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Hey everyone! Today I would like to present to you a specific modification of the Type 10 operated by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force!
With top tier Japan for now effectively being limited to what top tier vehicles they can get and other nations either having multiple 11.0 vehicles or the ability to recieve multiple, I am suggesting the addition of a relatively rare model of Type 10. The Type 10 (Production) with Dozer blade fitted!
Unknown Serial Number, 1st Battalion, 2022
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History:
The first time that the world saw a Type 10 with a dozer attached to it was with TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239 in August 2010 during the Fuiji Firepower Review, after multiple years of testing in 2012 this specific prototype was parked for public display on the JGSDF Fuiji school grounds. For multiple years afterwards no Type 10 (Production model) was seen with a dozer (or those who saw it, didn’t care. I mean… it’s a dozer) The next time time that a Production Type 10 with a Dozer attached was seen is in 2015 with the 1st Tank Battalion (Camp Komakado), in the same year there also was one spotted with the 8th Tank Battalion (Camp Kusu).
Both of these units having a production model with Dozer vastle decrease the likelyhood that either 99-0239 was upgraded to a standard production Type 10 or only 1 was modified.
Then, in 2017, there once more appeared a new Type 10 with dozer. This time with the 4th Battalion (Camp Kusu), after this it ended up being relatively quiet in regards to Type 10’s with Dozer blade once more, till in 2019 the 7th Battalion (Camp Higashi Chitose) had one make a surprise appearance on a local road.
Further evidence for these vehicles not being a single converted former prototype comes from the fact that TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239 in both 2019 & 2021 was still parked in the same location where it was initially parked in 2012. (Picture evidence as well as google maps timestamped data under Fun Fact)
And the latest sighting (which also triggered this entire suggestion) of a Type 10 with Dozer comes from the 2022 Fuiji Firepower Review, timestamped video located slightly below as well.
99-0239 being shown alongside 99-0237 during 2010
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Unknown Serial Number, 7th Battalion, 2019
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In-Game:
The Type 10 (Dozer) would effectively be a backup vehicle for the already implemented Type 10, while like the Type 90 (B) providing a bit more effective armor. However due to the dozer adding a bit of weight the power to weight ratio would suffer a bit, that said though with how light the Type 10 is it wouldn’t impact the mobility too much in the end. Outside of the better armor for slightly worse mobility the Type 10 (Dozer) would mainly be a backup vehicle to assist with making top tier lineups and keeping Japan in the game with BR appropriate vehicles, this in turn from Gaijin’s perspective also would boost the sale of vehicles like the Type 74 (G) to assist with grinding it as well as an additional vehicle that can be used for skin sales or backup sales.
It also would be easy to make it visually different from the regular Type 10 by giving it the camo netting as seen in 2022 IRL as well as the new Leopard 2A4 as well as the Challanger 2’s ingame.
Frontal view of Type 10 Serial Number (probably) 95-4999, 1st Battalion (2022)
Source
Specifications:
General characteristics:
- Crew: 3 (Driver, Gunner, Commander)
- Length: 9.4 m
- Width: 3.1 m
- Height: 1.4 m
- Hull Length: 7.4 m
- Hull Width: 3.1 m
- Hull Height: 1.6 m
- Turret Length: 7.8 m
- Turret Width: 2.1 m
- Turret Height: 1.4 m
- Light load weight: 40,000~ kg
- Normal weight: 44,000~ kg
- Estimated dozed equipped weight: 45,500~ kg
- Powerplant: 4-stroke 22.6-litre diesel V8 MHI 8VA34WTK (1200 HP @ 2300RPM)
- Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
- Suspension: Active Hydropneumatic suspension
- Armor: Like the currently implemented Type 10 but with about 30mm of Structural steel on the front hull
Dozer characteristics:
Characteristics
Performance:
- Maximum speed: 70 km/h
- Reverse speed: 70 km/h
- Operational range: 500 km
- Power/Weight: 26.6 hp/t~
Standard Armament:
- 1x 120-mm TKG cannon
- 1x Type 74 7.62-mm machine gun
- 1x 12.7-mm M2HB machine gun
Ammunition:
- JM33 APFSDS
- JM12A1 HEAT-FS
- Type 10 APFSDS
- Blank, training & prototype shells
Other:
- 8x 76-mm smoke grenade launchers
- 1x Autoloader
- Optional camo netting
Type 10 Unknown Serial Number, 4th Battalion (2017)
Source
A video from 2022 showing a production Type 10 with dozer:
Additional pictures:
Pictures
Fun fact:
To this day (June 4th, 2022) both Japanese & English Wikipedia state that only TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239 was equipped with the dozer.
TKX
TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239, 2015
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TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239, 2019
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TK-X No.3 S/N 99-0239 at the end of the line of vehicles, 2021
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Google maps, 2022. Visible in the back
Link
Sources:
Source
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MagicalDoveDive氏提供資料 - Google Drive (Thanks @aizenns for the source from his Type 10 suggestion and @kurururocks for translating as well as finding additional pictures!)
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And the multitude of sources directly below pictures
