TYPE 5 CHI-RI JAPOŃSKI CZOŁG ŚREDNI (PROTOTYP) Z II WOJNY ŚWIATOWEJ

The Type 5 Chi-Ri was a Japanese experimental medium tank from the Second World War. In May 1945, one prototype of this vehicle was made, but it never entered mass production. The Type 5 Chi-Ri was powered by an engine Kawasaki Typ 98 550 hp. The vehicle was armed with a single 75mm Type 5 tank gun in the turret, a 37mm Type 1 gun in the hull and two 7.7mm Type 97 machine guns. The prototype of the Type 5 Chi-Ri tank was created as a result of the German experience, learned during the fighting on the Eastern Front, and transferred to the command of the Japanese army at the end of World War II. They clearly indicated the need for Japan to develop a vehicle capable of fighting enemy tanks - especially the Soviet ones, in view of the expected fights in Manchuria. The new tank was armed with a 75mm gun, but the ultimate plan was to use an 88mm Type 99 anti-aircraft gun. The hull, on the other hand, was a modernized version of the Type 4 Chi-To tank. The Type 5 Chi-Ri tank was never used in combat.