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Japan Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Type 10
A lightweight, network-centric main battle tank developed for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, designed to be transportable within Japan's road and rail constraints. It uses modular ceramic composite armor that can be tailored per mission and a C4I networked battle-management system.
In service since 2012 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-01
70
km/h
440
km range
27.3
hp/t
120
mm gun
44,000
kg
💲 ≈ $9,000,000 — Approximate JGSDF acquisition unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to Japan export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2012. Status: active · ~110 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$23M – $32M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 70 km/h Stronger than 73% of main battle tanks
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 440 km Stronger than 18% of main battle tanks
- Power-to-weight
Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.
- 27.3 hp/t Top 3% of main battle tanks
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 120 mm Japan Steel Works L/44 smoothbore (autoloaded)
- Secondary armament
Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.
- 12.7 mm + 7.62 mm machine guns
- Caliber
Bore diameter of the main gun or rifle. Larger throws heavier projectiles; not simply better — ammunition commonality matters.
- 120 mm
- Ammunition
Rounds carried (main gun) or standard magazine capacity.
- 40 Stronger than 42% of main battle tanks
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Modular ceramic composite armor
- Active protection
Hard-kill APS (Trophy, Arena, Afganit) intercepts incoming projectiles before impact.
- none confirmed
- Reactive armor
Explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks that disrupt shaped-charge jets.
- No
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- smoke grenade launchers
- NBC protection
Sealed crew compartment with overpressure filtration for nuclear/biological/chemical environments.
- Yes
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 9.49 m
- Width
Overall width — matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.
- 3.24 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 2.3 m
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 44,000 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 3
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- Mitsubishi 8VS10 V8 diesel
- Engine power
Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.
- 1,200 hp Stronger than 53% of main battle tanks
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Diesel
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- C4I battle management system, panoramic commander sight
- Thermal imaging
Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.
- Yes
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $9,000,000 Stronger than 40% of main battle tanks
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 110 Stronger than 20% of main battle tanks
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of main battle tanks
Specifications compiled from public Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-01.
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What is the top speed of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 has a maximum speed of 70 km/h.
What is the range of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 has a maximum range of 440 km.
How much does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 weigh? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 has a combat weight of 44,000 kg.
How many crew does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 require? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 requires a crew of 3.
What is the main armament of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10's primary weapon is the 120 mm Japan Steel Works L/44 smoothbore (autoloaded).
What engine does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 use? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 is powered by the Mitsubishi 8VS10 V8 diesel.
What is the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 used for? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 is a main battle tank typically used for anti armor, infantry combat.
How many countries operate the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 cost? +
The Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Type 10 has an approximate unit cost of 9,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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