Original single gun variant During development of an AA gun tank, the
Imperial Japanese Army experimented with various configurations. In November 1941, development began on an anti-aircraft gun tank based on the
Type 98 Ke-Ni light tank chassis with a 20 mm AA gun. A prototype AA gun tank was produced and designated the
Type 98 Ta-Se self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. It mounted a single converted
Type 98 20 mm AA machine cannon in a cylindrical turret. During trials, it was determined that the configuration created an unstable "firing platform" and so it did not enter production.
Twin gun version This prototype version, known as the Type 98 20 mm AAG tank was equipped with a modified twin
Type 2 20 mm AA machine cannon. The rate of fire was 300 rpm, and they had a maximum range of 5,500 m. The gun crew worked from a raised platform with a modest amount of protection from the sides; the pivoting twin 20 mm gun fired through a large
gun shield that gave further protection for the crew from that direction. The gunner sat in the seat right behind the gun. The platform allowed 360 degrees of rotation for both the gunner and the gun. A Type 100 air-cooled inline six-cylinder diesel engine was used to output 130 horsepower. Forward transmission included four stages, with one reverse speed. The Type 98 Ke-Ni chassis and engine, on which the prototype was based, managed a speed of 42 km/h. It also did not enter mass production. In addition, no single AA gun configuration of the AAG tank was produced. ==See also==