Difference between revisions of "Chi-He"

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{{Specs-Card|code=jp_type_1_chi_he}}
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{{About
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| about = Japanese medium tank '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
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| usage = the premium version
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| link = Chi-He (5th Regiment)
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}}
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{{Specs-Card
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|code=jp_type_1_chi_he
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|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|ArtImage_{{PAGENAME}}.png}}
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}}
  
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
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''In the description, the first part needs to be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert the screenshot of the vehicle. If the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, they will immediately understand what kind of vehicle it is talking about.''
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<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the ground vehicle in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' ({{Annotation|一式中戦車 「チへ」|Ichi-Shiki Chū-Sensha [Chi-He]}}) was a tank designed to streamline the design of the [[Chi-Ha Kai|Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai]] and improve on armour and engine power. While the streamlining of the design featured welded armour instead of riveted armour, a 5th crew member and slightly more armour, the final design only weighed 1.5 tons more than the Chi-Ha Kai. Production only caught on in 1943 due to the Navy's priority in raw materials and all Chi-He's were reserved for the defence of the Home Islands. While the Chi-He did improve on the Chi-Ha Kai, it didn't improve enough to compete with the likes of a [[M4 Sherman (Family)|M4 Sherman]], and served its hull to build the [[Chi-Nu|Type 3 Chi-Nu]].
 +
 
 +
It was introduced in [[Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai"]] along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces Tree.  Featuring better armour, slightly better mobility with the same [[Type 1 (47 mm)|47 mm Type 1]] gun as its [[Chi-Ha Kai|Chi-Ha Kai]] predecessor, the Chi-He is an enjoyable tank to play in the early ranks of the game. Stick to allies and use mobility to get to the point with other fast vehicles. Use its good gun depression to hide behind hills and snipe enemies. With its good reverse speed, it can easily get out of nasty situations or hide quickly.
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
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''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpfull for survival in combat?''
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{{Specs-Tank-Armour}}
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<!-- ''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.'' -->
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There is nothing impressive here in terms of armour, the Chi-He features 50 mm, poorly angled, frontal armour. This is not the kind of plate that can take any punishment at the battle rating, it will only bounce poorly aimed shots. The five-man crew inside makes the tank very survivable, leaving some room for mistakes. Side armour is vulnerable to heavy machine gun and autocannon fire, so beware flanking fast tanks.
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 +
'''Armour Type:'''
 +
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armour
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* Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun ports)
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 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
|-
 +
! Armour !! Front !! Sides !! Rear !! Roof
 +
|-
 +
| Hull || 50 mm (15°) ''Front plate'' <br> 12 mm (76°) ''Front glacis'' <br> 50 mm (20°) ''Joint plate'' <br> 8.5 mm (65°) ''Lower glacis'' || 20 mm (15-30°) ''Top'' <br> 25 mm ''Bottom'' || 20 mm (0-20°) ''Top'' <br> 8.5 mm (63°) ''Bottom'' || 12 mm
 +
|-
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| Turret || 25 + 25 mm (10°) ''Turret front'' <br> 50 mm (0-10°) ''Gun mantlet'' || 25 mm (10°) || 25 mm ''Turret rear'' <br> 50 mm (0-57°) ''Machine gun port'' || 12 mm
 +
|-
 +
| Cupola || 50 mm || 50 mm || 50 mm || 12 mm
 +
|-
 +
|}
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'''Notes:'''
  
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''If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
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* Suspension wheels both 15 mm thick
 +
* Tracks are 20 mm thick.
 +
* Front of turret has bolted on 25 mm armour to total up to 50 mm thick as the rest of the front.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
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''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and maneuverability as well as the maximum speed forward and backward.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Mobility}}
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<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
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{{tankMobility|abMinHp=372|rbMinHp=212}}
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This is one of the main feature of the Chi-He, it enables it to do anything a commander want with it. Want to be first on the spot? With some skill/luck, the Chi-He can! Want to flank? follow other light tanks in the move, provide them with enhanced firepower! The enemy team is coming over? Hit the gas (in a rearward position) and fire while retreating.
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 +
=== Modifications and economy ===
 +
{{Specs-Economy}}
  
