Type 74 tank

The Type 74 was a main battle tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a supplement to the earlier Type 61. Studies began with Mitsubishi in 1962 and drew on the controllable suspension of the MBT-70 project, the hull of the Leopard 1 and the NATO standard L7 105 mm gun, of which Japan produced the barrel under licence. The design was finalised for service in 1974 and production started in September 1975, running until 1989 for a total of 893 tanks. Power came from a Mitsubishi 10ZF Model 21 ten-cylinder two-stroke diesel of 560 kilowatts, giving a quoted road speed of 53 km/h. It was regarded as outdated even before it entered service and did not see widespread use until 1980. The heavier Type 90 followed it, and the last Type 74 units were disbanded in March 2024, which retired the type from the force.