Type 61 (battle tank)

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Type 61
Type 61, issued in Tsuchiura (2007)

Type 61, issued in Tsuchiura (2007)
General properties
crew 4 (commander, driver, gunner)
length with cannon in 12 o'clock position 8.19 m
width 2.94 m
height 3.16 m (up to the anti-aircraft machine gun)
Dimensions 35 t
Armor and armament
Armor Hull 55 mm, gun turret 115 mm
Main armament 90 mm L / 52 cannon
Secondary armament 7.62mm MG Browning M2
agility
drive Mitsubishi 12HM21WT, 12 cylinder 4 stroke diesel engine with air cooling
Top speed 45 km / h
Power / weight 17.14 hp / t
Range 200 km

The Type 61 ( Japanese 61 式 戦 車 ) is a type of tank used by the Japanese ground self-defense forces . Like all armored vehicles in Japan after World War II , this type was not exported.

The vehicle was a conventional battle tank of the 30-ton class, which was strongly influenced by US influences.

history

Development work began in 1955 after the originally planned tank models from American production were assessed as inadequate and technically outdated. In 1957 the prototypes STA-1 and STA-2 were presented, in 1960 the prototype STA-3. Significant differences between the prototypes were found in the commander's cupola and the anti-aircraft machine gun. In the same year, the model was ready for series production as the STA-4 or Type 61. Compared to the prototype STA-1, the production model only had six rollers and the tower ring was slightly higher and the engine cover plate was slightly lower.

Then between 1961 and 1979 560 tanks were produced. Despite the outdated armor made of rolled armor steel , the model remained in service with the army until 2000.

description

The vehicle was equipped with a rear-engine and front-wheel drive as well as external mufflers. The driver's hatch was in the front right of the tub, the rotating commander's hatch with rangefinder was on the right-hand side of the tower, and the loader hatch on the left. The drive consisted of six medium-sized rollers and three support rollers as well as a tensioned hinge chain . The hemispherical tower is driven by an electric swivel motor. The first two and the last two rollers on each side are equipped with hydraulic shock absorbers . The commander's dome has five armored glass viewing slits (so-called kinon blocks ). A storage box is attached to the heavily overhanging rear of the tower.

Dimensions

  • Length of the tub: 6.43 m
  • Distance from the first to the last roller axis: 3.68 m
  • Ground clearance: 0.41 m
  • Height to the tower roof: 2.50 m

Armament

The main armament consists of a 90 mm L / 52 cannon with a smoke evacuator and muzzle brake in the manner of the M47 . A coaxial machine gun of 7.62 mm caliber and a heavy machine gun of the Browning M2 type mounted on the commander's cupola are available as secondary armament .

Web links

Commons : Type 61  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • David Miller: The Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the World . Zenith Imprint, 2000, ISBN 0-7603-0892-6 , p. 194-195 ( Google Books ).
  • FM by Senger and Etterlin: Tanks of the World 1983 . Arms and Armor Press, London / Melbourne 1983, ISBN 0-85368-585-1 , pp. 370 .