 
== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 +
{{Specs-Tank-Armaments}}
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
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''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibilty of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|1}}
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<!-- ''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.'' -->
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{{main|Type 1 (47 mm)}}
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Comparatively to other light/medium tanks at this battle rating, the 47 mm Type 1 gun is quite surprising with 77 mm of penetration at point-blank range and has a good reload speed. Plus, this fires APHE shells, which do great post-penetration damage. Comparatively, the [[20-K (45 mm)]] gun on Russian BR 1.0-2.7 tanks has only 62 mm of penetration in similar conditions. Furthermore, a shoulder stabiliser allows for safer advances on enemy positions (although it is important to note that it only works at low speed). A top-mounted MG is really useful when dealing with unarmoured SPG and SPAA one might encounter at the battle rating.
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One thing to keep in mind compared to [[Chi-Ha Kai]] is that it still retains the same hand-cranked turret with additional 25 mm plates to improve the frontal armour to a max of 50 mm. This however slows down the turret rotations speeds due the added weight.
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 +
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[Type 1 (47 mm)|47 mm Type 1]] || colspan="5" | Turret rotation speed (°/s) || colspan="4" | Reloading rate (seconds)
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|-
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! Mode !! Capacity !! Vertical !! Horizontal !! Stabilizer
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! Stock !! Upgraded !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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! Stock !! Full !! Expert !! Aced
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|-
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! ''Arcade''
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| rowspan="2" | 120 || rowspan="2" | -15°/+20° || rowspan="2" | ±180° || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Shoulder|up to 10 km/h}} || 13.3 || 18.4 || 22.4 || 24.8 || 26.4 || rowspan="2" | 4.29 || rowspan="2" | 3.80 || rowspan="2" | 3.50 || rowspan="2" | 3.30
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|-
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! ''Realistic''
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| 8.3 || 9.8 || 11.9 || 13.2 || 14.0
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|-
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|}
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==== Ammunition ====
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{{:Type 1 (47 mm)/Ammunition|Type 1 APHE, Type 1 HE}}
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==== [[Ammo racks]] ====
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
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|-
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! Full<br>ammo
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! 1st<br>rack empty
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! 2nd<br>rack empty
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! 3rd<br>rack empty
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! 4th<br>rack empty
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! 5th<br>rack empty
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! 6th<br>rack empty
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! 7th<br>rack empty
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! 8th<br>rack empty
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! 9th<br>rack empty
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! 10th<br>rack empty
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! 11th<br>rack empty
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! Visual<br>discrepancy
 +
|-
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| '''120''' || 91&nbsp;''(+29)'' || 76&nbsp;''(+44)'' || 73&nbsp;''(+47)'' || 62&nbsp;''(+58)'' || 51&nbsp;''(+69)'' || 40&nbsp;''(+80)'' || 29&nbsp;''(+91)'' || 21&nbsp;''(+99)'' || 15&nbsp;''(+105)'' || 9&nbsp;''(+111)'' || 1&nbsp;''(+119)'' || No
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|-
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|}
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[[File:Ammoracks_{{PAGENAME}}.png|right|thumb|x250px|[[Ammo racks]] of the {{PAGENAME}}]]
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'''Note''':
  
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=== Additional armament ===
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* Turret empty: 73&nbsp;''(+47)'' shells.
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''Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.''
 
  
 
=== Machine guns ===
 
=== Machine guns ===
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''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft, but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.''
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|2}}
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{{Specs-Tank-Weapon|3}}
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<!-- ''Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.'' -->
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{{main|Type 97 (7.7 mm)}}
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{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
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|-
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! colspan="5" | [[Type 97 (7.7 mm)|7.7 mm Type 97]]
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|-
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! Mount !! Capacity (Belt) !! Fire rate !! Vertical !! Horizontal
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|-
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| Hull || 3,000 (20) || 499 || ±10° || ±15°
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|-
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| Pintle || 1,000 (20) || 499 || -10°/+70° || ±60°
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|-
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|}
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== Usage in battles ==
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<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
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As the successor of the Chi-Ha, the Chi-He has a redesigned hull with thicker armour, a more powerful engine and an up-armoured turret from the Chi-Ha Kai, so the front is overall at 50 mm effective. This will result in a very similar playstyle as the Chi-Ha Kai with the added benefits of being an upgrade.
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Unlike the [[Chi-Ha Kai|Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai]], the Type 1 Chi-He has some more armour and a stronger engine to rely on and it is able to brawl on its own with the fast rate of fire. But as previously mentioned on [[Chi-He#Main armament|Main armament]], the Chi-He retains the same hand-cranked turret with additional armour, slowing down the already mediocre turning time by a slight amount.
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Literally on top of armour and engine upgrades, the Chi-He gets an additional pintle point anti-aircraft machine gun, even though the [[Type 97 tank (7.7 mm)|Type 97 7.7 mm]] has a low clip capacity, it can prove useful for pinning enemy units and even getting hits to down enemy planes.
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 +
The best practice for the Chi-He (and other WWII-era Japanese tanks) is to always point forward, the front armour has pre-angled sides, so angling only hurts your pre-angles and weaker side armour. It's not worth trying to get more out of the 50 mm frontal effective protection.
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 +
'''Enemies worth noting:'''
  
