Type 17 Jade Rabbit
| Type 13 'Jade Rabbit' | |
|---|---|
 Pair of Chiseian Type 17s in Uraan | |
| Type | Main Battle Tank |
| Place of origin |  Chisei
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1980 - Present |
| Used by | See operators |
| Wars | Kuijuan War 2010 Masukan War Jyugokuan Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Kanayachi Heavy Industries |
| Designed | 1970–1976 |
| Manufacturer | Hayase Army Tank Plant |
| Unit cost | $8.92 million (17-Ro, 2017 estimate) |
| Produced | 1979 - present |
| Variants | See variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 17: 54 t 17-I: 57 t 17-I Ro: 61 t 17-Ro: 64.6 t Gyokuto-Kai: 67.2 t |
| Length | 11.16 m (Gun forward) 8.68 (Hull length) |
| Width | 3.80 m |
| Height | 2.65 (turret roof, Gyokuto-Kai) |
| Crew | 4 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver) |
| Armour | Ginryō Ceramo-Composite Armour Mintuci Active Protection System |
| Main armament |
17: 110mm Type-31 Smoothbore Gun (55 rounds) 17-I onwards: 130mm Type-35 Smoothbore Gun (35 rounds) |
| Secondary armament |
14.5 mm Type-11 HMG (RWS) (700 rounds) 7.62 mm Type-28 GPMG (Coaxial) (5,000 rounds) |
| Engine | Gosei-1200 multifuel turbine engine 1,500 hp (1118.55 kw) |
| Power/weight | 25.86 hp/t |
| Suspension | Torsion Bar |
| Ground clearance | 0.36 m |
| Fuel capacity | 1,900 l |
| Operational range |
17-Ro Road: 426 km (265 mi) Cross country: 150–200 km |
| Speed | Road: 67 kph (governed) Off-road: 40 kph |
The Type 17 (17式戦車 Jū-nana-shiki Sensha), informally known as the Jade Rabbit (玉兔 Gyokuto), is a Chiseian third generation Main Battle Tank, designed and produced by Kanayachi Heavy Industries for the Chiseian Royal Army and the Gwaiyūgun. Designed to replace the aging Type 11 as both services' MBT, its development was heavily informed by lessons learned from conflicts in Dai Hoa. It is one of the heaviest tanks in active service, with the latest variants coming in at 67 tonnes. It introduced several innovative features, including a multifuel turbine engine, sophisticated Ginryō composite ceramic armour, a computerised fire control system, seperate ammunition storage in a blow-out compartment, and NBC protection for crew as a baseline standard. Initial models made use of the Gonshi Ordinance 11 cm rifled gun, while later variants used a heavier 13 cm smoothbore gun.
The Type 17 developed out of the failed 99 Project, which was cancelled due to dramatic cost overruns and insufficiently mature technology. There are three main operational Type 17 versions, the 17, 17-I and 17-Ro, with each new iteration seeing improvements in armament, protection and electronics. Extensive improvements have been implemented to the Type 17-Ro Ha and Type 17 Gyokuto-Kai versions such as greatly improved armour, optics, digital systems and ammunition.
It entered service with the Chiseian Royal Army and the Royal Marine Corps in 1978, and the first vehicles saw considerable action in the Kuijuan War. The Type 17 has since seen deployments in Jyugoku as well as during the 2010 Masukan War. Special export variants are used by Chiseian allies such as Meridon, West Kuiju and Yeongseon, and the model served as the basis for the Gyunghwan T18 Alligator.
There are four main versions of the tank which have been deployed in frontline service: the base 17, the 17-I, the 17-Ro and the 17-Ro Ni ("Gyokuto-Kai"). Of these, the 17-I Ro, 17 Ro-Ha and Gyokuto-Kai are the most prevalent within the Chiseian tank fleet, though older models have been retained in reserve and training units. The Type 37, due to enter service in 2021, is intended to eventually replace the Type 17 line entirely, though later variants are expected to remain in service potentially as far as the 2050s, according to Royal Army reports.
