Type 74 (E)

Type 74 (E)

Type 74 (C)

Type 74 (F)

Type 74 (E)

Type 74 (C)

Type 74 (F)

Japan

VI Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
9.0	9.0	9.0

Class:

Medium tank

Research:190 000

Purchase:520 000

Show in game

Description

The Type 74 (E) is a Rank VI Japanese medium tank with a battle rating of 9.0 (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
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	40 mm (74°), 80 mm (65°) Front glacis 80 mm (57°) Lower glacis	35 mm (44°) Top 30 mm, 10 mm (55-56°) Bottom	20 mm Top 25 mm (47-48°) Bottom	25 mm
Turret	132 mm (27-53°) Turret front 200 mm (34-73°) , 150 + 170 mm (0-44°) Gun mantlet	132 mm (5-57°) Front 67 mm (37-47°) Rear	37 mm (17-39°)	67 mm Front 37 mm Rear
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	80 mm	80 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are both 20 mm thick.
• The Type 74's hydropneumatic suspension means it could vary the sloped angle of its armour towards the enemy.
• Hull roof is rated to be 25 mm effective against HE.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armour weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
38.0	N/A	59 (AB)
		53 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	1,116	___
Realistic/Simulator	637	720
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	29.37	__.__
Realistic/Simulator	16.76	18.95

Armaments

Main armament

105 mm L7A3
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
50			-6°/+9°	±180°	Two-plane
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	22.8	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Realistic	14.28	__.__	__.__	__.__	__.__
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
8.71	__.__	__.__	__.__

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 0° Angle of Attack
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M728	APDS	260	258	250	240	231	222
M393	HESH	127	127	127	127	127	127
M456	HEATFS	400	400	400	400	400	400
M735	APFSDS	360	355	345	330	321	300

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%
M728	APDS	1,426	4.65	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	75°	78°	80°
M393	HESH	730	14.85	0.4	0.1	2,990	+0°	73°	77°	80°
M456	HEATFS	1,173	10.5	0.0	0.1	1,270	+0°	65°	72°	75°
M735	APFSDS	1,501	3.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	°	76°	77°	78°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
M416	730	11.4	20	5	25	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
42	XX (X+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	(+)	no

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,000 (200)				577	-10°/+40°	±120°

7.62 mm Type 74
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
5,500 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

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).

Modules

Tier	Mobility	Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks	Parts	Horizontal drive
II	Suspension, Brake system	FPE	Adjustment of fire, M393, Rangefinder
III	Filters	Crew replenishment	Elevation mechanism, M416, Smoke grenade
IV	Transmission, Engine		Artillery support, M456, M735

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Same gun and general ammo choices as the Leopard 1
• Improved stock M728 APDS shot which has more penetration than the Leopard 1
• A little bit more agile than the Leopard 1
• .50 cal machine gun proves useful against SPAAGs, as well as strafing aircraft.
• Better frontal armour overall than the Leopard, ZSU-57-2 will have a much harder time killing you from the front, can also bounce some APDS.
• Hydropneumatic suspension system can give up to -12° of gun depression as well as more compatibility for terrain
• APFSDS shell has good after-penetration effect and is capable of penetrating tough armor such as the composite armor of the T-64's hull

Cons:

• Hydropneumatic suspension system takes time to deploy and undeploy.
• Only -5° of gun depression without deploying the suspension.
• 53 kph maximum compared to Leopard 1's 65 kmph (however both tanks rarely reach this speed).

History

Development

A year after the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) issued out their first post-war main battle tank, the Type 61, development started on its successor, recognizing that the Type 61 was already becoming obsolete in terms of the new Soviet tanks being produced such as the T-62. Working alongside Mitsubishi once more, they looked for a new tank design incorporating many new features introduced in tank technology. This resulted in the tank having the hydropneumatic suspension system from the U.S.-German project MBT-70, a hull shape similar to Germany's Leopard 1, and the powerful 105 mm L7 gun for its main armament. Other planned features for the tank was a rotatable commander's cupola and an autoloader system for the main gun.

The first prototype arrived for testing in 1968 as the STB-1. Modifications to the design started in 1969, which saw the autoloader removed for being too complex and expensive, as well as the removal of a proposed remote-controlled anti-aircraft machine gun for the same reason. The turret design was also elongated for various design purposes. The modified prototype was labeled STB-3 and was delivered in 1971. The final prototype, STB-6, was then delivered in 1973. The tank was then accepted for service in 1974 as the Type 74 tank. Production would start in September 1975 all the way to 1989, producing 893 tanks.

Service

Due to the defensive nature of the JSDF and the absence of any hostility rising out of the Cold War, the Type 74 spent its service life in the JGSDF with no battle service. During its service life however, it was upgraded with new hardware such as infra-red imagers for night fighting and a laser rangefinder for the commander. Despite all that, the Type 74 was generally outdated in terms of specifications even before entering service, as second-generation main battle tanks like the Chieftain and T-72 outclass it and development for third-generation main battle tanks like the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams were already underway.

The tank was to be replaced by the newer Type 90 main battle tank, but the collapse of the Soviet Union and the official end of the Cold War caused the replacement program to be halted. Today, the Type 74 still sees limited service in Japan and it was reported that 700 units were still in use in 2006.

Media

An excellent addition to the article will be video guides, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.

Type 74 MBT Super Unicorn Review
(Coarse language present)

Type 74 tanks in a public demonstration - 2014

See also

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;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Type 74: The Height of Technology
• [Devblog] Hydropneumatic suspension in War Thunder