−
== Usage in the battles ==
+
* B1 bis / ter: the B1 can easily destroy the Chi-Ha when using both of its guns, but when angling only the 47 mm gun is available, meaning that the Chi-Ha can take some more hits. It is very hard to destroy the Char B1 from a distance, so get as close as possible with the ideal range being no more than 300 m. Aim at their flat hull side, turret side, hull cannon mount or the driving compartment (the near-vertical frontal armour right below the turret). Upon penetrating, the Chi-Ha's 47 mm APHE can knock out several crews, and your quick reload allows you to finish the rest off in time. However if the B1 has folded armour plates on their hull sides then it is a B1 ter, avoid shooting at its sides.
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''Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).''
+
* [[M4A3 (105)]]: This low-rank Sherman posts a huge threat to every of its opponents due to its superior armour and destructive firepower. Its armour is overall quite tough to penetrate with your small 47 mm gun, but it can be solved by careful aiming. If the M4 is within 200 m, shoot at the vertical part of its gun mantlet or its side if exposed. One penetration might not kill all the crew, however two are generally enough. If it's up close and hull down, try shooting at its gun barrel to disarm it, but one shot is not guaranteed to destroy the barrel. When the M4 is further than 400 m away, all of your shells will perform poorly at penetrating its armour, so disengage or wait until it gets closer. Remember to not get hit by it, its HEAT is able to knock the Chi-He out with ease.
  
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
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''Summarize and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Do not use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - they have a substitution in the form of softer "inadequate", "effective".''
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
  
 
'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
−
*
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 +
* 47 mm cannon can do some decent damage
 +
* Small profile
 +
* Gunner supported stabilization, can take accurate shots at low speeds
 +
* Top-mounted MG
 +
* Fast reverse speed (2 reverse gears)
 +
* Fast in forward motion
 +
* Frontal transmission
 +
* Awesome gun depression of -15°
 +
* Fast reloading rate
  
 
'''Cons:'''
 
'''Cons:'''
−
*
+
 
 +
* Thin side armour means angling front armour could expose weak armour
 +
* 47 mm gun is so inaccurate, to the point where it can barely be used past 500 meters.
 +
* Packed 5-men crew can lead to an easy knock out if penetrated
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* 50 mm front armour, poorly angled
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* Big ammo racks in the turret (carry only half-ammo load)
 +
* Long and narrow hull: hard to turn on the spot
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==
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''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/historical reference" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/Name-vehicles/historical reference) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to include links to sources at the end of the article.''
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<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' -->
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{{main|Chi-He (Family)|l1=History of the Type 1 Chi-He}}
 +
===Development===
 +
The Imperial Japanese Army's main tank, the [[Chi-Ha|Type 97 Chi-Ha]], was becoming rather outdated by the turn of the decade in 1940. The 30 mm front plate armour was vulnerable to standard anti-tank weaponry and the riveted design post a hazard to the tank crew by spalling. In 1941, work began on modernizing the design up to new industrial standards.<ref name="ZalogaJapaneseTank">Zaloga Steven. ''Japanese Tanks 1939-1945'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2007</ref>
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 +
The first step in the modernizing design was to go towards a welded design rather than rivveted. The front glacis plate was also simplified into a large flat 50 mm armour plate rather than the curved one. The increased armour meant an increased weight, so the Japanese added the improved Type 100 diesel engine, capable of pumping out 240 hp to propel the tank. This new tank was accepted as the '''Type 1 Chi-He'''.<ref name="ZalogaJapaneseTank">Zaloga Steven. ''Japanese Tanks 1939-1945'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2007</ref>
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 +
During the tank's preparation for mass-production, a request by the commander of the 7th Tank Regiment calling for an improved armament on the Type 97 Chi-Ha was received by the Mitsubishi factory. With the Type 1 Chi-He still needing time to enter production levels, let alone the resources needed to manufacture completely new tanks, it was placed on hold and priority was placed on improving the Type 97. This lead to the cheaper method of adapting the Type 97 to using the Type 1 turret with the 47 mm cannon, producing to the [[Chi-Ha Kai|Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai]]. This delayed the mass-production of the Type 1 Chi-He until February 1944, resulting in only 170 tanks produced before the end of the war.<ref name="ZalogaChiHavsSherman">Zaloga Steven. ''M4 Sherman vs Type 97 Chi-Ha: The Pacific 1945'' Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2012</ref>
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 +
===Combat usage===
 +
Despite its relatively early production life over late-war Japanese tanks and its improved characteristics, the Type 1 Chi-He would see its combat life held in reserves in the Japanese home islands. They would never see use in the battlefield before Japan surrendered in August 1945.
  
