Chi-Ha Kai

Chi-Ha Kai

Chi-He

Chi-Ha Kai

Chi-He

Japan

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.3	2.3

Class:

Medium tank

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

This page is about the Japanese medium tank Chi-Ha Kai. For other uses, see Chi-Ha (Family).

Description

The Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai is a Rank II Japanese medium tank with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced along with the initial Japanese Ground Forces tree in Update 1.65 "Way of the Samurai".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	25 mm (11-31°) Front plate 15-17 mm (62-80°) Front glacis 15 mm (37-59°) Lower glacis||25 mm (25 / 40°) Top 25 mm Bottom	15 mm (69°) Top 20 mm (5-57°)	12 mm
Turret	25 mm (9-10°) Turret front 30-35 mm Gun mantlet	25 mm (9-10°)	25 mm	10 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	25 mm	10 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 15 mm thick.

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	45	21	14.8	263	324	17.77	21.89
Realistic	40	19		150	170	10.14	11.49

Armaments

Main armament

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	104	-15°/+20°	±180°	Vertical	8.9	12.4	15.0	26.5	__.__	4.30	3.80	3.50	__.__
Realistic					8.9	10.5	12.8	14.1	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Type 1 APHE	APHE	88	83	69	50	40	33

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
Type 1 APHE	APHE	822	1.4	1.2	15		47°	60°	65°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks for the Chi-Ha Kai.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
104	75 (+29)	71 (+33)	66 (+38)	54 (+50)	9 (+95)	1 (+103)	Yes

Turret empty: 66 (+48)

Machine guns

7.7 mm Type 97
Mount	Total Ammo	Shots per Belt	Fire rate	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Hull	3,000	20	499	-8°/+10°	±15°

Usage in battles

The Chi-Ha Kai (Kai means "improved) is an upgrade of the Chi-Ha that replaces the low-velocity 57 mm gun with the very good 47 mm Type 1 tank gun and adds one more crew to make a total of five with three in the turret. Compared to other rank I vehicles this gun is powerful and very good.

The 5^th crewman, in a three-man turret, improves survivability accordingly. However it is still a lightly armoured vehicle with only moderate mobility, so the tactics used with the Chi-Ha are to stay close to teammates and always play sneaky remain the most important.

Another problem is that the Chi-Ha Kai retains the hand-cranked turret, which is quite slow to turn. So the best idea is to plan ahead before any attacks, think where the enemy may be and find a place to hide the bulky tank from the enemy and wait for the enemy to come towards the position. Now, this is somewhat important "Don't look for the enemy, let the enemy look for the Chi-Ha Kai.", Of course, the Chi-Ha Kai could still go look for the enemy, but always be on alert and make sure to have a friend for firing support.

The engine provides adequate power - the power-weight ratio is comparable with other tanks of the late 1930's - but this tank was built from 1942 onwards so it is low compared to contemporary designs.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Improved sloped armour compared to the reserve vehicles
• Quite fast (up to 44 kph)
• Lovely climbing ability
• Very good 47 mm gun with APHE
• Five man crew

Cons:

• Thin armour that can be penetrated by even 20 mm SPAA
• Slow turning turret

History

• [News] Newsflash from IgroMir 2016! New ships and first look at Japanese Ground Forces! (Type 95 & Type 97 Chi-Ha Kai)