Type 5 Chi-Ri
- For the Japanese Tier X Super-Heavy tank, see Type 5 Heavy.
- For the Japanese Tier IV Light tank, see Type 5 Ke-Ho.
Type 5 Chi-Ri
Mouse over "
[Client Values; Actual values in
1,440,000  Cost |
| 1150330 HP Hit Points |
| 35.29/42.328.46/44.8 t Weight Limit |
- Commander
- Gunner
- Driver
- Radio Operator
- Loader
| 500550 hp Engine Power |
| 42/18 km/h Speed Limit |
| 3034 deg/s Traverse |
| 14.1719.33 hp/t Power/Wt Ratio |
| YesYes Pivot |
| // mm Hull Armor |
| 75/50/5075/50/50 mm Turret Armor |
AP//HE
AP//HE Shells |
82/2800/60
140/3200/68 Shell Cost |
| 125/125/175130/130/175 HP Damage |
| 124/155/38155/186/38 mm Penetration |
|
12.77 r/m ▲
15 r/m Standard Gun ▲ Rate of Fire Magazine-fed Gun |
|
1596.25 ▲
Standard Gun
▼
Standard Gun
▲
1017.9 Standard Gun ▲
Magazine-fed Gun
▼
Magazine-fed Gun
▲ Damage Per Minute Magazine-fed Gun |
|
0.36 m ▲
0.35 m With 50% Crew: 0.446 m ▲ Accuracy With 50% Crew: 0.434 m |
| 2.1 s 1.7 s Aim time |
| 3636 deg/s Turret Traverse |
| 360° Gun Arc |
| -10°/+20°-10°/+20° Elevation Arc |
| 115105 rounds Ammo Capacity |
| 1520 % Chance of Fire |
| 360 m 370 m View Range |
| 400 m 750 m Signal Range |
VII
1440000
The Type 5 Chi-Ri is a Japanese tier 7 medium tank.
A single prototype was manufactured at the beginning of 1945. The vehicle underwent trials and was recommended for service. However, Japan was defeated before mass production could begin. After the surrender, the prototype was confiscated by American occupation authorities and was shipped to the United States.
At a glance, the Type 5 Chi-Ri is not much of an upgrade from the Type 4 Chi-To. It is an even larger target, has more or less the same armor, and is in most other ways similar or identical to the Chi-To. The main difference, however, is that the Chi-Ri receives an auto-loading version of the Chi-To's gun. This gun has impressive burst damage combined with a short magazine reload, giving the Chi-Ri a unique playstyle for a tier 7 medium.
The Type 5 Chi-Ri leads to the STA-1.
Modules / Available Equipment and Consumables
Modules
Guns
| Tier | Gun | Penetration (mm) |
Damage (HP) |
Rate of fire (rounds/minute) |
Dispersion (m/100m) |
Aiming time (s) |
Weight (kg) |
Price (  )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | 7.5 cm Tank Gun Type 5 | 124/155/38 | 125/125/175 | 13.33 | 0.35 | 1.7 | 1489 | 42500 | |
| VI | 7.5 cm Tank Gun Type 5 Model I | 155/186/38 | 130/130/175 | 16.67 | 0.35 | 1.7 | 1764 | 57000 | |
| VI | 7.5 cm Autoloading Tank Gun Type 5 | 155/186/38 | 130/130/175 | 15 | 0.35 | 1.7 | 1764 | 62000 |
Engines
| Tier | Engine | Engine Power (hp) |
Chance of Fire on Impact (%) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VII | Kawasaki Type 98 V-12 | 550 | 20 | 510 | 36500 | |
| VII | Mitsubishi AL Type 4 Kakyuu V-12 | 500 | 15 | 1000 | 33000 |
Suspensions
| Tier | Suspension | Load Limit (т) |
Traverse Speed (gr/sec) |
Rmin | Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VI | Type 5 Chi-Ri Plan 1 | 42.3 | 30 | 0 | 11600 | 12000 | |
| VII | Type 5 Chi-Ri Plan 2 | 44.8 | 34 | 0 | 11600 | 19500 |
Radios
| Tier | Radio | Signal Range (m) |
Weight (kg) |
Price ( )
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Hei | 400 | 130 | 3800 | |
| VI | Type 96 Mk. 4 Bo | 425 | 50 | 14000 | |
| VIII | Type 3 Otsu | 550 | 240 | 22000 | |
| X | Type 3 Ko | 750 | 560 | 54000 |
Compatible Equipment
Compatible Consumables
Player Opinion
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Good top gun - 3-shot autoloader with fast aiming time and clip reload
- Can equip a gun rammer despite using an autoloader gun
- Great gun depression
- Large hitpoint pool for a medium tank, comparable to same-tier heavies
- Decent viewrange
Cons:
- Large, boxy shape with thin armor and bad camouflage
- Low speed and engine power for a medium tank
- Premium ammo is AP with a lackluster increase in penetration and no shell speed improvement
- Very vulnerable to artillery due to its size and lack of armor
Performance
Up to the Chi-To, Japanese medium tanks usually have had fairly good guns for their class and tier, but mounted on sluggish platforms with relatively poor armor. The Chi-Ri, however, uses the same gun as the Chi-To but finds itself facing Tier IX tanks like the T-54 or E 75, often making it more challenging to play than its predecessors.
