Type 2 Ke-To light tank

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. It was not used in combat.[3]

Rear view of a Type 2 Ke-To
Type 2 Ke-To
Type 2 Ke-To light tank
Place of originEmpire of Japan
Production history
Designed1941
Produced1944–1945[1]
No. built34[2]
Specifications (Type 2 Ke-To[3][4])
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[3]
Main
armament
Type 1 37 mm tank gun[3]
Secondary
armament
7.7 mm machine gun[3]
EngineMitsubishi Type 100 air-cooled diesel
130 hp (97 kW)[3]
SuspensionBell crank
Operational
range
186 kilometers
Maximum speed 50 km/h[3]

Design

The Type 2 Ke-To was based on the Type 98 Ke-Ni, using the same engine and bell crank suspension.[5] 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,[5] with a muzzle velocity of 800 m/s.[3][6] The new 37 mm gun used gave the tank "slightly better performance".[5] The conical turret also carried a 7.7 mm machine-gun in a coaxial mount.[7] The designation "Type 2" represented the Japanese Imperial Year 2602 (1942 AD), "Ke" represented "light", and "To" represented the number seven.[3][8]

Production

Production commenced in 1944, with 34 units completed by the end of the war.[2][3] No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender.[3]

Footnotes
  1. Zaloga 2007, pp. 17, 18.
  2. Zaloga 2007, p. 17.
  3. History of War: Type 98 Type 2 Ke-To Light Tank
  4. Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Type 2 Light Tank "Ke-To"
  5. Zaloga 2007, p. 18.
  6. Hara 1973, p. 13.
  7. Tomczyk 2002, p. 75.
  8. History of War: Japanese Tank Designations

References
  • Hara, Tomio (1973). Japanese Combat Cars, Light Tanks, and Tankettes. AFV Weapons Profile No. 54. Profile Publications Limited.
  • Tomczyk, Andrzej (2002). Japanese Armor Vol. 1. AJ Press. ISBN 83-7237-097-4.
  • Zaloga, Steven J. (2007). Japanese Tanks 1939–45. Osprey. ISBN 978-1-8460-3091-8.

Further reading
  • Foss, Christopher (2003). Great Book of Tanks: The World's Most Important Tanks from World War I to the Present Day. Zenith Press. ISBN 0-7603-1475-6.
  • Foss, Christopher (2003). Tanks: The 500. Crestline. ISBN 0-7603-1500-0.
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