Japan Medium Tank Type 89 (CHI-RO)

World War 2 Tank and Gun Database

The Medium Tank Type 89 was a Medium Tank designed in 1928, manufactured by Mitsubishi and was in use from 1929 to 1945. It was commonly called a CHI-RO.

General Details (Medium Tank)

Specifications
Operational Date(s)	1929 - 1945
Quantity Produced	404
Weight	12.79 tonne
Crew	4
M.G's small	2
M.G's large(>10mm)	n/a
Length	5.78 mtr
Width	2.21 mtr
Height	2.61 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed	16 mph
Max Cross Country Speed	8 mph
Range Road	110 miles
Range Cross Country	44 miles
Fuel Type	Diesel
Fuel Capacity	unknown
Horse Power	120 hp
Power/Weight	9 hp/tonne

General Information

The Medium Tank Type 89 was a Medium Tank designed in 1928, manufactured by Mitsubishi and was in use from 1929 to 1945. It was commonly called a CHI-RO.

The vehicle was powered by Mitsubishi 'A6120VD' diesel powerplant producing 120 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 16 mph with a range of about 110 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was adequate providing a max speed of about 8 mph and a range of about 44 miles.

It was armed with 2 light machine guns. Its main armament consisted

Armour Details

Turret
Front	17mm	@	15°	(18mm)
Side	15mm	@	15°	(16mm)
Rear	15mm	@	0°	(15mm)
Top	10mm	@	90°	(10mm)

Superstructure
Front	17mm	@	37°	(21mm)
Side	17mm	@	0°	(17mm)
Rear	17mm	@	60°	(34mm)
Top	10mm	@	80°	(10mm)

Hull
Front	17mm	@	60°	(34mm)
Side	17mm	@	0°	(17mm)
Rear	17mm	@	60°	(34mm)
Top	10mm	@	80°	(10mm)

Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)

Effective Armour - Maximum 34 mm - Minimum 10 mm

About Penetration Figures

All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns.

Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria:

German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest)
British: 1.02? (slightly looser)
American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate)
Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate)

For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful.

National Testing Standards
German:	1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest)
British:	1.02? - Complete penetration
American:	1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate
Soviet:	1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate
All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.