 
== Media ==
 
== Media ==
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''An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.''
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<!-- ''Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.'' -->
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;Skins
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=jp_type_1_chi_he Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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 +
;Videos
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{{Youtube-gallery|4_cJ1CpEatw|'''Best gun depression'''  discusses the {{PAGENAME}} at 1:33 - ''War Thunder Official Channel''}}
  
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== Read also ==
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== See also ==
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''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example,''
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<!-- ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
 
* ''reference to the series of the vehicles;''
−
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''
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* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' -->
−
''ETC.''
+
 
 +
;Related Development
 +
* [[Chi-Ha (Family)]] - <small>(Predecessor)</small>
 +
** [[Chi-Ha Kai]]
 +
* [[Chi-He (Family)]]
 +
** [[Ho-I]] - <small>(Gun tank variant)</small>
 +
* [[Ka-Chi]] - <small>(Inspired navy amphibious variant)</small>
 +
 
 +
;Other vehicles of similar configuration and role
 +
* [[File:Czech flag.png|30px|link=]] [[File:Germany flag.png|30px|link=]] [[LT-38 (Family)|Pz.38(t)]]
 +
* [[File:Germany flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Pz.III (Disambiguation)|Pz.III (Family)]] - <small>(Early models)</small>
 +
* [[File:Kingdom Hungary flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Turan I]]
 +
* [[File:Kingdom Italy flag.png|30px|link=]] [[M15/42]]
 +
* [[File:France flag.png|30px|link=]] [[S.35]]
 +
* [[File:Britain flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Crusader (Family)|Crusader]]
 +
* [[File:Sweden flag.png|30px|link=]] [[Lago I]]
  
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== Sources ==
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== External links ==
−
''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
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<!-- ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
 
* ''topic on the official game forum;''
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* ''page on the Wikipedia;''
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* ''other literature.'' -->
−
* ''other literature.''
+
 
 +
* [[wt:en/news/4349-development-type-1-chi-he-an-updated-classic-en/|[Devblog] Type 1 Chi-He – An Updated Classic]]
 +
* [[wikipedia:Type_1_Chi-He_medium_tank|[Wikipedia] Type 1 Chi-He medium tank]]
 +
 
 +
===References===
 +
<references />
 +
 
 +
{{TankManufacturer Mitsubishi}}
 +
{{Japan medium tanks}}

Latest revision as of 10:16, 20 August 2024

This page is about the Japanese medium tank Chi-He. For the premium version, see Chi-He (5th Regiment).
Chi-He
jp_type_1_chi_he.png
GarageImage Chi-He.jpg
ArtImage Chi-He.png
Chi-He
Japan flag.png Japan
II Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
2.7 2.7 2.7
Class:
Research:9 200 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png

Description

The Type 1 Chi-He (一式中戦車 「チへ」) was a tank designed to streamline the design of the Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai and improve on armour and engine power. While the streamlining of the design featured welded armour instead of riveted armour, a 5th crew member and slightly more armour, the final design only weighed 1.5 tons more than the Chi-Ha Kai. Production only caught on in 1943 due to the Navy's priority in raw materials and all Chi-He's were reserved for the defence of the Home Islands. While the Chi-He did improve on the Chi-Ha Kai, it didn't improve enough to compete with the likes of a M4 Sherman, and served its hull to build the Type 3 Chi-Nu.

