Type 92 Jū-Sōkōsha
In service 1932 - 1940s
Also known asType 92 Jyu-Sokosha, Type 92 Heavy Armoured Car
Japan first mass-produced armoured vehicle, a cavalry combat car that opened Japanese tank production.
Built byIshikawajima and Mitsubishi
Development history
Officially a heavy armoured car to sidestep army-cavalry politics, the Type 92 was a small tracked tank built for the cavalry in Manchuria. It introduced Japanese industry to volume armour production and to the convertible track-and-wheel experiments of the period. Around 167 were built and they served in Manchuria and northern China, where thin armour and a machine-gun armament limited them to reconnaissance. It led directly to the Type 94 and Type 95 light tank line.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
Type 92 early production
1932Initial cavalry combat car with 13 mm heavy machine gun.
Type 92 late production
1934Revised suspension after track-shedding problems in Manchuria.
Notable actions
- Manchuria
- Second Sino-Japanese War