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Type 60 SP

1960 COLD WAR MODERN SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY

History

The Type 60 is a 106mm self-propelled, recoilless, recoilless artillery platform from Japan, developed for use by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during the Cold War. She saw a long development period and eventually delivered several hundred copies.

Production ended in the late 1970s, and the car did not enter service with the JGSDF in any form until 2008.

The Type 60 grew out of the JGSDF's need for a tracked armored killer that was armed enough to counter modern armor while giving the platform good off-road capability. The engine of choice became a 110-horsepower six-cylinder diesel.

The armament will consist of two and a half 105mm recoilless guns mounted in fixed superstructures. Designing from 1956, Komatsu and Mitsubishi submitted two prototypes, named "SS1" and "SS2," respectively. The SS3 was then used to designate another prototype vehicle (often referred to as a "pilot" vehicle in tank lingo) that contained a set of 4 x 105mm recoil rifles instead of the original two arrangement. However, the subsequent selection of an American-made M40 recoilless rifle forced the existence of a third round of prototypes, this time known as the SS4 and featuring 2 x 105mm M40 recoilless rifles with a revised layout and a new more powerful power pack.

Three SS4 test vehicles were built for evaluation and officially entered service with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in September 1960. Production of the Komatsu Type 60 ran from 1960 to 1977, with approximately 252 units produced.

The Model 60 is pretty unremarkable in every profile. Her glacis plates are angled forward for maximum ballistic protection. The sides of the superstructure are flat, as are the top and rear panels.

As a tracked vehicle, the Model 60 takes full advantage of its off-road capabilities with its pair of track shoes, which are mounted on each side of the body. Each chain has a front drive sprocket and a rear idler, three chain return rollers and five road wheels. The car was driven by three people, including the driver, the commander (who also served as the gunner) and the loader. When the vehicle is "buckled", the driver uses the small viewing window to control the fuel tank.

The commander operated the recoilless guns and manually operated their pitch and roll. The loader must leave the vehicle to reload the gun. Armor protection is only 12 mm (0.47 in) thick at its thickest point and is made of steel. The crew has no NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection, and the lack of night vision goggles further limits its usefulness on the battlefield.

The Type 60's tactical range is further limited by its 6-round reload.

Structurally, the vehicle displaces 8,000 kg (18,000 lb) and has a hull length of 4.3 m (14 ft). The width is 7.3 feet (2.23 meters), while the vehicle height is only 4.5 feet (1.38 feet). Beginning in 1974, a Komatsu 6T 120-2 series air-cooled 6-cylinder 150 hp diesel engine was installed on the Model 60 production line. Gear operation is through a manual transmission system with four forward gears and one reverse gear.

Road speed is 34 mph, while the range is limited to 160 miles, and the internal fuel tank capacity is 37 gallons (US).

The main armament is concentrated in a pair of M40 106mm recoilless rifles, buried in the front panel of the superstructure and offset to the left. These weapons originated in the United States and have been in service since the mid-1950s. The 105mm Rifle is a crew-operated, portable recoilless rifle designed for attacking enemy armor. While the Type 60 uses essentially the same weapon system, the "106mm" designation is accepted here to distinguish the basic 105mm system from using the 105mm projectile ammunition developed from the obsolete M27 project. The M40 is a weapon certified to fire HEAT, HEP, HEAP and canister projectiles.

The main gun was more or less "mounted" on the forward superstructure wall and faced a 60-degree lateral limit and a +15- to -20-degree elevation range limit. These guns have an effective range of 2,750 meters, although they can be extended to 7,700 meters at the expense of accuracy and penetration.

An air-cooled 12.7mm (0.50 caliber) heavy machine gun was also mounted on the hull, but this was usually reserved as a scout rifle for firing tracer rounds, not as an anti-infantry system.

The usage of 106mm Type 60 SP tanks has dropped significantly compared to the previous peak numbers. To date, fewer than 150 systems are known to be in service with the JGSDF.