![]() ![]() Indonesia is seeking to strengthen its maritime forces, sea patrol functions and search and rescue operations in surrounding waters. Noting that both Japan and Indonesia are archipelagic countries that frequently have to contend with natural disasters like earthquakes, he said, “Geographically, we are in the ‘ring of fire,’ so we learn from Japan in terms of disaster management.” The Indonesian defense minister said the US-2 is well suited for the geographical conditions of Indonesia, a country of thousands of islands. The US-2 is built by ShinMaywa Industries Ltd., based in Hyogo Prefecture. We’re still mulling (this), and if we already finish (the assessment) we will report to the president about this,” Ryacudu said in an interview. “We feel (there’s a match) and we wish to buy. Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said Monday his government is considering the possibility of buying the US-2 amphibious aircraft from Japan. They were subsequently moved, one to the Old Communications center south of the airport, and one to Koror as part of war memorial displays.ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft (photo : militaryphotos) After the war they were unearthed by locals. They had actually been buried by the Japanese either to keep them out of American hands after their surrender, or as defensive fortifications. These two tanks were once located in the center of Babeldaop Island in the late 1980s. The latter is notable in that there is still a heavy anti aircraft machine gun mounted on the rear pontoon. Another specimen is located in Koror, Palau. A near complete hull is located near the airport in Babeldaob, Palau. The Kubinka Tank Museum in Moscow, Russia has a Type 2 Ka-Mi on display, complete with its front and rear pontoons. A handful more were captured by US Army troops on Luzon in 1945, as well as several others captured by Australian and Commonwealth troops. amphibious tank action this is doubtful however, as most Ka-Mi tanks were destroyed after they came ashore. According to Ralph Zumbro in his book "Tank Aces", several Ka-Mi were destroyed by US Army LVT-1s off the coast of Leyte during history's only amphibious tank vs. They were also used during the fighting on the Philippine island of Leyte in late 1944 when they supported the 101st SNLF at Ormoc Gulf. Later they were encountered by the United States Marine Corps in the Marshall Islands and Mariana Islands, particularly on Saipan, where they supported the Yokosuka Base Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) in its failed amphibious operation. The Type 2 Ka-Mi was first used in combat on Guadalcanal in late 1942. Many units were assigned to naval garrison detachments in the South Pacific Mandate and in the Netherlands East Indies. The Type 2 Ka-Mi came into active service after the initial campaigns of World War II, and was thus too late to be used in its original design mission of amphibious landings. It was the "best designed amphibious tank of the war". Steering was in the control of the tank commander, who operated a pair of rudders from the turret through cables. The Type 2 Ka-Mi was capable of attaining speeds of 10 km/h in the water with a range of 140 km through two propellers situated at the rear of the hull, powered by the tank's engine. A second Type 97 light machine gun was located in the tank's bow. The Type 2 Ka-Mi's gun turret with a high-velocity Type 1 37 mm gun and a coaxial Type 97 light machine gun. The pontoons were attached by a system of "small clips" with a release inside the tank, to be engaged once it landed for ground combat operations. The front pontoon was internally divided into two "symmetrical sections" and each one was divided into three separate watertight compartments to minimize the effects of damage from flooding and shellfire. Large, hollow pontoons made from steel plates were attached to the front glacis plate and rear decking to give the necessary buoyancy. The Type 2 Ka-Mi was based on the army's Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, but with an all-welded hull with rubber seals in place of the riveted armor. Only 182 to 184 units of the Type 2 Ka-Mi were built, beginning in 1942. The Type 2 Ka-Mi tanks were organized into "several amphibious tank units". The Type 2 Ka-Mi was designed for the Navy's Special Naval Landing Forces for the amphibious invasion of Pacific Islands without adequate port facilities, and for various special operations missions. In 1940, The Navy took over development of amphibious vehicles and two years later came up with the Type 2 Ka-Mi. ![]() As early as 1928, the Japanese Army had been developing and testing amphibious tanks and created several experimental models such as the SR-II, the Type 1 Mi-Sha and the Type 92 A-I-Go which either never made it off the drawing board or were produced only as one-off prototypes for concept testing. ![]()
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