The experimental Type 98 Ta-Se was a Japanese self-propelled anti-aircraft gun using a Type 98 20 mm anti-aircraft gun. It used the chassis of the

Type 98 Ke-Ni light tank 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 ...

. It did not enter production.

Development

During development of the AA gun tank, 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 ...

experimented with various configurations. This single gun prototype was designated the Type 98 Ta-Se self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Initial development began in November 1941. The name was taken from ''taikū'' ('anti-air') ''sensha'' ('tank'). The conventional turret was removed from the hull and a new open-top cylindrical shaped turret was installed. It was equipped with a single converted

Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon The Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon was the most common light anti-aircraft gun of the Imperial Japanese Army. It entered service in 1938 and was used until the end of World War II. After World War II this gun was used by the Indonesian Army ...

. During trials, it was determined that the chassis used for the Ta-Se was too small to be a stable "firing platform".Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army Page: Anti-Aircraft Tank "Ta-Se"
/ref> It did not enter production.

Gallery

File:Jap exp aa tank ta-se - front view.jpg, Front view of Type 98 Ta-Se File:Side angle view of Type 98 Ta-Se SPAAG.jpg, Side angle view of Type 98 Ta-Se

Twin gun version

After the Type 98 Ta-Se SPAAG was abandoned, a second prototype version, known as the

Type 98 20 mm AAG tank The Type 98 20 mm AAG (anti-air gun) tank was a Japanese self-propelled anti-aircraft gun using a twin Soki Type II 20 mm anti-air gun. They were combined with the chassis of the Type 98 Ke-Ni. The gun crew worked from a raised platfor ...

was produced using the Type 98 chassis. The gun tank was equipped with a modified twin

Type 2 20 mm AA machine cannon The Type 2 20 mm AA machine cannon was a Japanese-designed anti-aircraft gun, based on the assembly of the German Flak 38. It entered service in 1942. Design Introduced in 1942, compared to the earlier Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon, Type ...

mounted on a raised platform with a gun shield. It also did not enter mass production after testing.

Prior single AA gun tank

Prior to the Type 98 Ta-Se, an earlier prototype was produced that was known as the experimental Type 97 Ki-To self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. The original Type 97 Te-Ke tankette turret was removed, and a single Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon was mounted on the modified chassis without a protective gun shield. It did not enter production.

Notes

References