Type 90

This page is about the Japanese medium tank Type 90. For the other version, see Type 90 (Family). For other uses, see Type 90 (Disambiguation).

Type 90

Type 74 (F)

Type 90 (B)

Type 90

Type 74 (F)

Type 90 (B)

Japan

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.3	11.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

Description

The Type 90 (90式戦車) was initially accepted into service in 1990 as a replacement for both the Type 61 and Type 74 models. As the Type 74 was rather late to the scene, it had to compare with the newer generation of MBTs like the T-72 (Family), Leopard 2 (Family) and M1 Abrams (Family). For that reason, the Type 90's development was called instantly after the Type 74's adoption. While closely resembling Western-style MBTs, the emphasis of the Type 90 lay in its low maximum weight and autoloader.

It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X". Despite its appearance being similar to the Leopard 2A4 and mounting a license-produced Rheinmetall L44-based cannon, it is significantly different in a number of aspects. In game, the main feature the Type 90 offers will be the 4-second autoloader it employs, allowing the Type 90 to effectively engage multiple targets in quick succession. The Type 90 also features a very high power-to-weight ratio putting it ahead of most other MBTs, as well as allowing it to keep up with lighter vehicles and get into position quickly.

General info

Survivability and armour

Composite armour

Balanced protection against all types of ammunition

Smoke grenades

Creation of a smoke screen in front of the vehicle

LWS

Notifies about the vehicle's exposure to laser emissions

Self-entrenching equipment

Creation of ramparts and trenches in soft ground

Armourfront / side / back

Hull40 / 35 / 25

Turret35 / 80 / 25

Crew3 people

Visibility96 %

Type 90 Protection Density Visualisation

The Type 90 MBT sacrifices protection and survivability in order to attain a smaller profile and a lighter vehicle weight, which was critical to its use of Japan's many bridges. As such, most 'improved' rounds available to other MBTs at the same BR (such as the Leopard 2A5's DM33, or the Leclerc's OFL 120 F1) will punch through even the Type 90's turret cheeks or upper front plate. It's important to keep in mind that even some autocannon ammunition will easily penetrate some of the weaker sections of the Type 90 from the front.

Despite the mediocre protection, the Type 90 has one main survivability feature: its primary ammunition is stored in blowout-protected compartments, sparing the crew from side shots on the rear of the turret, providing no more than 19 rounds are carried. Unfortunately, however, due to the autoloaded cannon the Type 90 is crewed by only 3 man, increasing the chances of being disabled from an initial shot.

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	25 mm (82°) Driver's hatch 35 mm (47-83°) Upper glacis 40 mm (44°) Lower glacis	35 mm 10 mm Side Skirts 25 mm Top	25 mm (16-60°) All rear 15 mm Engine grille	25 mm (0-8°) Hull roof incl. engine deck 5 mm Engine grille
Turret	40 mm Cheeks incl. gunner optics 35 mm Mantlet 35 mm Rear Mantlet Plate	40 mm Forward 33 mm + 80 mm (air) + 40 mm Middle spaced armour 12 mm + 80 mm (air) + 35 mm Rear spaced armour	25 mm	35 mm (78-83°) Forehead Armour 20 mm (90°) Rear turret incl. cupola

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 20 mm thick.
• Composite armour covers the front hull and the turret:

Composite armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides
Hull	Upper glacis 320 - 450 mm Kinetic 420 - 600 mm Chemical Lower glacis 37 - 300 mm Kinetic 20 - 380 mm Chemical	N/A
Turret	Turret cheeks 400 - 450 mm Kinetic 640 - 660 mm Chemical Gun mantlet 275 - 375 mm Kinetic 500 - 600 mm Chemical	Side forward 78 - 400 mm Kinetic 81 - 490 mm Chemical Side middle 77 mm Kinetic 80 mm Chemical

Mobility

 

Controlled suspension

It is possible to adjust the ground clearance or more complex suspension positions

Speedforward / back

AB81 / 38 km/h

RB and SB73 / 34 km/h

Number of gears7 forward

2 back

Weight50.2 t

Engine power

AB2 862 hp

RB and SB1 500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB57.0 hp/t

RB and SB29.9 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	81	38	50.2	2032	2,862	40.48	57.01
Realistic	73	34		1327	1,500	26.43	29.88

The Type 90 is powered by a 10-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine producing a maximum of 1,500 horsepower at 2400 RPM. Combined with its relatively light weight of only 50.2 tonnes, this gives it an excellent power-to-weight ratio of 29.88. As such, the Type 90 is often one of the first vehicles to reach capture points in a match, and can comfortably flank or move into advantageous positions earlier than many of its contemporaries. This power is transferred to the drive sprockets via an automatic transmission with 7 forward and 2 backward gears, unfortunately limiting the otherwise extremely mobile vehicle to 73 km/h (RB/SB) forwards and -34 km/h (RB/SB) backwards - speeds which it will reach with ease on-road.

