30kw generator to power tools and a flood light for night work. The exact number produced is not known.[10]

  • Type 4 Ke-Nu light tank

According to Japanese author and researcher Akira Takizawa, the Type 4 Ke-Nu light tank, was a variant of the Type 2 Ke-To featuring a new turret and a Type 1 47 mm tank gun. A total of Twenty-eight incomplete tanks were found at the Kobeseiko factory at the end of war.[11]

Footnotes

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  1. 1 2 3 Hara 1973, p. 13.
  2. ↑ Zaloga 2007, pp. 17, 18.
  3. 1 2 Zaloga 2007, p. 17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 History of War: Type 98 Type 2 Ke-To Light Tank
  5. ↑ Hara 1973, pp. 12, 13.
  6. 1 2 3 Zaloga 2007, p. 18.
  7. ↑ Tomczyk 2002, p. 75.
  8. ↑ History of War: Japanese Tank Designations
  9. ↑ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Articles on Japanese tank (Japanese text only)
  10. ↑ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Type 4 Work Vehicle
  11. ↑ Takizawa, Akira. "Type 4 Light Tank "Ke-Nu"".

References

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  • Hara, Tomio (1973). Japanese Combat Cars, Light Tanks, and Tankettes. AFV Weapons Profile No. 54. Profile Publications Limited.
  • Tomczyk, Andrzej (2002). Japanese Armor Vol. 1. AJ Press. ISBN 83-7237-097-4.
  • Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.

Further reading

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