Type 73 Armored Personnel Carrier

The Mitsubishi Type 73 (Japanese 73式 装甲车) is a Japanese chain driven Armoured Personnel Carrier from the 1970s.

Description

In the late 1960s, a successor to the obsolete troop transporter SU 60 was sought by the Japanese ground self-defense forces. There was a tender. The Type 73 Mitsubishi finally able to prevail against its competitors. In 1973 the serial production was started and there were 225 tanks manufactured for the Japanese forces that are or were the only user of the vehicle.

The armament consists of a heavy 12.7 mm machine gun Browning M2 type and a 7.62 mm machine gun. There is also a night-vision equipment and NBC protection. Only a small number of modified vehicles is buoyant.

The successor to the Type 73 is the Mitsubishi Type 89 IFV, which is equipped with a 35 -mm automatic cannon Oerlikon Contraves and today's needs can be better achieved. Remaining copies of the type 73 in the Japanese army used as artillery tractors.