The Type 90 also mounts hydropneumatic suspension, allowing it to actively change the vehicle's ride height and angle. This can be used to improve the Type 90's rather poor vertical traverse angles, taking advantage of more defensive positions.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB4 212 → 6 570

RB4 165 → 6 497

SB5 102 → 7 959

Total cost of modifications243 500

407 000

Talisman cost2 900

Crew training240 000

Experts830 000

Aces2 100

Research Aces1 140 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

150 / 190 / 210 %

238 / 238 / 238 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Suspension Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Brake System Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Filters Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Transmission Research: 21 000 Cost: 33 000 540 Engine Research: 21 000 Cost: 33 000 540	Improved Parts Research: 3 900 Cost: 20 000 330 Improved FPE Research: 3 600 Cost: 19 000 310 Crew Replenishment Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Smoke grenade Research: 21 000 Cost: 33 000 540	Horizontal Drive Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Dozer Blade Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Adjustment of Fire Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 120mm_NATO_APDS_FS_ammo_pack Research: 12 000 Cost: 19 000 310 Elevation Mechanism Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 LWS/LR Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 NVD Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 330 Artillery Support Research: 21 000 Cost: 33 000 540

Armaments

Laser rangefinder

Reduces the error and increases the maximum measurable distance of the rangefinder

Night vision device

Improves visibility by enhancing natural light or active illumination.

Thermal imager

Allows to see thermal radiation in the infrared range day and night

Main armament

120 mm Type 90 L/44 cannon

Two-plane stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in two planes while moving

Autoloader

Automatically feeds projectiles into the breech. The speed does not depend on the skills of the loader

Ammunition42 rounds

First-order18 rounds

Reload4.0 s

Vertical guidance-7° / 10°

The Type 90 L/44 120 mm cannon is a license-produced clone of the Rheinmetall L/44 cannon found on the Leopard 2 series and the M1A1/M1A2. As such, it shares their excellent accuracy and firepower characteristics, with a key advantage: the Type 90 is autoloaded. This results in a flat 4 second reload, better than the peak manually loaded speeds available to the other L/44-mounting vehicles (5-6 seconds). Additionally, reloads are not hindered by fire or the loss of crew members. The Type 90 has two rounds available to it; the powerful JM33 APFSDS round (based on the NATO DM33 round) and the JM12A1 HEAT-FS round (based on DM12A1). These rounds are more than capable of penetrating any opponent the Type 90 may face, although when engaging many contemporary vehicles frontally, targeting weakspots is critical.

120 mm Type 90 L/44					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Autoloader
Arcade	42	-7°/+10°	±180°	Two-plane	28.6	39.5	48.0	53.1	56.5	4.00
Realistic					17.9	21.0	25.5	28.2	30.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
JM12A1	HEATFS	480	480	480	480	480	480
JM33	APFSDS	481	478	470	461	450	440

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (kg)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
JM12A1	HEATFS	1,140	13.5	0.05	0.1	2.15	65°	72°	77°
JM33	APFSDS	1,640	4.3	-	-	-	78°	80°	81°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the Type 90

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	39 (+3)	19 (+23)	1 (+41)	No

Notes:

• Hull empty: 19 (+23) shells
• The autoloader contains 18 shells. Once these have all been fired, the autoloader must be replenished before being able to fire again.

Optics and night vision

The Type 90 receives night vision imagers once the tier 3 modification 'NVD' is researched. This unlocks standard 500 x 300 resolution thermal sights for the gunner, as well as standard image intensifiers for all crew (available in third person view in AB/RB additionally).

Type 90 Optics
Type of optic	Magnification	Night Vision Devices
		Image Intensifier			Thermal Imager Resolution	Notes
		Resolution	Light Mult	Noise Level
Gunner's Sight	8.0x - 16.1x	--	--	--	500 x 300	Intensifier & thermal sights unlocked by 'NVD' modification (tier 3)
Commander's View	6.0x	1600 x 1200	9.0	High	N/A	Intensifier unlocked by 'NVD' modification (tier 3)
Driver's View	1.0x	800 x 600	5.0	High	N/A	Intensifier unlocked by 'NVD' modification (tier 3)

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reload8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-8° / 60°

Horizontal guidance-120° / 120°

7.62 mm Type 74 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition4 500 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reload8.0 s

Fire rate701 shots/min

The Type 90 mounts two machine guns; one pintle-mounted 12.7 mm and one coaxial mounted 7.62 mm. These can be used as deterrent for low-flying aircraft, clearing light obstacles or crew from open-top vehicles, or spotting enemy vehicles.

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	1,000 (200)	577	-8°/+60°	±120°

7.62 mm Type 74
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	4,500 (250)	701	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The Type 90 is an extremely capable vehicle in the hands of an experienced tanker, but heed must be paid to the vehicle's weaknesses at all times.

Rural Combat

The Type 90 is very capable in rural combat where cover is plentiful and flanking routes are available. It should ideally be used for early flanks where available (such as the eastern flank on Maginot Line) or when unavailable, pushing quickly for early captures before moving to a nearby protected location to hold that point. It's important to be aware of which routes might be sniper-covered early, as most vehicles will easily penetrate the Type 90, even at range - avoid giving them the opportunity.

