Type 92 Heavy Armoured Car

Type 92 Tankette
Type 92 tankette in 1935
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Production history
Designed	1931
Produced	1932–1939
Number built	167
Specifications
Weight	3.5 tonnes (3.9 tons)
Length	3.95 m (13 ft 0 in)
Width	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Crew	3
Armor	6–12 mm
Main armament	13 mm Type 92 heavy machine gun
Secondary armament	1 × 7.7 mm Type 97 light machine gun
Engine	Franklin/Ishikawajima Sumida C6 air-cooled inline 6-cylinder gasoline 45 hp (34 kW)
Suspension	Bell crank
Operational range	200 km (120 mi)
Speed	40 km/h (25 mph)

The Type 92 Heavy Armoured Car (九二式重装甲車, Kyū-ni-shiki Jyū-sōkōsha^?), also known as the Type 92 cavalry tank, was the Empire of Japan's first indigenous tankette. Designed for use by the cavalry of the Imperial Japanese Army by Ishikawajima Motorcar Manufacturing Company (currently Isuzu Motors), the Type 92 was designed for scouting and infantry support. Although actually a light tank, it was called sōkōsha (armored car) in Japanese due to political sectionalism within the Japanese Army (tanks were controlled by the infantry, whereas the new weapon was intended for the cavalry). Exactly the same device was used in America with the M1 Combat Car.

After World War I, many European countries attempted to mechanize their cavalry. In parallel, Japanese cavalry also experimented with a variety of armored cars with limited success. These wheeled armored cars were not suitable for most operations in Manchuria, due to the poor road conditions and severe winter climate. Japan's army (like the US, French, British and Russian armies) tried various methods to integrate modern armor into their traditional horse cavalry formations.

From the early 1920s, the Imperial Japanese Army Cavalry School based in Chiba prefecture tested a variety of European light tanks, including six Carden Loyd tankettes and several Renault FTs, and a decision was reached in 1929 to proceed with the domestic development of a new vehicle, based largely on the Carden Loyd design and intended to address the deficiencies of wheeled armored cars.