List of Type 97 Chi Ha variants

Amphibious tanks

Type 3 Ka-Chi

Amphibious tank derived from the Type 1 Chi-He Chassis, armed with a 47 mm main gun and two 7.7 mm machine guns.

Type 4 Ka-Tsu

Amphibious cargo and troop carrier developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The engine component and electric devices were watertight and it could be carried underwater attached to a submarine.

Type 5 To-Ku

Amphibious tank armed with one 47 mm and one 25 mm Type 1 gun and two 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns. The turret was a modified version of the one used on the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha with a Type 5 Chi-Ri hull.

Type 4 Ka-Sha

Amphibious vehicle based on the Chi-To or Chi-Ri Chassis. Not produced, even as a prototype.

Engineering vehicles

Experimental Trench Excavator

Derived from the Type 97 Chi-Ha Tank, it had a trench digging plow in the stern. This vehicle was made around 1941-42 for service in Manchuria. Some examples were sent to Wewak on the north coast of Papua-New Guinea for use by the Japanese 6th Div AIF.

Medium tanks

Experimental Medium Tank Type 98 Chi-Ho

Prototype medium tank produced in 1939. It had a similar chassis to the Type 97.

Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha or Chi-Ha Kai

Type 97 with a new larger turret armed with the Type 1 47 mm gun.

Type 1 Chi-He Medium Tank

This tank was a successor to the Chi-Ha. The speed and the armor were better than the Chi-Ha, but it still had only a 47 mm main gun.

Type 3 Chi-Nu Medium Tank

This tank was developed in order to cope with M4 Sherman. Its hull is the same of Chi-He and its Type 3 75 mm gun was converted from the 75 mm Type 90 field gun. It had a large new hexagonal gun turret and a commander's cupola. The Chi-Nu was deployed in Japan proper to counter to expected Allied invasion.

Gun tanks

Type 2 Ho-I Medium Gun Tank

The Imperial Japanese Army called closed fire support tanks as "gun tanks". The experimental model was based on the Chi-Ha and the production model was based on Chi-He. Ho-I mounted a short barrel Type 99 75 mm tank gun. They was deployed in the gun tank company of the tank regiment. There is no record a Ho-I was used in action as they were deployed in Japan to defend against the expected Allied invasion.

Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha Short Barrel 120 mm Gun Tank

Late in World War II, this Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha variant was produced for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The standard 47 mm main gun was replaced with a short barrel naval 12 cm (120 mm) "anti-submarine" gun with a muzzle brake added. Produced in a small number of "about a dozen" for deployment by the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces.

Self propelled guns

Type 1 Ho-Ni I 75 mm SP AT Gun

Turret removed and 75 mm gun installed in an open casemate to create a self-propelled gun. They were organized along similar lines as artillery units.

Type 1 Ho-Ni II 105 mm SPG

A Type 91 105 mm gun installed on the same chassis as the Ho-Ni I with a slightly changed superstructure as far as the side armor with re-positioned observation visors.

Type 3 Ho-Ni III 75 mm SP AT gun

The Ho-Ni III had a Type 3 75 mm tank gun mount in a fully enclosed fighting compartment and was deployed in tank regiments as a tank destroyer.

Type 4 Ho-Ro 15 cm SP Howitzer

This SPG with Type 38 15 cm (149.1 mm) Howitzer in Type 97 medium tank chassis, similar to Ho-Ni I SPG with a front gun shield.

Experimental Type 5 15 cm SPG Ho-Chi or Ho-Chi Sha

This SPG with Type 96 15 cm (149.1 mm) Howitzer in Type 97 chassis, similar to Ho-Ni/Ho-Ro SPGs.

Naval 12 cm SPG or Long Barrel 120 mm SPG

This SPG developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy with a naval Type 10 120 mm AA gun on a Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank chassis.

Other variants

Se-Ri

Armoured recovery vehicle on a Type 97 chassis with a collapsible crane powered by a Type 100 240 hp diesel engine. The winch was located over the rear deck of the engine compartment. The Se-Ri also had "external stowage ranks" on each side of the hull. A machine gun turret replaced the main gun turret used on the Type 97 tank. Introduced in 1939, three were produced.

"Mine Clearing Tank G" ("Chi-Yu" Mineplow Tank)

Type 97 Medium Tank "Chi-Ha" fitted with 2 revolving drums carrying rows of chains for mine-plowing. Essentially a copy of the British mine flail tanks.

Ho-K

An armored lumberjack vehicle which was a Type 97 with the turret removed and a steel prow mounted for creating paths through forests. Used in Manchuria to aid the fight against the Soviet Union. One group was sent to New Guinea for use in the construction of an airfield there.

Ka-So

Observation tank with dummy main gun.

Type 97 Shi-Ki

Command tank with a machine gun in the turret and a 37 mm gun on the hull. Recognized by its different sized turret, it had long-range communications and superior optics. "Mainly" used at the tank training schools.

"High-Voltage Dynamo Vehicle" Ka-Ha

The Ka-Ha was a Type 97 tank. The main gun was a dummy and there was no machine gun. It carried a dynamo which could generate a high voltage (10,000 Volt) current.

Type T-G bridge layer

A Type 97 with the turret removed with rollers which support the "bridging span carrier" over the top of the chassis.