The Royal Thai Army possesses a rather diverse tank fleet, arguably one of the most exotic in the world. It includes 49 "Oplot" tanks of Ukrainian manufacture, Chinese VT-4 tanks, American M48 and M60 tanks, and even the American-made light tanks Commando Stingray, which are unique to the Thai army.
However, the most exotic entry in this collection is undoubtedly the light Japanese tank Type 95 "Ha-Go" from World War II, which is currently one of only two operational examples of this tank. This intriguing fact is highlighted by the resource btvt_2019.
As an addition from Defense Express, if one were to independently search for information about this unique operational Japanese tank "Ha-Go" from World War II, it could be concluded that this vehicle is primarily used by the Thai army for ceremonial and training purposes and is not generally regarded as a combat unit.
According to The Military Balance 2024, there is no mention of the Japanese tank "Ha-Go" in the Thai army, but it does note the presence of the aforementioned 49 "Oplot" tanks, 62 Chinese VT-4 tanks, 105 M48A5 tanks, and 168 M60 tanks. Additionally, it mentions 66 light Stingray tanks, 104 British light Scorpion tanks, and 24 American light tanks M41 (which made their combat debut during the Korean War).
Nevertheless, publicly available photos of the Japanese Type 95 "Ha-Go" during the maneuvers of the Royal Thai Army indicate that this tank is indeed listed as a training or ceremonial vehicle.
To specify further about the Japanese tank Type 95 "Ha-Go," it is important to note that these vehicles were produced from 1936 to 1943, with approximately 2,300 units manufactured.
These tanks had a combat weight of 7.4 tons and a crew of three, with bulletproof protection; the thickness of the frontal steel armor was only 12 millimeters. Armament included a 37-mm gun with an ammunition load of 75 rounds and two 6.5-mm machine guns. Their speed reached up to 45 km/h on highways and up to 25 km/h off-road, with a range of 250 kilometers on highways and 210 kilometers off-road.
Although by the end of World War II, the Type 95 "Ha-Go" was considered morally obsolete, trophy tanks of this type were actively used during the Chinese Civil War until 1949, and in Japan, these vehicles served as training tanks until the early 1960s.
In addition to the Royal Thai Army, the British Bovington Tank Museum also has an operational example of the Japanese tank "Ha-Go." Previously, we also wrote about how the word "monster" fits the BTR-152 with a shipborne GSh-6-30K, showcased in Yemen.