Since 1992, Japan's main battle tank has been the Type 90. The combat vehicle was developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, at one time it replaced two other Japanese tanks used after World War II: Type 61 and Type 74. The Land of the Rising Sun is known throughout the world for its automotive industry. But why, with such production capacities, do the Japanese not export tanks?
Here it is time to joke that if a Russian person can make an excellent tank, but cannot make an acceptable car, then the Japanese do exactly the opposite. Of course, all this is nothing more than a joke. It will sound strange, but no one needs Japanese tanks because they are too good. How is this even possible?
Speaking specifically about the Type 90, it is in all respects a modern combat vehicle, which in a number of ways surpasses the German Leopards, the American Abrams, and the Russian T-90s. For example, the specific power index (the ratio of the energy produced by the machine to the energy consumed) of the Japanese tank is the highest - 29.9 liters. s/t. For comparison, the T-90 has 21.5 liters. s / t, for Abrams - 23.8 liters. s / t, the "Leopard" - 24 liters. s/t. Thus, the Japanese tank is the fastest and most passable.
The Type 90 also has many other advantages that, for example, American technology does not have. Like Russian tanks, the "Japanese" has an automatic loader, which allows you to increase the rate of fire and reduce the crew of the combat vehicle. The tank has modern armor and is literally crammed with electronics that make life easier for the crew. The armament of the 90th is quite comparable in power to other main battle tanks - the 120-mm Rheinmetall L44 smoothbore gun (who does not know, Rheinmetall is a German company). The list of advantages can be long. Suffice it to say that in 1992, many military experts called the Type 90 the best tank of the decade.
So what's the deal? Sometimes you can hear the thesis that Japan does not sell weapons because of the sanctions imposed on it after the Second World War, as an aggressor country. But what about Germany then? The Germans certainly screwed up no less than their Asian militarist allies at the end of the first half of the 20th century. At the same time, in 2020, Germany was in 4th place in terms of arms exports - a turnover of $ 1.2 billion. By comparison, Russia came in second with $3.2 billion, and the US predictably ranked first with $9.3 billion in arms exports. I remember that in Soviet times a propaganda book “Where does the threat to the world come from” was published. And the same Rheinmetall company continues to make and sell weapons today, despite the fact that it once armed the Third Reich.
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And the real answer is simple. The Japanese tank is not only one of the best in the world in terms of its characteristics, but also the most expensive. And this reduces its export potential, since most often it has to be sold to countries that are not very rich. In any case, if we compare them with the so-called states of the economic center - the United States, Canada and the European Union. In order of numbers: the Soviet T-90 today costs 3.5 million dollars, the Russian T-90MS - 4.5 million, the American Abrams - up to 6.1 million dollars, the German "Leopard" 2A6 costs 6.7 million, while the Japanese "Type 90" - 8.7 million dollars. In fairness, by 2006 the Japanese were able to bring down the price to 6.6 million, but the train had already left. Instead of the originally planned 800 tanks, they eventually made only 341 for their own needs. But the main thing is that Japanese industry, including the military-industrial complex, ultimately does not work for Japan.
Only a small part of the production goes to equip and arm the Japanese army. A considerable part of mechanical engineering ends up working in the United States, primarily for the aviation industry. For example, engines for the famous Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters are made by the Japanese Kawasaki. Ultimately, Japan is embedded in the international arms market, although not as obviously as other countries.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about what it is Mouse's younger brother: what was the heavy-duty American self-propelled guns T28.
Source: https://novate.ru/blogs/050522/62906/