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The Type 2 Ke-To light tank (Japan) was an improved version of the Type 98 light tank, carrying a modified gun turret. Neither tank was produced in large number and the main Japanese light tank of the Second World War was the obsolete Type 95 Ha-Go.
The Type 98 light tank had been armed with the Type 100 37mm main gun, with a muzzle velocity of 760m/s. On the Type 2 Ke-To this was replaced with the Type 1 37mm, with a muzzle velocity of 800m/s. The turret was also modified to increase the number of internal space.
The Type 2 Ke-To was produced in even smaller numbers than the Type 98 light tank, with only 34 produced in 1944-45. Like most late Japanese tank designs the Type 2 Ke-To saw no combat.
Stats (see article on Japanese tank designations)
Number produced: 34
Produced: 1944-45
Length: 13.46ft
Hull Width: 6.96ft
Height: 5.96ft
Crew: 3
Weight: 7.2 tons
Engine: 120hp diesel
Max Speed: 31.1mph/ 50km/hr
Armament: One Type 1 37mm gun and one 7.7mm machine gun
Armour: 6-16mm
Japanese Tanks, 1939-45, Steven J. Zaloga, Osprey New Vanguard 137. A well written and illustrated look at the tanks produced for the Japanese army from the late 1920s to the end of the Second World War. This is a good overview of this neglected subject, looking at both the development of their tanks and their use in combat. [see more]
