| Type 5 To-Ku | |
|---|---|
| Type | Amphibious tank |
| Place of origin | Empire of Japan |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1945 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 29.1 tons |
| Length | 10.8 m (with floats) |
| Width | 3.0 m |
| Height | 3.38 m |
| Crew | 7 |
| Armor | 10–50 mm |
| Main armament | Type 1 47 mm gun |
| Secondary armament | 1× 25 mm gun 2× 7.7 mm Type 97 MG's |
| Engine | water-cooled 12-cylinder Mitsubishi diesel 240 hp |
| Power/weight | 8 hp/ton |
| Suspension | bell crank |
| Operational range | 320 km (unknown if referring to sea or land) |
| Maximum speed | 32 km/h (land) 10 km/h (water) |
The Special Type 5 Launch To-Ku (特五式内火艇 トク, toku-go-shiki uchibitei To-Ku) was a Japanese prototype amphibious tank developed in 1945. The development status by the end of the Pacific War is not clearly known.
The To-Ku was large and heavy; it boasted extensive armor protection with 50 mm of armor plate in the front hull. The turret was a modified version of the one used on the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha medium tank that was fitted with a Type 1 25 mm gun and a rear facing Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun. The front hull mounted a Type 1 47 mm tank gun and a Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun. The chassis was based on the Type 5 Chi-Ri medium tank and the suspension, pontoons and propulsion system were substantially the same as the Type 3 Ka-Chi. According to one source, a prototype was completed by the end of the war. According to another source, a prototype was not completed by the end of the war.
Notes
- ^ Tomczyk 2003, p. 33.
- ^ Tomczyk 2003, p. 32.
- ^ Tomczyk 2003, pp. 32, 43.
- Tomczyk 2003, pp. 32, 33.
- Hara, Tomio. "日本の戦車", p. 199.
References
- Tomczyk, Andrzej (2003). Japanese Armor Vol. 3. AJ Press. ISBN 978-8372371287.
