Type 74 General characteristics
Length	9.41 m
Width	3.18 m
Height	2.25 m
Weight	3.8 t
Suspension	hydropneumatic
Speed	53 km/h road ? km/h off-road
Range	300 km
Primary armament	105mm rifled gun
Secondary armament	M2 12.7-mm machinegun Type 74 7.62-mm machinegun
Armour	? mm
Power plant	diesel 750 hp (560 kW)
Crew	4

The Type 74 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 Patton or German Leopard I. Like these designs, it mounts the excellent Royal Ordnance L7 105mm gun. The design did not enter widespread use until 1980, by which point other western forces were starting the introduction of much more capable designs. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1200x900, 590 KB) Description: Tank Type74 of Japan Ground Self Defense Force(74式戦車) Source: Miya. ... The metre (or meter) (symbol: m) is the SI base unit of length. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... A picture of a destroyed M113 armoured personnel carrier showing a section of the armour. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The US M1A1 Abrams tank is a typical modern main battle tank. ... JGSDF Central force head office in Itami, Japan Tank Type 74 of Japan Ground Self Defense Force The largest of the three services of the JSDF, the Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF), operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichikawa, east... Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (三菱重工業: MHI) is a Japanese company. ... The M47, M48 and M60 Patton were the United States Armys principal tanks of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. ... The Leopard is the primary post-WWII German tank design, a design that has been in use as the primary main battle tank for most European countries in various versions since the early 1960s. ... Royal Ordnance L7 is the basic model of Britains most successful tank gun. ...

History

The JGSDF started studies on a new tank design with Mitsubishi in 1962, as it was realized that the Type 61 would not be able to defeat the latest Soviet designs like the T-62. Features from several designs were incorporated, including the controllable suspension of the MBT-70, the rolled steel hull of the Leopard 1, and the L7 gun. Features unique to the design included a rotating cupola for the commander, and a new autoloader for the main gun. The design was finalized in 1964 and various test articles were built between 1964 and 1967. MBT-70: Prototype of the German 120 mm-armed version, identifiable due to the fume extractor. ...

The first two prototypes, known as the STB-1, were delivered in late 1968 and underwent a number of modifications until 1969. The autoloader proved too complex, and was removed in the STB-3, which was delivered in 1973. Production finally started as the Type 74 in September 1975, with 225 being delivered by January 1980. Production ended in 1989, with total production running to 893 examples.

In service the tanks were updated with the addition of infra-red imagers (not image intensifiers) for the commander and gunner, and a laser rangefinder in the commander's cupola. The gunner's position included a digital fire control computer, fed range data from the commander's range finder. Rounds for the main gun were upgraded from HEP to APFSDS and HEAT-MP. Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... An image intensifier is a device that amplifies visable and near-infrared light from an image so that a dimly lit scene can be viewed by a camera or by eye. ... Soon after the invention of the laser in 1960, it was described as a solution in search of a problem. However, since that time, the laser has found a place as a useful tool in many scientific, military, medical and industrial applications. ... High explosive squash head (HESH) is a type of explosive ammunition designed to defeat tank armour. ... A kinetic energy penetrator, long-rod penetrator, or APFSDS (Armour Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot) is a type of ammunition which, like a bullet, does not contain explosives, but uses kinetic energy to penetrate the target. ... A red-hot iron rod cooling after being worked by a blacksmith. ...

The Type 74 was generally outdated even before it entered service. The Type 90 was to have replaced it outright, but with the ending of the cold war these plans were scaled back. In 1993 four Type 74's were improved to the new Type 74 KAI standard, adding a passive infrared camera, side skirts, and so on. The upgrade proved to be extremely expensive, and the program was dropped. The Type 90 is the current main battle tank (MBT) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). ... For the generic term for a high-tension struggle between countries, see cold war (war). ...