Type 89 I-Go Prototype

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Type 89 I-Go Prototype (試作車 八九式)
The Type 89 I-Go Prototype is a Japanese medium tank developed in April 1929 at the army arsenal in Osaka. After testing and design modifications, this tank became the first mass-produced Japanese light tank (and until 1935, a medium tank). Probably only one Type 89 I-Go prototype was built.
History
The Japanese Army General Staff in the 1920s understood that tanks were needed to conduct modern warfare, and the Japanese tank fleet (Renault FT, Mark IV, Mark A Whippet) was quickly becoming obsolete. In the mid-1920s, the Japanese tried to purchase modern Western tank designs (Renault FT, Vickers Medium Mark C) and develop their own tanks (Type 87 Chi-I), but it turned out that buying tanks was uneconomical, and the Type 87 tank was a prototype of their own technical solutions and tank research (hence the other name for the Type 87 - Experimental tank No.1). Therefore, due to the need for modern tanks, on March 28, 1928, a decision was made to develop a new light (around 10-ton) Japanese tank using technology from Western tanks (from the Vickers Medium Mark C) and their own designs (the Type 87 tank). At the same time, a decision was made to build a heavy tank (the future Type 91 heavy tank). Work on a new light tank began at the Fourth Army Engineering Research Institute, in April 1928 the design guidelines were completed, and in August of the same year all design drawings and schematics were finished and the construction of a prototype of the new tank was ordered at the Army Arsenal in Osaka. The tank was completed in April 1929 and met most of the design requirements. The tank weighed 9.8 tons, had a crew of 4, and was armed with a prototype 57 mm gun from the Type 87 Chi-I tank. It used Vickers tank technologies such as a rear-mounted machine gun on the turret (previously unseen in Japanese tanks) as well as a specific position for the driver (clearly visible in photos). In tests, the tank performed very well, and in October 1929 it covered 660 km between Tokyo and Aomori. This convinced the Japanese army to accept the prototype tank, after small modifications (mainly changes to the front armor plate), into service as the Type 89 I-Go Light Tank. The further fate of the prototype Type 89 I-Go is unknown.

Photos of the prototype Type 89 I-Go

Construction description
The prototype Type 89 I-Go tank is only partially similar to the production Type 89 I-Go Ko tank from the game. There are very large differences between them, which I will try to present here.

1. The front armor plate is flat with shaped armor in the area where the tank driver sits.
2. The front hatch is divided into an upper and lower part.
3. The caterpillars are made up of large skeletal segments
4. The tank is without an armored tail for crossing trenches
5. The tank has a turret with a flat front and sides and rear wall curved upwards
6. The tank is armed with modified Type 3 6.5 mm heavy machine guns
7. The machine gun at the rear of the turret is installed symmetrically at the rear of the turret (not asymmetrically like in other Japanese tanks).
8. Two reflectors are installed above the fenders at the front of the tank.
9. The prototype Type 89 has a Daimler water-cooled engine with a power of 100 HP

Between the tanks, there were definitely many more minor changes, but I do not have sufficiently accurate sources to be able to describe them precisely.

Technical sketches

Specifications

• Crew: 4
• Length: 5,85 m
• Width: 2,15 m
• Height: 2,6 m (?)
• Weight: 9,8 t (?)
• Operational range: ?
• Engine: Daimler 6-cylinder, water-cooled petrol engine with a power of 100 hp
• Power-to-weight ratio: ?
• Top speed: 25-27 km/h (?)

Armor

• Hull: 17 mm front (?) , 15 mm sides, 15 mm rear, 5 mm bottom of the hull, 10 mm hull roof
• Turret: ?

Armament

• Main armament: 1 x Prototype Type 90 57 mm canonns
  • Range of motion: +20° upward and -15° downward , + 10° left and right within the scope of the mounting works
  • Effective range: 5400 m
  • Ammunition supply: 110 rounds (?)
  • Ammunition Types:
    • Type 90 HE
    • Type 92 APHE
• Additional weapon: 2 x Type 3 6,5mm Heavy Machine Guns (in the hull and at the rear of the turret)
  • Ammunition supply: ?

Summary
The Type 89 I-Go prototype is an interesting tank for Japan in War Thunder. This tank has enough unique features to be added as a new Japanese light tank at the lowest tier. Due to its lighter weight, the tank will be more mobile, but the lack of HEAT shells may be a problem. The Type 89 I-Go prototype is great for a premium tank or events. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.

Internet sources

八九式中戦車 - Wikipedia
SENSHA: [WT] Type89 I-Go
Light / Medium Tank Type 89 (Type 89 Medium Tank I-Go)
Type 89 I-Go medium tank - Wikipedia
【八九式中戦車】Type 89 Medium Tank | 大日本帝国軍 主要兵器
日军首型国产服役战车一一八九式中战车 - 知乎

Book sources

• AJ Press ,Tank Power 009 Japanese Armor vol 1
  AJ-Press Tank Power 009 - Japanese Armor Vol.1 | PDF

Thank you for reading the suggestion, see you in the next one. Good luck pilots

[CharAznable3]

The wonderful I-Go tank