Komatsu Type 74
Notes:
Very few of these Japanese vehicles were built, perhaps 20 in all, as a
decision was made to concentrate on production of the Type 75 self-propelled
howitzer instead. All remaining 17 Type 74s are stationed as the 2nd
Artillery Regiment at Asahikawa, Hokkaido.
There are no plans for future upgrades or future builds, and their days
on active duty are probably numbered.
It’s short gun and lower throw weight means that the howitzer is not
nearly as effective as most howitzers in service these days.
In appearance,
the Type 74 is similar to the British Abbot SPH.
This is only superficial, as there are numerous differences on the
exterior and the interior is not like the Abbot at all.
The crew has a
conventional layout; the driver is in the front right, the engine to his left;
the driver has three wide-angle frontal vision blocks, as well as a rotatable
periscope piercing his hatch. On
the right of the turret, there is a medium-sized door in the turret.
On the roof, there are two hatches; one is the commander’s cupola, with
all-around vision blocks and a mount for a heavy weapon. The other hatch is a
simple hatch for a loader. There is
no turret-mounted bustle rack, just tie-down points for gear. The vehicle is
amphibious with 3 minutes of preparation.
The gun is
derived from the old US M-1 105mm howitzer, but with the addition of a muzzle
brake and fume extractor. The engine is actually a repurposed truck engine,
developing 300 horsepower. The
transmission is manual. Armor is
rather thin from most angles and can sometimes be penetrated by assault rifle or
larger rounds.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$145,266 |
D, A |
650 kg |
16.5 tons |
4 |
7 |
Headlights |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
132/92 |
33/23/3 |
425 |
89 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF3 TS3
TR3 HF8
HS3 HR2 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+1 |
Basic |
105mm L/32 Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
30x105mm, 650x.50 |
Mitsubishi Type 75
Notes:
This is currently the standard Japanese self-propelled howitzer, though
it is in the process of being supplanted by the Type 99.
Production did, however, cease in 1988. The Type 75 shares many
automotive components with the Type 74 tank, which was developed at the same
time. The Japanese still use 201 of
these vehicles, outnumbering the Type 99 by a large margin.
The Type 75, like most Japanese weapons, has never been exported (the
Japanese constitution prevents the export of military gear).
The Type 75 has
a conventional layout for such a vehicle, with the driver on the front right,
and the radio operator right behind him.
The rest of the crew is in the turret.
The commander and gunner are in the right of the turret, and the
commander has a manually-rotating cupola with all-around vision blocks and a gun
mount. The two loaders are on the
right side of the gun, and there is a hatch directly above their position.
At the rear of the turret are large doors for ammunition replenishment.
Power is
provided by a Mitsubishi 6 ZF turbocharged diesel, developing 450 horsepower,
and coupled to a manual transmission. The Type 75 is not amphibious, but has
excellent fording, able to ford 1.3 meters. Armor is on the thin side, though
not as bad as the Type 74. Armor is of aluminum, and capable of stopping 20mm
rounds from the front, and 7.62mm rounds from the side and rear. The crew is
protected by an NBC Overpressure system, as well as an automatic fire
suppression system.
The gun on the
Type 75 is of a size that is can fire most Western 155mm ammunition, though
certain specialist rounds such as the Copperhead cannot be used because the
breech on the gun and the cradle to not open far enough to allow for these
lengthy rounds. The short barrel of
the gun, however, severely limits range. Maximum elevation is 65 degrees, and
depression -5 degrees; this, along with the short barrel, has led to a secondary
tasking as a tank destroyer.
Despite the two loaders in the vehicle, the Type 75 is equipped with an
autoloader, leaving the loaders to install fuzes and help in the firing of
rounds that do not fit into the autoloader.
An upgrade in
the early 1990s brought significant computerization and automation to the Type
75’s bag of tricks. This includes
an indirect fire computer, a direct fire computer, inertial navigation, a laser
rangefinder for direct fire, and several secure data-capable radios.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Type 75 |
$337,729 |
D, A |
500 kg |
25.3 tons |
6 |
19 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G) |
Shielded |
Type 75 (Upgraded) |
$516,034 |
D, A |
436 kg |
25.56 tons |
6 |
22 |
Passive IR (D, G, C), Image Intensification (G) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Type 75 |
130/91 |
33/23 |
650 |
167 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF4 TS4
TR4 HF11
HS4 HR3 |
Type 75 (Upgraded) |
129/90 |
33/23 |
650 |
169 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF4 TS4
TR4 HF11
HS4 HR3 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Type 75 |
+1 |
Basic |
155mm L/30 Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
28x155mm, 1000x.50 |
Type 75 (Upgraded) |
+2 |
Fair |
155mm L/30 Howitzer, M-2HB (C) |
28x155mm, 1000x.50 |
Mitsubishi
Type 99
Notes: The
Japanese have long known that the Type 75 was an inadequate self-propelled
howitzer, even in its upgraded form.
To this end, they. starting in 1985, decided to take a quantum leap over
the Type 75, designing a fully modern SP howitzer.
And it brings together as many modern ideas on self-propelled howitzer
design as possible, within budget constraints.
And the budget has been the biggest problem with the Type 99; meant to
have replaced the Type 75 by now, but only 30 have been put into service as of
2012, and the Type 99 remains in LRIP.
The Type 99 is
based on the Type 89 IFV, though lengthened with an additional roadwheel.
Armor is heavier than on earlier Japanese howitzers, though made from
aluminum. The Type 99 was
originally designed to use an L/52 gun, and may still be retrofitted with one in
the future; however, production examples have an L/39 gun.
The howitzer on the Type 99 can use any sort of Western or Chinese 155mm
rounds. The gun is equipped with a
full autoloader, with little intervention required by the loader.
The gun is equipped with full computerized fire control gear, both for
indirect and direct fire. The gun
also has a laser rangefinder for use in direct fire.
The Type 99 is equipped with GPS, along with a computerized mapping
module, and secure data-capable radios.
It is, however, able to act as its own FDC.
Layout is
basically the same as other Japanese SP howitzers.
The driver is on the front right, with three vision blocks to his front;
the center one has a night vision channel.
The driver uses conventional controls and has automatic transmission.
At the rear of the chassis is a door for egress and ingress of the crew.
At the rear door of the turret are large doors for ammunition resupply.
The turret is to the rear of the vehicle. The commander is on the right
of the turret, with a manually-operated cupola, which has all-around vision
blocks including a night vision channel.
He has a heavy weapons mount with an AV2 gun shield to the front. . On
the other side of the turret is a hatch for the loader, which is often equipped
with own machinegun on a pintle. On
each side of the turret is a hatch, normally used for equipment loading or
single-round loading.
The engine is a
600-horsepower turbocharged diesel, and is mounted to the left of the driver.
The engine is coupled to an automatic transmission, and the two are in a
unified powerpack which may be installed and uninstalled in one piece in 30
minutes with the proper equipment.
The gun is based on the FH-70 towed howitzer design.
The gun has a substantial muzzle brake, but not a fume extractor.
The vehicle has both air conditioning and heating, as well as a ration
heater. To protect the crew, an NBC
overpressure system is installed.
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
$1,024,300 |
D, A |
650 kg |
40 tons |
4 |
25 |
Passive IR (D, G, C). Image Intensification (G, C) |
Shielded |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
114/80 |
29/20 |
425 |
221 |
Trtd |
T4 |
TF16Sp TS6Sp
TR5 HF20Sp
HS7Sp HR5 |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
+2 |
Fair |
155mm L/39, M-2HB (C), Type 62 (L) |
45x155mm, 650x.50, 1000x7.62mm |