The main gun was the proven British Royal ordnance L7 series 105mm rifled main gun fitted to a turret that was not unlike that as found on the French AMX-30 series. Some 55 rounds of 105mm projectiles were afforded the crew. Secondary armament included a 12.7mm Browning M2HB heavy machine gun to content with low-flying targets or soft-skinned vehicles. The weapon was mounted on a pintle at the commander's cupola with an integrated ammunition box holding 660 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition. A 7.62mm Type 74 machine gun was fitted as a coaxial weapon for anti-infantry defense and handled by the gunner with 4,500 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. Six smoke grenade dischargers were fixed to the turret sides (three to a side) and launched to cover offensive and defensive actions.
Power was supplied by a single Mitsubishi 10ZF Model 21 10-cylinder diesel engine delivering 750 horsepower. This supplied the tank with a top speed of 38 miles per hour and an operational range nearing 250 miles. Suspension was hydropneumatic and promoted good cross-country mobility. This particular suspension system allowed the driver to adjust the height of the tank on-the-fly to suit the terrain being crossed - this design dating back to the failed MBT-70 program between the Germans and the Americans. The suspension is flexible enough (ground clearance adjustable from 0.2 meters to 0.65 meters) that the driver can elevate or lower the front, rear or sides of the tank as needed. As an added bonus, the system can also be used in conjunction with the main gun elevation to further increase its available arc.
Once in service, the Type 74 was subsequently upgraded to keep up with battlefield demands. Chief among these updates were the installation of IR imagers and a laser rangefinder (commander's position). New 105mm projectiles were also added to the Type 74's forte to go along with the digital fire control system (gunner's position).
The first production model was the Type 74 First Mod. This was followed by the Type 74 Mod B, Mod C, Mod D, Mod E, Mod F and Mod G/Kai. The Mod G/Kai was a short-lived 1993 upgrade that included the addition of side skirt armor protection for the hull sides and a passive infrared camera system. Proving cost-prohibitive, the Mod G/Kai upgrade program was cancelled. Several deviations of the tank design formed the basis of the Type 87 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun (SPAAG) platform, the Type 78 Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) and the Type 91 Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB) bridgelayer - all three utilizing the complete chassis of the base Type 74 tank.
Despite the advances, the Type 74 proved no match for the newer generation of tanks available worldwide, making her something of an unspectacular addition and, in some ways, obsolete even before she was made operational. As such, work began on yet another new main battle tank - this becoming the 120mm-armed Mitsubishi Type 90 of 1990 - which helped to shore up the limitations of the Type 74. The Type 90 was intended to wholly replace the outmoded Type 74 family but the end of the Cold War - and shrinking defense budgets - curtailed such a move, forcing the two tank types to be fielded side-by-side. Regardless, a next-generation indigenous main battle tank system has since risen to take the role of both the Type 74 and Type 90 models - this being the Type 10 which is slated to begin operational service in 2012.
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