History
Development
Service history
Kuijuan war
90s - 2000s
Around 2002 a rumour emerged at one point amongst online Yamataian military enthusiasts that due to manufacturing limitations of the ageing chassis, the more recent iterations of the Jade Rabbit were unable to fully turn their turret to the rear due to various reasons. The origins of these rumours may have been in unconfirmed reports of maintenance-related defects in West Kuijuan Type 17s. Due to stereotypical jokes about the quality of the Chiseian military floating around, these rumours eventually reached the mainstream and began to be repeated as fact about all Type 17s through various internet memes and dubious sources. The joke has been embraced by some Royal Army tankers, who have sardonically claimed the "design flaw" is actually due to their determined fighting spirit and refusal to retreat in the face of the enemy.
Masuka
20 Type 17-I Ro's from the Royal Army's 4th Marine Cavalry Battalion and the Ever Victorious Army's 3rd Assault-Landing Group were deployed during the 2010 Masukan War, and were chiefly used for mop-up operations after Masuka's surrender. 118 Masukan armoured vehicles were destroyed during the intervention, 20 of them by the five 17s that actually saw combat. A number of old export-model 17s were transferred to the Masukan National Army in 2012, and remain in service.
In 2019 all remaining Chiseian armoured units in Masuka were withdrawn and rebased to the Kyōtsu islands. Notably, 5 vehicles were temporarily incapacitated during their deployment, all due to being too heavy for the local terrain, a fact which drew criticism from civilian press in Chisei.
Present & future
Design
Armament
Protection
Mobility
Electronics
Variants and upgrades
- Type 15 Experimental (18式実験車): Preproduction test model. Ten full-scale engineering test-bed vehicles were developed between 1973 and 1976. One of these prototypes now resides in the Royal War Museum of Wanshu.
- Type 17 (17式戦車): First production variant. Production began at Hayase Army Tank Plant in 1976, and continued until 1983.
- Type 0 (0式戦車): Produced briefly in 1984 before the 17-I, contained upgrades and reconfigurations like new turret with thicker frontal armor, new turret is referred as "long" turret instead of older "short" turret, armor upgraded from ~650mm line of sight thickness to ~880mm.
- Type 1 Experimental (1式実験車): Testbed prototype for future upgrades. Five vehicles produced. One fitted with Yamataian 125mm gun.
- Type 17-I (17式戦車 い): Production began in 1983 and continued to 1992. Pressurized NBC system, rear bustle rack for improved stowage of supplies and crew belongings, redesigned blow-off panels and Type 11 130 mm smoothbore cannon
- Type 17-I Heavy Armour Type (17式戦車 い式重装甲): Added 1st generation depleted uranium armour components.
- Type 17-I Heavy Armour Type II (HAT2) (17式戦車 い2式重装甲): Added 2nd generation depleted uranium armour components, digital engine control and other small upgrades. Common between Royal Army and EVA tanks.
- Type 17-I Ro (17式戦車 いろ): Nicknamed 'Rainbow Rabbit' (虹兎, Niji Gyokuto). Major upgrade for the 17-I HAT2, to keep up with the 17-Ro and subsequent variants. New replacement parts for commonality with later models. The tank is improved by adding Forward-Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) and Far Target Locate sensors, a tank-infantry phone, communications gear, including FBCB2 and Blue Force Tracking to aid in crew situational awareness, and a thermal sight for the 14.5 mm machine gun. About 50% of the Royal Army tank fleet consists of I Ro-standard HAT2's.
- Type 17-Ro (17式戦車 ろ): Current baseline. Production began in 1997 and vehicles entered service in 1999. The 17-Ro offers the tank commander an independent thermal sight and ability to, in rapid sequence, shoot at two targets without the need to acquire each one sequentially. Updated 3rd generation depleted uranium composite with graphite coating. Additional pintle-mount for machine gun on loader's hatch.
- Type 17-Ro Ha (17式戦車 ろは): Added Remotely Operated Weapon Station as standard, color displays, improved interfaces, a new operating system, improved front and side armor with ERA mounts, tank-infantry phone as standard, and an upgraded transmission for better durability. Production began in 2005.
