The picture shows the Type 10 main battle tank
In this issue, the Japanese Type 10 main battle tank is a main battle tank produced by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, costing 9.6 million US dollars, using a number of new technologies to focus the characteristics of the tank on command, control, communication and other functions, allowing the tank to share combat information in real time during the operation. Japan has high hopes for the Type 10 main battle tank, which ranks among the best tanks in the world. But this excellent main battle tank ended up with only 90 vehicles in the country.
The picture shows the Type 90 main battle tank
As the "predecessor" of Japan's Type 10 main battle tank, the Type 90 main battle tank has ceased to exist after the collapse of the Soviet Union, resulting in a significant decline in its strategic significance as a Japanese main battle tank. At this time, Japan needed tank units that were more mobile, able to assemble quickly and react quickly. As a result, Japan's Ministry of Defense announced in September 2004 that it would stop producing the expensive Type 90 main battle tank. At the same time, a development based on the New Medium-Term Defense Readiness Program was named TK-X.
The TK-X tank was planned to be trial-produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kanagawa Sagamihara Manufacturing, and the first prototype began in 2002, and a total of three prototypes were completed until 2006. In 2008, the Technical Research Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense announced the latest prototype, and the TK-X was expected to enter service as soon as 2010. Because it was finalized and put into production in 2010, the TK-X was officially designated the Type 10 main battle tank. When the Type 10 main battle tank enters service, it will also replace all of Japan's old and bulky tanks.
The picture shows the Type 73 semi-trailer carrying tanks
The Type 10 main battle tank was designed with a lot of advanced technology and was similar in appearance to tanks that still had a traditional construction. The Type 10 main battle tank weighs 44 tons, and compared with its "predecessor" the Type 90 main battle tank, the Type 10 main battle tank is more flexible, the overall structure is smaller, and the tank weight is also six tons lighter than the Type 90 main battle tank. The Type 10 main battle tank weighs no more than 40 tons after removing the module armor and removing ammunition, while the maximum load capacity of the Type 73 semi-trailer is 40 tons. If necessary, the Type 10 main battle tank can be driven directly on the Type 73 semi-trailer, which also greatly increases the mobility of the Type 10 main battle tank.
In addition to the weight mentioned above, another important factor in determining maneuverability is the engine. The power system of the Type 10 main battle tank uses a domestic V8 engine. It can output 1200 horsepower at 2300 rpm. In terms of diesel combustion efficiency and engine operation reliability, it is much better than the "predecessor" Type 90 tank, and the maximum speed can reach 70 kilometers per hour after calculation. The Type 10's engine with electronically controlled variable nozzle exhaust turbocharger and electronically controlled fuel nozzle system, combined with HMT continuously variable automatic transmission, makes the tank more efficient and able to maintain considerable speed and agility on rough and winding roads.
The picture shows the firing of the Type 10 main battle tank
In terms of protection and weapons, the composite armor used in the Type 10 main battle tank is quite excellent, and its interior and exterior are equipped with highly elastic roll-rolled homogeneous steel armor, which is filled with some non-metallic materials and ultra-high hardness steel armor at the middle sandwich inside and outside. This also gives the Type 10 the defense against most armor-piercing shells. The armament is equipped with a 120 mm 44 times diameter smoothbore gun developed by Japan, which has increased bore pressure compared to the previous Type 90 main battle tank. The Type 10's main battle tank's main gun can use a newly developed programmed fuze shell in addition to the traditional armor-piercing projectile. The electronic fuse of this shell can detonate munitions from outside a three-storey wall, which can be effective in town operations against enemy forces hidden behind houses or inside buildings.
After understanding the performance of the Type 10 main battle tank in all aspects, we can also understand the reason why Japan has high hopes for the Type 10 main battle tank. A tank developed domestically, equipped with a large number of advanced technologies, excellent in terms of performance and maneuverability that met the needs of the time, is difficult not to expect.
The picture shows the Type 10 main battle tank participating in military exercises
However, it was such an excellent tank that in the end it was only equipped with 90 units in Japan. In terms of cost, the Type 10 main battle tank is equipped with a large number of new technologies, and the consequence of blindly stacking new technologies is that the cost of the Type 10 main battle tank is rising, not to mention the cost of equipment procurement and hiring expert guidance. At $9.6 million, it was arguably one of the most expensive tanks in the world at the time. But no matter how bright its performance data is and how expensive it is, it is not comparable to the real drill performance. In 2015, during the Fuji Integrated Fire Exercise at Mount Fuji, Japan, the Type 10 main battle tank suffered serious quality problems, and the tracks of the tank actually fell off, and it lost its ability to move on the spot.
Another reason may be because after the end of the Cold War in the 90s, the Soviet threat ceased and Japan's main battle tanks became less important in defense. In the defense plan outline formulated after 2004, the number of main battle tanks of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force was slashed, and the new defense outline approved by the Japanese cabinet in 2010 once again reduced the number of Japanese main battle tanks from 600 to 400. The high price tag of $9.6 million, combined with its worrying quality issues and domestic policy of reducing the number of tanks, has resulted in only 90 Type 10 main battle tanks in service today.
The picture shows the Type 10 main battle tank
Based on the above, the Type 10 main battle tank independently developed by Japan is indeed a satisfactory answer in terms of its performance, equipment, and high-tech equipment, and even makes Japan have high hopes. But what people did not expect was that the cost of 9.6 million US dollars to build only a flashy vase tank, which will be a big disappointment on anyone, from this point of view, the Japanese Type 10 main battle tank is enough to give countries around the world as a negative teaching material for the future development of tanks.