Type 3 Chi-Nu (upcoming tier 5 medium tank)

Author: Soukoudragon

Chu Nu photo0003

Type 3 Chi Nu Medium Tank 3式中戦車 チヌ
Desperate response to Shermans

Chi_Nu_001


Historical background

In 1942, Japan initiated a new medium tank program of 3 projects, each being a different class of medium tank: a 47mm medium tank, a 57mm medium tank, and a 75mm medium tank. These tanks were supposed to be a new breed of anti-tank capable medium tanks. In short time, the 47mm class was seen obsolete and was upgrading to a 57mm tank project. Where as the remaining two projects merged into a single 75mm tank project. This 57mm tank project and 75mm tank project were the Chi-To and Chi-Ri tanks respectively. In 1943, development was being hindered to resource issues, thus the Japanese feared it would take too much time until either the Chi-To or the Chi-Ri could be ready. Thus a quick solution was devised, a stop gap tank which would become the Chi-Nu.

Design

In 1944, The Chi Nu development started and was completed in the same year. The hull of the Chi-He was taking, the turret ring enlarged, and an early Chi-Ri turret design was taking and mounted on the hull. It retained the same engine from the Chi-He, 240 horsepower diesel engine. Top speed was 38.8kph. The Type 90 75mm field gun was modified and became the Type 3 75mm tank gun and mounted onto the tank. And thus production began in Japan in anticipation of an inevitable land invasion of Japan itself. Well over 100 units have been made out of meager resources. None have seen any action.

Armor
Turret front: 50
Turret side: 35
Turret rear: 25

Hull front: 50
Side hull: 25
Rear hull: 20

Chi Nu old photo

The Japanese had more plans with this tank. One adoption was the Chi Nu Kai which was formed by mounting a Chi-To turret onto the Chi-Nu hull giving it 75mm front turret armor and the powerful Type 5 75mm cannon. However only one was tested but results were successful. A planned production version would replace the Type 3 75mm cannon with the Type 5 75mm cannon in the turret that it already had.

Below, the top tank is the Chi Nu Kai. The bottom tank was the planned production version of the Chi-Nu. Both had the Type 5 75mm cannon.

Chi Nu Kai and Fullsmall

Sources:

“Japanese Tanks” Hara 1978
Maru December 2012

40 thoughts on “Type 3 Chi-Nu (upcoming tier 5 medium tank)

    • The Japanese have been using that general hull shape since the Ha-Go light tank (1934/1935)

    • The basic outline is also shared by the KV family and the IS-1/2, which don’t even have the frontal final drive. And several British and prewar French designs as well as the US lights.
      Seems to be a rather intuitive one for tank engineers.

  1. This won’t easy to play, with those armor thickness.

    Hopefully stock gun will more than adequate to compensate. And whole tree of limited MM? ‘Japanese Bias’.

    • Japanese tanks are supposed to have really good gun depression (according to what WG have said so far) so just play it like a dickermax or any of the american tanks and it should do fine. my biggest worry is accuracy, rof and aim time on that type 5 75mm, because if it takes too long to aim then that would seriously hinder its ability to pop-out shoot from defilade

    • Wait what!? There is no way Japan can have “limited MM” across the board.

      And look at this tank. It looks basically like what the Panzer IV was before the 7.5 nerf. NO way that it can have preferential MM.

      • SoukouDragon jokingly said above that Japanese tank will get preferential MM, so i run with that joke.

        At least i hope he is joking.

        @Bonesaw
        Someone said that Japanese gun should reasonably accurate…no idea about ROF /Aim time though.

      • Except the Panzer IV pre-nerf had 80mm frontal hull armor and 110 frontal turret armor, wich, if you would notice, is OP for a tier 5 med.

        • And the KV has 120mm of turret armor all around, more than any other tier 5 other than the at2. The pziv didn’t get to hull down much with that turret.

  2. “The hull of the Chi-He was taking, the turret ring enlarged, and an early Chi-Ri turret design was taking and mounted on the hull.”

    taken* taken*

  3. “The hull of the Chi-He was taking, the turret ring enlarged, and an early Chi-Ri turret design was taking and mounted on the hull”

    Isn’t it supposed to be something along the lines of “The tank combined the hull from the Chi-He tank with an enlarged turret ring and an early Chi-Ri turret.”?

    I’m sorry but the original sentence is so badly mangled it took me a few seconds to make sense of it.

  4. The shapes of these hulls are just so cute. Wonder if they are as tall as the German box designs or a bit lower.
    I suppose the Type 3 75mm tank gun was a hasty conversion from the mentioned field gun with a muzzle break, and the Type 5 was a more business like high velocity tank killer ? Why did they, in 1944, even bother with the Type 3 ? Wanted to get it out of the factory as soon as possible ?
    I know that they didn’t face Tigers or IS-2s but I guess engagement at range would have been a bonus for defensive battles as they expected to fight and I’d also guess that the Type 3 wouldn’t cut it at range (1000+m) against Shermans.

    • Yes it was a supply issue. The type 5 75mm cannon was new and was not yet available in quantity when the Chi-Nu was made.

  5. So, if I understood correctly.Chi Nu was mass produced with the Type 3 75mm.
    They took one of them, changed the turret with a better armoured one and mounted a better gun(Type 5 75mm).

    Now…Chi Nu will be the regular tier 5 MT and Chi Nu Kai will be a premium one…something stinks here…weren’t supposed premium tanks to perform much worse than their regular counterparts(except type 59)?

    Now I guess Chi Nu will have the Type 5 gun too, but how they could make it better than the Chi Nu Kai?
    Better engines and better soft stats ala’ WG style?…

    • Better engines, better soft stats like gun depression, likely able to mount the Japanese 120mm howitzer, and also weighs less. However, even if the Kai is still better in the end, it won’t be the first time a tier 5 premium medium is arguably superior to it’s regular tier 5 medium compatriot(see: T-25 vs. PzIV.)

    • Chi Nu Kai was supposed to be a tier 6 premium, while the Chi Nu will be the tier 5 regular med.
      Chi Nu Kai had the early Chi-To turret with better frontal armor and could mount the Type 5 gun.
      Chi Nu was finally able to mount the Type 5 in it’s own turret, presumably after some modifications.
      Everything is in the article.

      Both will have the Type 5. Chi Nu as it’s top gun probably and with a second turret, Chi Nu Kai with Type 5 as standard, with the Chi To turret and at tier 6.

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