Urban Combat

The Type 90 can prove itself to be an excellent urban combat vehicle, primarily due to its mobility and reliably fast reload. As in rural combat, an early push for a cap can prove viable before moving into a protected position, although often by the time the capture is completed enemy targets will be nearby. Early flanking (such as around the sides of American Desert) is also viable.

Notable Targets

• Challenger 2 - The Challenger 2 is often found as a sniper due to its poor mobility but rather good turret armour. It is not recommended to fight hull-down Challenger 2s face-to-face at long range. The Challenger 2 can be penetrated frontally over large parts of the hull in addition to the poorly armoured mantlet.
• M1A2 Abrams - The M1A2 Abrams has excellent frontal protection and can prove tricky to discern from earlier models in the heat of a battle. As a general rule it's preferable to aim for the gun mantlet or turret ring on any Abrams, despite the fact that JM33 will penetrate nearly anywhere on early models - better safe than sorry.
• Leopard 2 - The Leopard 2A5 and later variants are very well protected. Once again it is not recommended to fight hull-down Leopard 2A5, 2A6 or 2A7 face-to-face at long range. Frontal weakspots on Leopard 2A7 and Strv 122s include around the gun mantlet, lower front hull and driver's hatch. Leopard 2A5/2A6 can be penetrated over a larger part of the frontal hull.
• T-80 - The T-80 family (excluding the T-80B) is well protected from the front, and care should be taken when engaging - aim for the driver viewport or the lower front plate; or where these are not options try to disable its gun through the mantlet. If flanking, side shots will often knock out the T-80 in one shot.
• Leclerc - The Leclerc is fast, with a power-to-weight ratio not far short of the Type 90's. When pushing early for caps or flanks, be aware that the Leclerc may be one of the first vehicles you'll counter. The Leclerc's highly-sloped upper plate can easily be penetrated by JM33, as can the lower plate and mantlet, and on certain variants, the armour block under the gunner's sight. The flat middle front plate and turret cheeks can reliably stop JM33 however.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Autoloaded 120 mm cannon, 4-second reload unaffected by crew or fire
• High power-to-weight ratio and top speed, excellent mobility
• Fitted with hydropneumatic suspension, allowing a greater range of vertical targeting.
• JM33 APFSDS round is competitive
• Primary ammunition storage protected within blow-out containment in the rear of the turret
• Hydropneumatic suspension can lower the tank significantly, allowing you to hide behind relatively low hills and ridges

Cons:

• Insufficient protection to reliably stop many rounds around its BR-range
• Low survivability resulting from a 3 man crew
• Poor vertical gun traverse angles, partially made up for by use of active suspension
• JM33 struggles against higher-rank opponents if not aimed at weak spots
• Rather slow targeting speeds both vertically and horizontally

History

Development of the Type 90 began almost immediately after the introduction of the Type 74 into service, with the Japanese High Command already looking for a superior replacement. A central aspect of the new machine would have to be the ability to take on and defeat the new Soviet T-72 main battle tank. With that in mind, Japanese engineers began working on a prototype design, which would see completion in 1980. Two prototypes of this initial design were built, tested and improved upon between 1980 - 1986.

Testing resumed in 1986 with a second batch of four prototype vehicles, featuring a number of improvements over the initial two. The most significant change included the replacement of a Japanese-made 120mm smoothbore gun with the established Rheinmetall 120 L/44, most notably used by the M1A1 Abrams and Leopard 2 at the time. The decision to change the gun from a domestic one to a licence-built alternative most likely came as a measure to reduce production costs. However, unlike the MBTs of western armies, the designers of the Type 90 opted to equip the tank with an autoloading mechanism, making it the only production vehicle that did so in combination with the Rh 120 cannon. Further testing and army trials of these prototypes was conducted during the late 80s before the Japanese army formally introduced the tank into service in 1990 as the Type 90. Production of the Type 90 began in 1990 and continued until 2009, with 341 vehicles made.

- From Devblog

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Type 90 from live.warthunder.com.

Market

Camo "Digital training paint"

Videos

Top 7 off-road beasts discusses the Type 90 at 4:27 - War Thunder Official Channel

The Shooting Range #107 - Metal Beasts section at 00:35 discusses the Type 90.

JGSDF Type 90: Actual Sound Recording - DMM GAMES Official Channel

JGSDF Type 90: 360° Video - DMM GAMES Official Channel

[JP] Former SDF member spectates Type 90 at firing range (Part 1)

[JP] Former SDF member rides Type 90 at firing range (Part 2)

See also

Related Development

• Type 90 (Family)
  • Type 90 (B) - (equipped with mounting plates for a Type 92 mine-roller)
  • Type 90 (B) "Fuji"
• Type 10 (Family) - (successor)

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• Leclerc (Family)
• Leopard 2 (Family)
• Ariete (Family)
• M1 Abrams (Family)
• MBT-70 / KPz-70 / XM-803
• Challenger MBT
• Merkava (Family)
• T-72 / T-90 (Family)
• T-80 (Family)
• ZTZ96 (Family)
• ZTZ99 (Family)

External links

• [Devblog] Type 90: The Lightweight Heavy Hitter