TheType 10 (10式戦車,Hitomaru-shiki sensha) is a Japanesefourth generationmain battle tank produced byMitsubishi Heavy Industries for theJapanese Ground Self Defense Force. It entered service in 2012. Compared with othercurrently-serving main battle tanks in the JGSDF, the Type 10 is better equipped to deal withanti-tank weapons.^[4]

Type 10
A JGSDF Type 10 Tank in 2010
Type	Main battle tank
Place of origin	Japan
Service history
In service	2012 – present
Production history
Manufacturer	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Unit cost	$11.3 million (2022)[1]: 5
Produced	2010 (in production)
No. built	117 (FY 2010–2022)[2]: 5
Specifications
Mass	48 tonnes (full loadout), 44 tonnes (standard loadout), 40 tonnes (basic loadout)
Length	9.485 m
Width	3.24 m
Height	2.30 m
Crew	3 (commander, gunner and driver)
Armor	modularceramiccomposite armor, steel, light-weight upper armor.
Main armament	Japan Steel Works 120 mmL/44 calibers-long smoothbore cannon with automatic loader (22 rounds)
Secondary armament	Type 90 12.7 mm machine gun Type 74 7.62 mm machine gun
Engine	4-stroke 22.6-litredieselV8 MHI 8VA34WTK 1,200 hp/2,300 rpm
Power/weight	27 hp/tonne
Transmission	Continuously variable transmission (hydraulic-mechanical transmission)
Suspension	Hydropneumatic suspension
Operational range	500 km
Maximum speed	Forward: 70 km/h Backward: 70 km/h[3]

The Type 10 started as the TK-X (MBT-X) project, intended to complement and eventually replace theType 74 andType 90 tanks in service with the JGSDF.^[5] Development began in the 1990s, and production started in 2010–2011. A prototype was revealed on February 13, 2008 at the Technology Research and Development Institute (TRDI) inSagamihara, Japan.^[5] Emphasis was placed on the design's command and control capabilities.^[6]

In the early 2000s, the JGSDF recognized a need to field a fourth generation tank in order to compete on a modern battlefield.C4I (Command, Control, Communication, Computing and Intelligence) capability was considered a high priority in designing the Type 10.^[5]

A Ministry of Defense assessment found that C4I upgrades to existing Type 74 and Type 90 tanks were not feasible, primarily due to a lack of internal space. Thus, development of a completely novel main battle tank was deemed necessary.^[5]

The use ofmodular components significantly improves the side armor compared to the Type 90. Thecommander's panoramic sight was moved to the right, and is mounted higher compared to the Type 90, giving the commander a widerfield of view.

The vehicle's armor consists of removable sections, allowing operators to balance weight and protection depending on the mission profile. The Type 10 weighs 40 tonnes (44 short tons) in its base configuration, 44 tonnes (49 short tons) in standard configuration, and 48 tonnes (53 short tons) fully loaded. The prototype featured in 2008 at TRDI weighed 44 tonnes.^[7]

The Type 10 weighs less than its predecessor, the Type 90. The composite armor weight was increased, however, from 1,380 to 1,940 kg (3,040 to 4,280 lb) for the turret, and from 1,249 to 2,680 kg (2,754 to 5,908 lb) for the hull.

In a penetration resistance test,APFSDS rounds were fired at the hull from a distance of 250 m (270 yd).^[8][9] Each armor module andmantlet achieved the required performance specified in "Type 10 tank GV-Y120001E".

Protection against 120mmkinetic energy penetrators is limited to the front of the hull, turret, and gun mantlet, with the exception of the lowerglacis.

The top armor can effectively counterexplosively formed penetrators and related threats.^[10]

The Type 10 tank is equipped with aC4I system (command, control, communication, computer & intelligence) known as "10NW". This system integrates into the JGSDF network and enables real-time data sharing between tanks. It works alongside the Field Communication System (FiCS)^[5] and the Regiment Command Control System (ReCS).^[4]

According to design documentation, the C4I system enables the following capabilities:^[11]

• Platoon-levelautomatic target recognition and target synchronization
• Real-time commands from aplatoon leader
• Real-time vehicletelemetry
• Fire control system integration
• Daytime andnight vision cameras mounted around the turret, providing 360° coverage^[7]

The Type 10 also includes:

• Acontinuously variable transmission (CVT)^[12] allowing the tank to reach 70 km/h (43 mph) in both forward and reverse
• A fasterautoloader allowing the main gun to fire every 3.5 seconds^[13]
• Ahydropneumatic suspension system^[12] that provides improved recoil performance andchassis height adjustment

Whereas the Type 90 was equipped with theRheinmetall Rh-120 smoothbore main gun (as on theGermanLeopard 2), the Type 10 uses a novel 120mm gun developed byJapan Steel Works.^[5] The gun can fire the newly developed Type 10APFSDS round.^[14] It can also fire the JM33 APFSDS (a variant of the GermanDM33 shell, produced domestically under license) as well as120mm NATO ammunition. The Type 10 holds 14 rounds in the autoloader, 2 behind the gunner, 6 rounds in the ready ammunition storage, and 14 in reserve, with a total of 36 rounds carried on board.^[15]

The gunner has access to aType 74coaxial machine gun chambered in7.62×51mm NATO. The Type 74 is a heavier, vehicle-mounted variant of theSumitomo Type 62 machine gun.

