KHI Type 96 Sumire
Versions: Type 96, Type 96B, Type 96-I.
Type: Medium tank
Place of origin: Japan
Service history
In service: 1936
Used by: Imperial Japanese Army (Type 96, Type 96B), Iberian Army (Type 96-I).
Production history
Designer: Kanzaki Juukougyou (Kanzaki Heavy Industries)
Designed: 1934-36
Produced: 1936-
Weight: 27 tons
Length: 670cm
Width: 305cm
Height: 244cm
Crew: 4
Armor:
-- Hull: 20-47mm (nose, sloped plate (@ 60 deg), sides and rear 45-47mm, top an bottom 20mm.
-- Turret: 16-46mm (front, sides and rear 45mm, top 16mm)
Primary armament: 75 mm Type 90 gun (75 rounds)
Secondary armament: 3×7.7 mm Type 90 machine guns (3000 rounds)
Engine: KHI 12-cyl. diesel model V-12; 525 hp
Suspension: Christie
Operational range: 300km
Speed: 50 km/h
Type 96B
Weight: 32 tons
Length: 670cm
Width: 305cm
Height: 244cm
Crew: 4
Armor: 20-90mm
Primary armament: 75 mm Type 90 gun (100 rounds)
Secondary armament: 3×7.7 mm Type 90 machine guns (3000 rounds)
Engine: KHI 12-cyl. diesel model V-12; 525 hp
Operational range: 360km
Speed: 47 km/h
Latest design of a medium tank by Kanzaki Heavy Industries. In the eyes of the Imperial Army, the superiority of the type 96 medium tank rendered the Type 96 heavy tank instantly obsolete.
Rather than going for a completely new main gun, the decision was made to follow the advice of Kanzaki Shigeki's daughter Sumire (*) and use the existing and reliable 75mm/50 cal Type 90 gun used on some 200 Japanese warships, field artillery and anti-aircraft artillery.
Iberia has shown interest in the tank and after a meeting with members of the Iberian Army, the decision was made to send gunless Type-96 tanks to Iberia where they would be fitted out with the Danish 75 mm/30 cal VT-6 gun, which would mean that the tank would be using exactly the same gun as the Danish 'Eghjort' Assault Gun that the Iberians are using.
(*) The advice being "Why waste time, money, manpower and brainpower on a gun when an excellent gun of that caliber already exists? Also things would be much simpler if just one type of gun of a particular caliber was produced instead of numerous different ones of the same caliber."
KHI Type 96 tank of the Imperial Japanese Army, armed with the 75mm/50 cal Type 90 gun.
KHI Type 96-I tank of the Iberian Army, armed with the Danish 75 mm/30 cal VT-6 gun.
KHI Type 96-S of the Persian Army, armed with the Skoda 76,5mm vz.30 gun.
Type 96 variants
Self Propelled Gun
Assault Gun
Type 96 tank with "No-Go" System.
"No-Go" Device.