Type 5 To-Ku

Type 5 To-Ku
Type 5 To-Ku
Type	Amphibious tank
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Production history
Designed	1945
Specifications
Mass	29.1 tons
Length	10.8 m (with floats)
Width	3.0 m
Height	3.38 m
Crew	7
Armor	10–50 mm
Main; armament	Type 1 47 mm gun
Secondary; armament	1× 25 mm gun ; 2× 7.7 mm Type 97 MG's
Engine	water-cooled 12-cylinder Mitsubishi diesel; 240 hp
Power/weight	8 hp/ton
Suspension	bell crank
Operational; range	320 km (unknown if referring to sea or land)
Maximum speed	32 km/h (land) ; 10 km/h (water)

The Special Type 5 Launch To-Ku (特五式内火艇トク, toku-go-shiki uchibitei To-Ku) was a Japanese prototype amphibious tank developed in 1945.^[2] The development status by the end of the Pacific War is not clearly known.

The To-Ku was large and heavy; it boasted extensive armor protection with 50 mm of armor plate in the front hull. The turret was a modified version of the one used on the Type 97 Shinhoto Chi-Ha medium tank that was fitted with a Type 1 25 mm gun and a rear facing Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun.^[3] The front hull mounted a Type 1 47 mm tank gun and a Type 97 7.7 mm machine gun.^[4] The chassis was based on the Type 5 Chi-Ri medium tank and the suspension, pontoons and propulsion system were substantially the same as the Type 3 Ka-Chi.^[3] According to one source, a prototype was completed by the end of the war.^[2] According to another source, a prototype was not completed by the end of the war.^[5]