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Main battle tank

Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Type 90 Kyu-maru

Japan's Cold War-era main battle tank, built under license with a German-derived 120 mm smoothbore and autoloader. It remains in Japan Ground Self-Defense Force service on Hokkaido, gradually being supplemented by the newer Type 10.

In service since 1990 · 1 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km/h

350

km range

25.6

hp/t

120

mm gun

50,200

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 1990. Status: active · ~341 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

120 mm NATO smoothbore

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.

Compatible munitions & weapons

Publicly reported weapons the Type 90 Kyu-maru can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.

DM33 APFSDS

DM12 HEAT-MP

Type 90 HEAT-MP

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
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 75% 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.	350 km Bottom 4% of main battle tanks
Power-to-weight Engine power per tonne of vehicle weight. Higher means better acceleration and cross-country mobility.	25.6 hp/t Stronger than 81% of main battle tanks
Muzzle velocity Projectile speed leaving the barrel. Higher means flatter trajectory and better armor penetration.	1,650 m/s Stronger than 26% of main battle tanks

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.	120 mm Rheinmetall L/44 smoothbore (licensed)
Secondary armament Additional weapons: coaxial MG, remote weapon station, gun pods.	12.7 mm + 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
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.

Protection specifications
Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.	Composite armor
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.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	9.76 m
Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.	3.43 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.	2.34 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	50,200 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.	3

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Engine Powerplant model and type.	Mitsubishi 10ZG V10 diesel
Engine power Engine output power. Higher moves more weight faster.	1,500 hp Stronger than 82% of main battle tanks
Fuel capacity Internal fuel volume.	1,100 L
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	Diesel

Sensors & avionics

Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.

Sensors & avionics specifications
Sensors IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.	hunter-killer sighting, thermal imaging fire control
Thermal imaging Thermal sights for night and obscured-visibility operations.	Yes

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Program specifications
Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.	341 Stronger than 43% of main battle tanks
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.	1 Stronger than 24% 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 2026-07-02.

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