Type 3 Ka-Chi

Type 3 Ka-Chi
Type 3 Ka-Chi
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Production history
Designed	1942–1943
Specifications
Weight	28.7 tons (with pontoons)
Length	10.3 meters (with pontoons)
Width	3 meters
Height	3.82 meters
Crew	7
Armor	10–50 mm
Main armament	1x Type 1 47 mm tank gun
Secondary armament	2× Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun
Engine	Mitsubishi Type 100 air cooled V-12 diesel 240 hp (179 kW)
Suspension	Bell crank
Operational range	320 kilometers
Speed	32 km/h on land and 10 km/h in water

The Special Type 3 Launch Ka-Chi (特三式内火艇 カチ, Toku-san-shiki uchibitei Ka-Chi^?) was an amphibious medium tank developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II. The Type 3 Ka-Chi was based on an extensively modified Imperial Japanese Army Type 1 Chi-He tank (it had 2 more wheels on each side) and was a larger and more capable version of the earlier Type 2 Ka-Mi amphibious tank.

The success of the Type 2 Ka-Mi design pleased the planners in the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff, and it was determined that a larger version with stronger armor and armament would be useful in future amphibious warfare operations. The Type 3 Ka-Chi prototype was completed in late 1943 and the first units entered service that same year.

However, only 19 Type 3 Ka-Chi's were built from 1943 to 1945. The main priorities of the Navy were in warship and aircraft production, and lacking in any definite plans for additional amphibious operations, production of the Type 3 Ka-Chi remained a very low priority.

The Type 3 Ka-Chi was based a heavily modified version of the chassis of the Army's Type 1 Chi-He medium tank, and thus featured considerably better armored protection and firepower than the earlier Type 2 Ka-Mi. It had smooth sides that faired into front and rear flotation pontoons made of sheet-metal. The front pontoon had a curved 'bow' shape and both pontoons could be jettisoned from inside the tank once the tank had landed. However, in practice, the pontoons were usually retained, as they provided some marginal additional protection against enemy fire. The undercarriage used the Hara system, as did the Type 1 Chi-He, with the addition of 2 more road-wheels and two more return rollers on each side. The hull was welded and water-proofed "with rubber seals and gaskets". The water propulsion was provided by twin-screws and it had two steering screws. The Type 3 Ka-Chi also had a distinctive large snorkel behind the turret for aerating the diesel engine more efficiently and keeping the exhaust free of water.