- Type 17-Ro Ni "Gyokuto-Kai" (17式戦車玉兔改): Increased power generation and distribution, better communications and networking, new Vehicle Health Management System (VHMS) and line-replaceable modules for improved ease-of-maintenance, Ammunition DataLink (ADL) to use airburst rounds, improved FLIR using long- and mid-wave infrared, low-profile Saruashi RWS, improved armour package, Auxiliary Power Unit under armour to run electronics while stationary (visually distinguishing the version by a small exhaust at the left rear). More passive ballistic protection added to the turret faces, along with new Explosive Reactive Armor mountings and Mintuci active protection system. Production began in 2014.
Specialised
- Type 18 (19式戦車橋): Heavy Assault Bridge. Can deploy a 24-meter bridge in 3.5 minutes, which is capable of supporting a 70-ton vehicle moving at 16 km/h, or 10 miles per hour. Produced in limited numbers and largely deployed in Uranuur and Kuiju.
- Type 34 (34式戦車橋): Bridgelayer, intended to fully replace the aging Type 5. Large scale production began in late 2018. Chosen over the Type 18 for its lower weight and faster deploy time, though this comes at the cost of a shorter (12 m) scissor-type bridge. It is generally similar to the Type 18 in most other respects.
- Type 21 (14式戦車回収車): Armoured recovery vehicle.
- Type 22 (22式地雷除去戦車): A remote controlled mine clearing vehicle with turret removed, mine rollers on front, and the Standardized Teleoperation System
- Type 26 Iron Worm (26式突撃戦車): Assault variant for the EVA. Based on the 17-I chassis, the Type 26 has a number of systems installed, including a full-width mine plow, two linear demolition charges, and a lane marking system. Reactive armor has been fitted to the vehicle providing additional protection against High-explosive anti-tank warhead-based weapons. The turret has been replaced by a new smaller one with two MICLIC launchers at its rear. A 14.5 mm Type-11 machine gun in a remote weapons station is mounted on the commander's cupola and a bank of grenade launchers are fitted to each side of the superstructure to cover the frontal arc for self-protection.
Operators
Chisei: XXXX units in service with the Chiseian Royal Army and Royal Marine Corps.
Masuka: 14 export-configuration Type 17s transferred from Chiseian reserve stock to the Masukan National Army. 6 more requested in 2019, but delivery cancelled by Chiseian side after evidence found of bribery by Masukan procurement officials.
West Kuiju: 241 Type 17s delivered to the West Kuiju Land Forces from 1978 to 1981 and used during the Kuijuan war. 90 of these, upgraded to HAT2 standard, remain in service, along with 105 17-Is purchased in 1985 and also subsequently upgraded to HAT2. In 2011 West Kuiju applied for clearance to purchase 125 17-I Ro upgrade kits. By 2017 approximately 80 vehicles had recieved the full set of upgrades. The upgrade program was briefly halted in 2018 but has resumed as of 2020; the Fiyangū government has expressed intrest in acquiring the Gyokuto-Kai.
Jyugoku: 341 Type 17s were ordered for use by the army of Jyugoku in the early 2000s to modernise and expand the armoured corps, however deliveries were halted after the 2011 coup and only 58 of the expected vehicles were actually delivered. As of March 2020, only a fraction of these vehicles are known to still be operational; they remain in service with regional militias, primarily the Miroko and Akihi cliques.
Yeongseon: 24 17-Ro Ha units ordered in 2012 for the Army and Marine Corps, to be built by Kanayachi, with a further 29 to be produced under domestic license by Gaya Industry, with the intent of replacing a portion of the aging Type 11 fleet. The first vehicles entered active service in 2014 and as of 2019 31 units are in service, with all Kanayachi orders delivered.
Gyunghwa: 2 Type 17s acquired in 1987 for research and development purposes. Used to develop the T18 Alligator.
Meridon: 104 procured in 1989 as a primary main battle tank.