The unique feature of the Chi-Ri is its top gun: a three-round autoloader, similar to the gun on the Skoda T 25. At 130 damage per shell, this gives an effective average damage per clip of 390, the same damage the IS at the same tier does in one shot. Along with only 155mm of penetration using standard AP (and 186mm using premium), this gun will struggle against higher-tier tanks.
The intra-clip reload is very short at 1s, but is shorter than the aim time (1.63s), which means that the reticle does not settle completely by the time the next shot is ready. As a result, the gun is not likely to accurately land all three shots unless fighting at close range or allowing the gun to fully aim, reducing your rate of fire.
The non-autoloading version of the same 7.5 cm gun is also an option. It has higher damage-per-minute and is more consistent, but at the cost of sacrificing the 390 dmg burst.
The Chi-Ri has almost no armor to speak of beyond a small gun mantlet, which is 150 mm thick and will bounce the occasional shot if the enemy is unlucky enough to hit it. Other than that, the frontal armor has a maximum thickness of only 75mm and is extremely vulnerable to HE shell calibers of 152mm and larger. This tank, because of its size and poor concealment values, is particularly vulnerable to artillery fire, compounded by the fact that the Chi-Ri with the autoloader has to expose itself for a considerable amount of time to get all three shots off. The excellent gun depression can mitigate this somewhat with good use of terrain, but the turret is still quite a large target and its armor is no better than the hull.
The Chi-Ri has fairly good terrain resistance values to compensate for its underpowered engine, but will struggle to reach its top speed on all but the flattest and hardest terrain. It is by far the slowest medium of its tier and has a hard time flanking targets due to its poor mobility.
In terms of playstyle, the Chi-Ri has almost nothing in common with the other mediums of its tier. With relatively weak guns, huge size, no armor, and poor mobility, the Chi-Ri should avoid brawling whenever possible. With no effective armor, the Chi-Ri has to rely on its relatively large hitpoint pool to stay alive. It is heavily dependent on cover, using obstacles and terrain to hide behind while reloading. The autoloading gun is good for minimizing exposure and also for finishing off low health targets. This promotes a rather opportunistic playstyle, keeping behind cover and only emerging to shoot at targets while they are distracted or reloading. While the Chi-Ri's guns are reasonably accurate, they do not have the penetration to be viable for long-range sniping.
Although the gun resembles the three-round autoloader on the Skoda T 25, the Chi-Ri cannot be played the same way. Unlike the Skoda T 25, you lack the mobility for hit-and-run tactics, meaning once you engage an enemy, you are committed. Keep in mind that most opponents will be able to survive two clips, more if some of your shots bounce. Focus on single enemy tanks and avoid engagements with multiple opponents, or you will be quickly overwhelmed.
Early Research
- Should have the second gun and top radio unlocked from the Chi-To, mount immediately
- Tracks first, as they are required to mount the turret (however, equipping the 2nd radio and final engine allows you to use the turret and final gun without the tracks)
- Turret and autoloading gun
- Engine next, as it adds only 50 horsepower
Suggested Equipment
Gallery
Historical Info
In 1942, Japan initiated a new medium tank program of 3 projects, each being a different class of medium tank: a 47mm medium tank, a 57mm medium tank, and a 75mm medium tank. These tanks were supposed to be a new breed of anti-tank capable medium tanks. In short time, the 47mm class was seen obsolete and was upgrading to a 57mm tank project, whereas the remaining two projects merged into a single 75mm tank project. This 57mm tank project and 75mm tank project were the Chi-To and Chi-Ri tanks respectively.
