Type 74

Type 74
Type 74
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Japan
Service history
In service	1975 – present
Production history
Designer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Designed	1962
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Unit cost	$5.4 million
Produced	1975 – 1988
Specifications
Weight	38 tonnes (42 short tons; 37 long tons)
Length	9.41 m (30 ft 10 in)
Width	3.18 m (10 ft 5 in)
Height	2.25 m (7 ft 5 in)
Crew	4
Armor	189–195 mm (7.4–7.7 in)
Main armament	105mm rifled gun 55 rounds
Secondary armament	M2HB 12.7-mm machinegun 660 rounds Type 74 7.62-mm machinegun 4,500 rounds
Engine	Mitsubishi 10ZF Model 21, 10 cylinders diesel, 21.5 L 750 hp (560 kW)
Power/weight	19 hp/tonne
Suspension	hydropneumatic
Operational range	300 km (190 mi)
Speed	53 km/h (33 mph)

The Type 74 (74式戦車, nana-yon-shiki-sensha^?) 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 or German Leopard 1. Like these designs, it mounts a rifled 105mm gun. The design did not enter widespread use until 1980, by which point other Western forces had introduced more capable designs.

The JGSDF began studies on new tank designs with Mitsubishi in 1962, after the Type 61 had been shown to be outmatched by new Soviet tanks such as the T-62. Features from several designs were incorporated, including the controllable suspension of the US-German MBT-70 project, the hull of the Leopard 1, and a similar 105mm gun. The design included a rotating cupola for the commander, and a new autoloader for the main gun. Prior to the 1965 decision to design an entirely new tank, some technologies which would later be used in the STB-1 (first prototype) were already in development independently in Japan.The design was finalized in 1964 and various test rigs were built between 1964 and 1967.

During the development stage, engineers opted for a license on the NATO standard Royal Ordnance L7 105mm cannon. Japan only produced the barrel under licence, developing an indigenous mantlet, breech and recoil system. The full length of the cannon was 5,592 mm, for a total weight of 2,800 kg. Initially the main gun only used APDS (Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot) and HEP (High Explosive Plastic) as its primary ammunition. Later it was modified to fire APFSDS (Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot) and HEAT-MP (High-Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose) shells as well.