Japan is decommissioning all Type 74 tanks, but can’t export them to Ukraine

17 comments

1. Sell them to USA

2. Oh, right, it’s got left handed driving. No good for Ukraine.

3. Why can’t they just change the law or make an exception to it?

4. In other words, shit military and political planning isn’t just a Western problem.

5. What???

6. They changed the rules for building aircraft carriers, they can change the rules for this.

7. Such a shame, they couldn’t really stand up to the Russian tanks but they are tougher than the Leopard 1s which Ukraine already got. It would be sweet to see that cool hydropneumatic suspension at work in Ukraine.

8. Simple solution: put a single point of weld on the breech of the gun, sell them as “demil scrap” to Ukraine. Done.

9. If the tanks were turned into de-mining vehicles could they be loaned to Ukraine? Remove the guns and stick a plow on the front?

10. It’s absolutely egregious that “export restrictions” prevent Japan from providing ukr with these tanks while russia continuously targets schools, hospitals, malls, markets, residential buildings destroys dams . . . essentially raping and pillaging its way through ukr. Even russia’s “president” putin as well as his minister lvova-belova are charged with war crimes against children . . . and “export restrictions” bar Japan from providing ukr with this basic level of defence?! It’s fuckin sickening and beyond comprehension that these contradictions exist. Similar to the “don’t strike russian oil refineries” while they destroy your towns, cities, farms and fields, target grain and abduct your children – after all, oil prices may rise” !! What the absolute fuck?!

11. Can we stop sending garbage from the 70’s and fucking over logistics with every platform nato field and instead just coordinate modern equipment of limited types.

12. Dats not there war, so why should they care

13. i mean… a tank is better than no tank.

    but in terms of tanks, a type 74 isn’t much of a tank by modern standards either.

14. Sell them in parts as scrap, and accidentally include assembly instructions

15. I’m all for supplying Ukraine but if Type 74s ended up there they would be the 5th(?) different type of tank donated. All of this complicates Ukraine’s training and logistics and makes its vehicle fleet a frankenstein.

    Sooner or later Ukraine’s backers need to get beyond the ‘what’s at the back of the cupboard’ approach, pick ‘winners’ and start full production of these so that in 2-3 years it’s clear Ukraine’s MBT of cchoice is, say, Leopard 2 and they have abdundance of supply. Same for F-16s, M109s etc

16. Damage them very slightly and export them as scrap. I’m sure Ukraine is capable of fixing them back up

17. Send it to the Philippines where it has no real tanks and only light infantry vehicles fitted with a tank turret. The Philippines need armaments not only to fight the communist insurgents but also the looming Chinese threat of invasion.