It was introduced in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai" along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces Tree. Featuring better armour, slightly better mobility with the same 47 mm Type 1 gun as its Chi-Ha Kai predecessor, the Chi-He is an enjoyable tank to play in the early ranks of the game. Stick to allies and use mobility to get to the point with other fast vehicles. Use its good gun depression to hide behind hills and snipe enemies. With its good reverse speed, it can easily get out of nasty situations or hide quickly.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back
Hull50 / 25 / 20
Turret50 / 25 / 25
Crew5 people
Visibility88 %

There is nothing impressive here in terms of armour, the Chi-He features 50 mm, poorly angled, frontal armour. This is not the kind of plate that can take any punishment at the battle rating, it will only bounce poorly aimed shots. The five-man crew inside makes the tank very survivable, leaving some room for mistakes. Side armour is vulnerable to heavy machine gun and autocannon fire, so beware flanking fast tanks.

Armour Type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet, Machine gun ports)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 50 mm (15°) Front plate
12 mm (76°) Front glacis
50 mm (20°) Joint plate
8.5 mm (65°) Lower glacis 		20 mm (15-30°) Top
25 mm Bottom 		20 mm (0-20°) Top
8.5 mm (63°) Bottom 		12 mm
Turret 25 + 25 mm (10°) Turret front
50 mm (0-10°) Gun mantlet 		25 mm (10°) 25 mm Turret rear
50 mm (0-57°) Machine gun port 		12 mm
Cupola 50 mm 50 mm 50 mm 12 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension wheels both 15 mm thick
  • Tracks are 20 mm thick.
  • Front of turret has bolted on 25 mm armour to total up to 50 mm thick as the rest of the front.

Mobility

Speedforward / back
AB49 / 10 km/h
RB and SB44 / 9 km/h
Number of gears8 forward
2 back
Weight17.2 t
Engine power
AB458 hp
RB and SB240 hp
Power-to-weight ratio
AB26.6 hp/t
RB and SB14.0 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 49 10 17.2 372 458 21.63 26.63
Realistic 44 9 212 240 12.33 13.95

This is one of the main feature of the Chi-He, it enables it to do anything a commander want with it. Want to be first on the spot? With some skill/luck, the Chi-He can! Want to flank? follow other light tanks in the move, provide them with enhanced firepower! The enemy team is coming over? Hit the gas (in a rearward position) and fire while retreating.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB566 → 728 Sl icon.png
RB638 → 821 Sl icon.png
SB767 → 987 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 390 Rp icon.png
9 380 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces160 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
30 / 50 / 60 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Mobility Protection Firepower
Mods new tank traks.png
Tracks
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank suspension.png
Suspension
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank break.png
Brake System
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank filter.png
Filters
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank transmission.png
Transmission
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank engine.png
Engine
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png
Mods tank tool kit.png
Improved Parts
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods extinguisher.png
Improved FPE
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods tank reinforcement jp.png
Crew Replenishment
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank horizontal aiming.png
Horizontal Drive
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
80 Ge icon.png
Mods tank cannon.png
Adjustment of Fire
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
70 Ge icon.png
Mods new tank vertical aiming.png
Elevation Mechanism
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods art support.png
Artillery Support
Research:
910 Rp icon.png
Cost:
1 000 Sl icon.png
130 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Main armament

47 mm Type 1 cannon
Shoulder stabilizer
Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving
Ammunition120 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
4.3 → 3.3 s
Vertical guidance-15° / 20°
Main article: Type 1 (47 mm)

Comparatively to other light/medium tanks at this battle rating, the 47 mm Type 1 gun is quite surprising with 77 mm of penetration at point-blank range and has a good reload speed. Plus, this fires APHE shells, which do great post-penetration damage. Comparatively, the 20-K (45 mm) gun on Russian BR 1.0-2.7 tanks has only 62 mm of penetration in similar conditions. Furthermore, a shoulder stabiliser allows for safer advances on enemy positions (although it is important to note that it only works at low speed). A top-mounted MG is really useful when dealing with unarmoured SPG and SPAA one might encounter at the battle rating.

One thing to keep in mind compared to Chi-Ha Kai is that it still retains the same hand-cranked turret with additional 25 mm plates to improve the frontal armour to a max of 50 mm. This however slows down the turret rotations speeds due the added weight.