Design
During 1943, by looking at the tank battles between Germany and Russia, there was fear that the Chi He and the Chi To could be underpowered by the time they would enter production. At this time, many technological inspections and planning have occurred for the Chi Ri. These included ventilation, transmission, suspension, 550 HP gasoline engine, and easy access to the engine for maintenance. Targeted top speed was 42kph. Improved ventilation was necessary because of the anticipated increased influx of poisonous gas when using the high rate of fire from an auto loading cannon. The main armament would become the Type 5 75mm cannon. It was planned to attach an auto loader to it. Here is a picture of it being tested with the single tray auto loader.
75 mm Gun Type 5
- Shell Weight: 6.615 kg
- Muzzle Velocity: 821 m/s
- Kinetic Energy: 2229 kj
- Historical Pen: 75 mm (1,000 meters) goal (met), 80 mm (1,000 meters) expected
Three different armor-piercing shells were developed for the Type 5 gun, though the Chi-Ri Plan 2 ended up being cancelled before the second and third shells were developed.
However, steps were taking to ensure an even more advance design could be made available.
In September 1943, a plan 1 and a plan 2 were outlined for the Chi Ri. The goal of plan 1 was to use the current technology developed so far to produce a finished Chi Ri within 1 year. Plan 2 was an ambitious plan to push the edge of technology. The Chi Ri tank discovered by the American forces was the Plan 2 tank.
Chi-Ri Plan 1
Chi-Ri Plan 2
The biggest difference between plan 1 and plan 2 was the suspension and the turret.
Chi-Ri Plan 2 Suspension Options
There was a total of 6 suspension plans examined. Three plans from the Technology Research Institution (TRI) and three from Mitsubishi Heavy industries (MHI).
One plan from TRI was a common Japanese style coil spring suspension which was already proven to work on other Japanese tanks. The other two plans were staggered arranged road wheels much like the notorious suspensions found in German tanks like the Tiger and Panther. One with coil springs like this picture and another with torsion bars.
Example of staggered road wheels with coil springs suspension
The three plans from MHI were 6 large road wheels. One was with coil springs and one with torsion bars. Ultimately, the Japanese went with what they were used too.
Six road wheel style coil spring suspension
The Suspension used very wide treads. The width was 600mm. For a 35 ton class tank, this would have produced a very impressive ground pressure value. The goal was a ground pressure of about 0.6 to 0.7 kg/cm². Compared to other tanks, this was a very good value. It should be noted that the plan 2 prototype ended up weighing considerably more than 35 tons.
- M46 has: 0,986 kg/cm²
- KT has: 1.03 kg/cm²
- Conqueror has: 0.84kg/cm²
- Crusader Cruiser has: 1.04 kg/cm²
- Centurion (1 I suppose) has: 1,04 kg/cm²
- M48 has: 0.92 kg/cm²
- T-54 has: 0.81 kg/cm²
- T-34/76: 0.66 kg/cm²
- M103 has: .908kg/cm²
- M5 Stuart has: 0.856kg/cm²
- M4A1 Sherman has: 0.962kg/cm²
- M4A3 (76mm + HVSS) has: 0.772kg/cm²
- M26 Pershing had: 0.878kg/cm²
Chi-Ri Plan 2 Turret
In order to accommodate a load of 100 75mm rounds and to fit in a belt style auto loader, the turret was enlarged. The plan 1 turret would likely not be capable of handling this task, therefore the large turret was designed. To increase the speed of target acquisition, the turret would rotate by an electric motor, increasing the speed of turret rotation. Another advanced feature was the gyro-stabilizer for the 75mm cannon. It was demanded for the Chi-Ri to be able to engage targets up to 2000 meters away so a long range observation device was installed. One other feature is that it was the first Japanese tank, and one of the few tanks in all of WWII, to have a turret basket built in.
Probably the most controversial feature was the secondary 37mm cannon. This was present on both of the Chi-Ri prototypes. It was likely intended to be used for soft targets that would be overkill for the 75mm cannon and thus free up the 75mm for more critical targets. However, the 37mm ended up being eliminated from later designs of the Chi-Ri.
