Type 2 Ke-To light tank

Type 2 Ke-To
Type 2 Ke-To light tank
TypeLight tank
Place of originEmpire of Japan
Production history
Designed1941
Produced1944–1945
No. built34
Specifications (Type 2 Ke-To)
Mass7.2 tons
Length4.11 m (13 ft 6 in)
Width2.12 m (6 ft 11 in)
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Crew3
Armor6–16 mm
Main
armament
Type 1 37 mm tank gun
Secondary
armament
7.7 mm machine gun
EngineMitsubishi Type 100 air-cooled diesel
130 hp (97 kW)
Suspensionbellcrank
Operational
range
186 kilometers
Maximum speed50 km/h

The Type 2 Ke-To (二式軽戦車 ケト, Nishiki keisensha Ke-To) was a light tank of World War II, produced in small numbers for the Imperial Japanese Army as an improvement of the existing Type 98 Ke-Ni. No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.

Rear view of a Type 2 Ke-To

Design

The Type 2 Ke-To was based on the Type 98 Ke-Ni, using the same engine and bell crank suspension. However, the gun turret was enlarged to provide greater space for the crewmen and the main armament was changed to the more powerful Type 1 37 mm gun, with a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s. The new 37 mm gun used gave the tank "slightly better performance". The conical turret also carried a 7.7 mm machine-gun in a coaxial mount. Besides these modifications, the tank was essentially the same as the Type 98 Ke-Ni, using the same hull, engine and having the same maximum armor plate. The designation "Type 2" represented the Japanese Imperial Year 2602 (1942 AD), "Ke" represented "light", and "To" represented the number seven.

Production

Production commenced in 1944, with 34 units completed by the end of the war. No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of World War II.

Variants

Prototype Type 2 Ke-To based work vehicle

An experimental "work vehicle" based on the Type 2 Ke-To light tank was produced in 1944. The armament consisted of a Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun in a smaller, modified turret. It was equipped with a 30kw generator, a flood light for night work and a light crane behind the tower.

An engineering vehicle developed in late 1944 on the chassis of the Type 2 Ke-To light tank. It was equipped with a dozer blade on the front end for use in airfield construction. It was also equipped with a 30kw generator to power tools and a flood light for night work. The exact number produced is not known.

According to Japanese author and researcher Akira Takizawa, the Type 4 Ke-Nu light tank, was a variant of the Type 2 Ke-To featuring a new turret and a Type 1 47 mm tank gun. A total of Twenty-eight incomplete tanks were found at the Kobeseiko factory at the end of war.

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 Hara 1973, p. 13.
  2. ↑ Zaloga 2007, pp. 17, 18.
  3. 1 2 Zaloga 2007, p. 17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 History of War: Type 98 Type 2 Ke-To Light Tank
  5. ↑ Hara 1973, pp. 12, 13.
  6. 1 2 3 Zaloga 2007, p. 18.
  7. ↑ Tomczyk 2002, p. 75.
  8. ↑ History of War: Japanese Tank Designations
  9. ↑ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Articles on Japanese tank (Japanese text only)
  10. ↑ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Type 4 Work Vehicle
  11. ↑ Takizawa, Akira. "Type 4 Light Tank "Ke-Nu"".

References

Further reading