The Type 6 No. 4 Medium Tank (タイプ6番号4 中型タンク) was an Imperial Japanese tank.
Design[]
The Type 6 No. 4 is based off the Type 97 Chi-Ni.
History[]
The Type 6 No. 4 was developed in response to an Imperial Japanese Army requirement for a lighter-weight alternative to the Type 8 No. 3 medium tank. The Army was concerned with, among other things, the cost of the larger Type 8 so they directed the Engineering Department to develop a lighter tank. In the event, the Type 6 was ready ahead of the Type 8, and so it was formally adopted in 1936 while the Type 8 wouldn't be officially adopted until 1938.
While the Type 6 achieved the main goal of cutting weight from the larger Type 8 design, the Type 6 was rather less capable than the larger tank. In particular, the fact that the commander also acted as the gunner and loader of the tank's main gun lowered its effectiveness.