AM2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun chambered in12.7x99mm NATO is affixed to apintle-mount on the roof, and can be crewed by the commander.

The predecessor of the Type 10, the Type 90, was deployed only inHokkaido due to road and bridge weight limitations in mainland Japan. For this reason, weight was a priority in design, as the Type 10 needed to be capable of deploying anywhere in Japan. Size and weight reductions made the Type 10 six tonnes lighter than the Type 90. Approximately 84% of bridges in Japan can accommodate the Type 10, compared to only 65% for the Type 90, and ~40% for other NATO tanks.^[16]

The development costs as of 2008 are approximately¥48.4 billion (equivalent to¥49.8 billion orUS$457 million in 2019)^[17]. The projected cost per unit was approximately¥700 million (equivalent to¥720.6 million orUS$6.6 million in 2019)^[17].^[7]

TheJapanese Ministry of Defense formally acknowledged the Type 10 in December 2009.

In 2010, the Japanese Ministry of Defense placed a¥12.4 billion (US$113 million) order for thirteen Type 10 tanks.^[18]

The Type 10 entered service in January 2012,^[19] with production continuing at a steady rate. As of 2020, there were 76 units in service, with plans to order 12 more that year.^[20]

On 4 January 2014, sources revealed thatTurkey was interested in signing a joint development deal of tank engines based on the Type 10's engine. The Type 10 tank boasts high mobility, including a backward movement speed of 70 km/h (43 mph).^[21] The engine was to power the TurkishAltay tank. However, negotiations broke down, and the deal was "off the agenda" by March 2014. Provided reasons included Japan's stringent arms export ban laws, Turkey's intention to export the Altay themselves, and Japan's reluctance to license the engine.^[22]

  Japan (129 purchased as of 2024 + 12 planned for 2025)

Purchases:

• 12 tanks with the 2025 budget request (¥ 22.9 billion)^[23]
• 10 tanks with the 2024 budget (¥ 16.6 billion)^[24]
• 8 tanks with the 2022 budget (¥ 8.3 billion)^[25]
• 12 tanks with the 2020 budget (¥ 15.6 billion)^[26]
• 6 tanks with the 2019 budget (¥ 8.1 billion)^[27]
• 5 tanks with the 2018 budget (¥ 7.3 billion)^[28]
• 6 tanks with the 2017 budget (¥ 7.5 billion)^[29]
• 6 tanks with the 2016 budget (¥ 6.1 billion)^[30]
• 10 tanks with the 2015 budget (¥ 10.2 billion)^[31]
• 13 tanks with the 2014 budget (¥ 13.4 billion)^[32]
• 14 tanks with the 2013 budget (¥ 13.9 billion)^[33]
• 13 tanks with the 2012 budget (¥ 13.2 billion)^[34]
• 13 tanks with the 2011 budget (¥ 13.2 billion)^[35]
• 13 tanks with the 2010 budget (¥ 12.4 billion)^[36]

•  
  2010 prototype model
•  
  Rear view of the prototype
•  
  Production model
•  
  Side closeup of turret showing M2 Browning .50 caliber and smoke launchers
•  
  Front closeup of turret showing sensor package and M2 Browning .50 caliber
•  
  A tanker in the commander's hatch
•  
  Braking demonstration
•  
  Type 90 (left) and Type 10 (right)
•  
  Type 74 (left) and Type 10 (right)
•  
  Braking demonstration during exercise
•  
  Front view
•  
  Prototype on display

• Type 61 – (Japan) (1st generation)
• Type 74 tank – (Japan) (2nd generation)
• Type 90 – (Japan) (3rd generation)
• M10 Booker, US light tank/assault gun comparable in weight and price to Type 10
• Type 15 tank – (China)
• 2S25 Sprut-SD – (Russia)

• Defense Industrial Production Committee, ed. (February 2014). "10式戦車と今後の戦車製造の態勢" [Type 10 tanks and the future of tank manufacturing].Special Journal of Defense Industrial Production Committee (防衛生産委員会特報) (in Japanese) (285).Japan Business Federation.NAID 40019994077.
• Kiyotani, Shinichi[in Japanese] (27 February 2008). "Japan unveils TK-X main battle tank prototype".Jane's Defence Weekly.45 (9): 13.
• Ichinohe, Takao (June 2011). "Type 10 Tanks of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force".10式戦車と次世代大型戦闘車 [Type 10 Tanks and Next-generation Heavy Fighting Vehicles]. Supplement toJapan Military Review (in Japanese).NCID AN00067836.
• Technical Research and Development Institute, ed. (2012).防衛省技術研究本部六十年史 [Sixty Years of the Technical Research Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense] (in Japanese).Ministry of Defense.NCID BB10936527.

• Development report of JSDF New tank (Japanese) 1 – Japanese Ministry of Defense.
• Development report of JSDF New tank (Japanese) 2 – Japanese Ministry of Defense.
• Development report of JSDF New tank (Japanese) 3 – Japanese Ministry of Defense.
• New Tank – Japanese Ministry of Defense TRDI.
• TRDI Official Photos of Type 10 tank #1
• TRDI Official Video of TK-X tank
• Slalom shooting of Type 10 Tank onYouTube (Car Watch)
• Japan New 44ton MBT (Main Battle Tank) Type10 Tank Prototype (TK-X) Test onYouTube