47 mm Type 1 Turret rotation speed (°/s) Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode Capacity Vertical Horizontal Stabilizer Stock Upgraded Full Expert Aced Stock Full Expert Aced
Arcade 120 -15°/+20° ±180° Shoulder 13.3 18.4 22.4 24.8 26.4 4.29 3.80 3.50 3.30
Realistic 8.3 9.8 11.9 13.2 14.0

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
Type 1 APHE APHE 77 75 67 58 50 44
Type 1 HE HE 10 9 8 7 5 5
Shell details
Ammunition Type of
warhead 		Velocity
(m/s) 		Projectile
mass (kg) 		Fuse delay
(m) 		Fuse sensitivity
(mm) 		Explosive mass
(TNT equivalent) (g) 		Ricochet
0% 50% 100%
Type 1 APHE APHE 808 1.49 1.2 9 22.4 47° 60° 65°
Type 1 HE HE 822 1.4 0.1 0.1 85.26 79° 80° 81°

Ammo racks

Full
ammo 		1st
rack empty 		2nd
rack empty 		3rd
rack empty 		4th
rack empty 		5th
rack empty 		6th
rack empty 		7th
rack empty 		8th
rack empty 		9th
rack empty 		10th
rack empty 		11th
rack empty 		Visual
discrepancy
120 91 (+29) 76 (+44) 73 (+47) 62 (+58) 51 (+69) 40 (+80) 29 (+91) 21 (+99) 15 (+105) 9 (+111) 1 (+119) No
Ammo racks of the Chi-He

Note:

  • Turret empty: 73 (+47) shells.

Machine guns

7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun (coaxial)
Ammunition3 000 rounds
Belt capacity20 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
3.9 → 3.0 s
Fire rate499 shots/min
7.7 mm Type 97 machine gun
Ammunition1 000 rounds
Belt capacity20 rounds
Reloadbasic crew → aces
3.9 → 3.0 s
Fire rate499 shots/min
Main article: Type 97 (7.7 mm)
7.7 mm Type 97
Mount Capacity (Belt) Fire rate Vertical Horizontal
Hull 3,000 (20) 499 ±10° ±15°
Pintle 1,000 (20) 499 -10°/+70° ±60°

Usage in battles

As the successor of the Chi-Ha, the Chi-He has a redesigned hull with thicker armour, a more powerful engine and an up-armoured turret from the Chi-Ha Kai, so the front is overall at 50 mm effective. This will result in a very similar playstyle as the Chi-Ha Kai with the added benefits of being an upgrade.

Unlike the Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai, the Type 1 Chi-He has some more armour and a stronger engine to rely on and it is able to brawl on its own with the fast rate of fire. But as previously mentioned on Main armament, the Chi-He retains the same hand-cranked turret with additional armour, slowing down the already mediocre turning time by a slight amount.

Literally on top of armour and engine upgrades, the Chi-He gets an additional pintle point anti-aircraft machine gun, even though the Type 97 7.7 mm has a low clip capacity, it can prove useful for pinning enemy units and even getting hits to down enemy planes.

The best practice for the Chi-He (and other WWII-era Japanese tanks) is to always point forward, the front armour has pre-angled sides, so angling only hurts your pre-angles and weaker side armour. It's not worth trying to get more out of the 50 mm frontal effective protection.

Enemies worth noting:

  • B1 bis / ter: the B1 can easily destroy the Chi-Ha when using both of its guns, but when angling only the 47 mm gun is available, meaning that the Chi-Ha can take some more hits. It is very hard to destroy the Char B1 from a distance, so get as close as possible with the ideal range being no more than 300 m. Aim at their flat hull side, turret side, hull cannon mount or the driving compartment (the near-vertical frontal armour right below the turret). Upon penetrating, the Chi-Ha's 47 mm APHE can knock out several crews, and your quick reload allows you to finish the rest off in time. However if the B1 has folded armour plates on their hull sides then it is a B1 ter, avoid shooting at its sides.
  • M4A3 (105): This low-rank Sherman posts a huge threat to every of its opponents due to its superior armour and destructive firepower. Its armour is overall quite tough to penetrate with your small 47 mm gun, but it can be solved by careful aiming. If the M4 is within 200 m, shoot at the vertical part of its gun mantlet or its side if exposed. One penetration might not kill all the crew, however two are generally enough. If it's up close and hull down, try shooting at its gun barrel to disarm it, but one shot is not guaranteed to destroy the barrel. When the M4 is further than 400 m away, all of your shells will perform poorly at penetrating its armour, so disengage or wait until it gets closer. Remember to not get hit by it, its HEAT is able to knock the Chi-He out with ease.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • 47 mm cannon can do some decent damage
  • Small profile
  • Gunner supported stabilization, can take accurate shots at low speeds
  • Top-mounted MG
  • Fast reverse speed (2 reverse gears)
  • Fast in forward motion
  • Frontal transmission
  • Awesome gun depression of -15°
  • Fast reloading rate

