Type 90 Kyū-maru
| Type 90 | |
|---|---|
A Type 90 on display at the JGSDF Ordnance School in Tsuchiura, Kanto, Japan.
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| Type | Main battle tank |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/Japan Ministry of Defense Technology Research and Development Institute |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| Produced | 1990 – 2009 |
| Number built | 341 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 50.2 tonnes |
| Length | 9.76 m |
| Width | 3.43 m |
| Height | 2.34 m |
| Crew | 3 |
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| Armor |
Modular ceramic/steel composite armour
|
|
Main
armament |
Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun with automatic loader |
|
Secondary
armament |
M2HB 12.7 mm machine gun Type 74 7.62 mm machine gun |
| Engine | Mitsubishi 10ZG 10-cylinder, two-stroke cycle, 1,500 hp/2,400 rpm |
| Power/weight | 30 hp/tonne |
| Transmission | Mitsubishi MT1500 automatic transmission (4 forward gears, 2 reverse gears ) |
| Suspension | hybrid hydropneumatic&Torsion bar suspension |
|
Operational
range |
400 km |
| Speed | 70 km/h (acceleration: 0–200 m in 20 s) |
Modular ceramic/steel composite armour
The Type 90 tank (90式戦車 Kyū-maru-shiki-sensha?) is a main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). It was designed and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for all deployed Type 61 and Type 74 tanks, and entered service in 1990. It is to be superseded by the Type 10 tank.
After the adoption of the Type 74, the Japanese High Command was already looking for a superior, completely indigenous tank design to defeat the Soviet T-72. As a result, development of a prototype, the TK-X MBT began between 1976 and 1977. Joint development was performed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and TRDI (Japan Defense Agency's Technology Research and Development Institute). Major subcontractors included Japan Steel Works, Daikin Industries, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and NEC.
Two prototypes of the Type 90 were completed in 1980, both armed with a Japanese 120 mm gun (produced by Japan Steel Works Limited) firing Japanese ammunition (produced by Daikin Industries Limited). Testing and design modifications such as improvements to the turret and half Modular type ceramic composite armour continued until 1986.
A second series of four prototypes was built between 1986 and 1988, incorporating changes resulting from trials with the first two prototypes. These were armed with the Rheinmetall 120 mm smoothbore gun also fitted to the German Leopard 2 and, in a modified version, the US M1A1/M1A2 Abrams MBT. These second prototypes were used for development and then user trials, all of which were completed by 1989, before Japan formally introduced the Type 90 in 1990. Mass production began in 1990, and 30 vehicles were produced by the end of the year.
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