The was a

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease of ...

developed by the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History and development

In 1938, development began for a new

for the Japanese Army. While the

Type 95 Ha-Go The was a light tank used by the Empire of Japan during the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Battles of Khalkhin Gol, Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in the Second World War. It proved sufficient against infantry but, like the American M3 Stu ...

had performed well against the

National Revolutionary Army The National Revolutionary Army (NRA; ), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army () before 1928, and as National Army () after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in China ...

of the

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

in the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

and successfully engaged

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

M3 Stuart The M3 Stuart/Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. ...

light tanks on the

Bataan Peninsula Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...

in December 1941, it was quickly growing obsolete. Although its 37mm gun was adequate for most light armor designed and built in the 1930s, the Ha-Go, like the tanks of the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

prior to 1941, was not designed to fight enemy tanks, but rather to support the infantry. The Type 95's light armor made it vulnerable to .50 caliber machine gun fire and attempts to address these shortcomings via the

Type 98 Ke-Ni The or Type 98A Ke-Ni Ko (also known as Type 98 Chi-Ni light tank) was designed to replace the Imperial Japanese Army's Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, Japan's most numerous armored fighting vehicle during World War II. Although designed before World ...

and Type 2 Ke-To were steps in the right direction, but were still insufficient. Therefore, a complete design review was held and a prototype for a new standard light tank was completed by 1942. At this point the project was shelved, as the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff had to concede to the Imperial Navy's needs of raw materials necessary for the production of warships and warplanes. Mass production was finally authorized in 1945, by which time it was too late. Production was impossible due to shortages of materials such as

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, and the bombing of Japan. Only a single prototype was completed by the Hino Jido Sha company by the

end of World War II End of World War II can refer to: * End of World War II in Europe * End of World War II in Asia World War II officially ended in Asia on September 2, 1945, with the surrender of Japan on the . Before that, the United States dropped two atomic ...

Design

Armor

The Type 5 Ke-Ho had armor of up to 20 mm, and a Type 1 47 mm main gun, an improvement over existing Japanese light tanks. The tank weighed 10 tons due to increased armor thickness and a bigger engine. The two-man turret layout drew on previous design experience from the

Type 1 Chi-He The was an improved version of the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tanks of the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. It had a more powerful main gun, engine and thicker armor. It was the first Japanese tank to have a communication radio as standard equ ...

Mobility

The tank was powered by a Type 100 air cooled

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engin ...

engine yielding 150 HP, for a top speed of 50 km/h. Details about the engine design still remains unknown. One theory indicates it was an improved version of the Chiyoda EC engine manufactured by Tokyo Gas and Electronics Industry in 1937. The tank also had a fuel tank capacity of 130 L.九五式軽戦車ハ号
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Notes

References

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External links

World War II Tanks
{{WWIIJapaneseAFVs

Type 5 Ke-Ho The was a prototype light tank developed by the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of World War II. History and development In 1938, development began for a new light tank for the Japanese Army. While the Type 95 Ha-Go had performed well agai ...

5 Ke-Ho Light tanks of Japan