The belt fed auto-loading system never ended up being built, likely due to the anxiety of trying to create a belt system that would move 900mm long shells around within the turret. However the large turret was already designed. In its place, a single tray auto loader was to be attached to the Type 5 75mm cannon instead thus still maintaining a fast rate of fire. It is believed that very likely the Chi-Ri underwent running and shooting trials in March 1945. However, the simpler Type 4 Chi-To was selected over the Chi-Ri for production, as the tray-based autoloader was found to be too mechanically unreliable. The likely reason why the Chi-Ri was found without armament is because the Chi-To mounted the same 75mm cannon and thus the Chi-Ri’s 75mm cannon was likely moved to a Chi-To tank. The Chi-Ri was later redesigned, sharing many of the same components with the Chi-To. Three of these redesigned "production model" Chi-Ri's were started before the end of the war.
In 1945 development was stopped due to the Japanese surrender. The prototype Chi-Ri plan II was taken by Americans to be tested at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, where eventually it was chosen to be scrapped alongside other vehicles on October 4, 1952. The fate of the prototype Chi-Ri plan I as well as the partially-completed production models are unknown as well. It should be noted that while many sources describe the Chi-Ri's turret as having been planned to eventually house Type 99 88 mm AA Gun similarly to the German Tiger tank, there are no such plans listed in any original Japanese documents on the tank.
Variants
- Chi-Ri Plan I - The first model.
- Chi-Ri Plan II - The second model, housing a larger turret to fit a semi-automatic loading system as well as a slightly adjusted suspension.
- Casemate TD I and II - a proposed cheaper alternative to the Chi-Ri, with shorter hull, 7 roadwheels per side, and a 7.5 cm cannon mounted on a superstructure. Cancelled in favor of Ho-Ri, which had much superior armament. Some elements of the vehicle were eventually reused on redesigned version of the Chi-Ri, including the shorter hull.
- Chi-Ri (production model) - completely redesigned version to share several components with the Chi-To.
- Ho-Ri - a tank destroyer based on the Chi-Ri, mounting a 10.5 cm AT gun capable of defeating even the strongest US tanks of time. The progress of the Ho-Ri is uncertain. 5 of them were ordered, but are not known to be finished. Some sources state that one prototype of a variant with sloped armor was finished and underwent trials. The vehicle had several variants, including:
- Ho-Ri I (sloped armor) - Features a superstructure in the back, with heavily sloped frontal plate in the front. The machine gun and 3.7 cm gun are removed. A wooden mockup produced. The lack of secondary weapons and more complex design of the sloped armor plate made the design less favorable to the vertical armor design, despite the significantly superior armor protection thanks to the slope.
- Ho-Ri I (vertical armor) - Similar to above, but has vertical armor instead, as well as machine gun and 3.7 cm guns mounted, similar to the Chi-Ri. Existed only in drawings.
- Ho-Ri II - the final version of the Ho-Ri. Similar to the previous model, but has its superstructure mounted in the middle, giving it similar appearance to the German Jagdtiger. In addition, it had other features such as a periscope and 20 mm AA gun installed. 5 of them were ordered, but their status is unknown.
- Chi-Se - a plan of using a 10.5 cm AT gun on a medium tank. Not much is known about the vehicle, but it was assumed to utilize components from both the Chi-Ri and Ho-Ri. Plan only.
Historical Gallery
Sources and External Links
| Light Tanks | IRenault Otsu • IIType 95 Ha-Go • IIType 97 Te-Ke • IIIType 97 Chi-Ha • IIIType 98 Ke-Ni • IVType 5 Ke-Ho |
| Medium Tanks | IIChi-Ni • IIType 89 I-Go/Chi-Ro • IVType 1 Chi-He • VType 3 Chi-Nu • VType 3 Chi-Nu Kai • VIType 4 Chi-To • VIIType 5 Chi-Ri • VIIISTA-1 • VIIISTA-2 • IXType 61 • XSTB-1 |
| Heavy Tanks | IIIType 91 Heavy • IVType 95 Heavy • VO-I Experimental • VIHeavy Tank No. VI • VIO-I • VIIO-Ni • VIIIO-Ho • IXType 4 Heavy • XType 5 Heavy |
| Tank Destroyers | |
| Self-Propelled Artillery |
