The was a

light tank A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movements in and out of combat, to outmaneuver heavier tanks. It is smaller in size with thinner armor and a less powerful main gun, tailored for better tactical mobility and ease ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, produced in small numbers for the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...

as an improvement of the existing

Type 98 Ke-Ni The or Type 98A Ke-Ni Ko (also known as Type 98 Chi-Ni light tank) was designed to replace the Imperial Japanese Army's Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, Japan's most numerous armored fighting vehicle during World War II. Although designed before World ...

. No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of

.History of War: Type 98 Type 2 Ke-To Light Tank
/ref> Type 2 Ke-to rear

Design

The Type 2 ''Ke-To'' was based on the

, using the same engine and

bell crank A bellcrank is a type of crank that changes motion through an angle. The angle can be any angle from 0 to 360 degrees, but 90 degrees and 180 degrees are most common. The name comes from its first use, changing the vertical pull on a rope to a h ...

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspende ...

. However, the

gun turret A gun turret (or simply turret) is a mounting platform from which weapons can be fired that affords protection, visibility and ability to turn and aim. A modern gun turret is generally a rotatable weapon mount that houses the crew or mechanis ...

was enlarged to provide greater space for the crewmen and the main armament was changed to the more powerful Type 1 37 mm gun, with a

muzzle velocity Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile ( bullet, pellet, slug, ball/ shots or shell) with respect to the muzzle at the moment it leaves the end of a gun's barrel (i.e. the muzzle). Firearm muzzle velocities range from approximately ...

of 800 m/s. The new 37 mm gun used gave the tank "slightly better performance". The conical turret also carried a 7.7 mm

machine-gun A machine gun is a automatic firearm, fully automatic, rifling, rifled action (firearms)#Autoloading operation, autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as Automatic shotgun, a ...

in a coaxial mount. The designation "Type 2" represented the Japanese Imperial Year 2602 (1942 AD), "Ke" represented "light", and "To" represented the number seven.

Production

Production commenced in 1944, with 34 units completed by the end of the war. No Type 2 Ke-To light tanks are known to have engaged in combat prior to Japan's surrender at the end of

Variant

The Type 4 Work vehicle was an

engineering vehicle Heavy equipment or heavy machinery refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. ''Heavy equipment'' usually comprises five ...

produced in 1944 on the chassis of the Type 2 Ke-To light tank. It was equipped with a dozer on the front end for use in airfield construction. It was also equipped with a 30kw power plant to power tools and had a flood light for night work. It is unknown how many were produced.Taki's Imperial Japanese Army: Type 4 Work Vehicle
/ref>

Footnotes

References

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External links