Cons:

  • Thin side armour means angling front armour could expose weak armour
  • 47 mm gun is so inaccurate, to the point where it can barely be used past 500 meters.
  • Packed 5-men crew can lead to an easy knock out if penetrated
  • 50 mm front armour, poorly angled
  • Big ammo racks in the turret (carry only half-ammo load)
  • Long and narrow hull: hard to turn on the spot

History

Main article: History of the Type 1 Chi-He

Development

The Imperial Japanese Army's main tank, the Type 97 Chi-Ha, was becoming rather outdated by the turn of the decade in 1940. The 30 mm front plate armour was vulnerable to standard anti-tank weaponry and the riveted design post a hazard to the tank crew by spalling. In 1941, work began on modernizing the design up to new industrial standards.[1]

The first step in the modernizing design was to go towards a welded design rather than rivveted. The front glacis plate was also simplified into a large flat 50 mm armour plate rather than the curved one. The increased armour meant an increased weight, so the Japanese added the improved Type 100 diesel engine, capable of pumping out 240 hp to propel the tank. This new tank was accepted as the Type 1 Chi-He.[1]

During the tank's preparation for mass-production, a request by the commander of the 7th Tank Regiment calling for an improved armament on the Type 97 Chi-Ha was received by the Mitsubishi factory. With the Type 1 Chi-He still needing time to enter production levels, let alone the resources needed to manufacture completely new tanks, it was placed on hold and priority was placed on improving the Type 97. This lead to the cheaper method of adapting the Type 97 to using the Type 1 turret with the 47 mm cannon, producing to the Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai. This delayed the mass-production of the Type 1 Chi-He until February 1944, resulting in only 170 tanks produced before the end of the war.[2]

Combat usage

Despite its relatively early production life over late-war Japanese tanks and its improved characteristics, the Type 1 Chi-He would see its combat life held in reserves in the Japanese home islands. They would never see use in the battlefield before Japan surrendered in August 1945.

Media

Skins
Videos
Best gun depression discusses the Chi-He at 1:33 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

Related Development
Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Zaloga Steven. Japanese Tanks 1939-1945 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2007
  2. ↑ Zaloga Steven. M4 Sherman vs Type 97 Chi-Ha: The Pacific 1945 Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2012


Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (三菱重工業株式会社)
Light Tanks 
Type 95  Ha-Go · Ha-Go Commander
Medium Tanks 
Type 89  I-Go Ko
Type 97  Chi-Ha · Chi-Ha Kai
Type 1  Chi-He · Chi-He (5th Regiment)
Type 3  Chi-Nu · Chi-Nu II
Type 4  Chi-To · Chi-To Late
Type 5  Chi-Ri II
SPGs 
Chi-Ha Derived  Ho-Ro
Chi-He Derived  Ho-I
Chi-Ri Derived  Ho-Ri Prototype · Ho-Ri Production
Other  Na-To · Ro-Go Exp.
Captured  ␗Chi-Ha · ␗Chi-Ha Kai
Note  Most tank designs would be contracted by the Army Technical Bureau to Mitsubishi
See also  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (Post-War)

Japan medium tanks
Type 97  Chi-Ha · Chi-Ha Kai · Chi-Ha Kai TD · Chi-Ha Short Gun
Type 1  Chi-He · Chi-He (5th Regiment) · Ho-I
Type 3  Chi-Nu · Chi-Nu II
Type 4  Chi-To · Chi-To Late
Type 5  Chi-Ri II
Type 61 MBT  ST-A1* · ST-A2* · ST-A3* · Type 61
Type 74 MBT  ST-B2* · Type 74 (C) · Type 74 (E) · Type 74 (F) · Type 74 (G)
Type 90 MBT  Type 90 · Type 90 (B) · Type 90 (B) "Fuji"
Type 10 MBT  TKX (P)* · TKX* · Type 10
Other  Ka-Chi
USA  ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▅M47
  *Prototype

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