The Type 94 tankette was a tankette used by the Imperial Japanese Army in the Second Sino-Japanese War, at Nomonhan against the Soviet Union, and in World War II. Although tankettes were often used as ammunition tractors, and general infantry support, they were designed for reconnaissance, and not for direct combat. The lightweight Type 94 proved effective in China as the Chinese National Revolutionary Army had only three tank battalions to oppose them, and those tank battalions were equipped only with some British export models and Italian CV-33 tankettes. As with nearly all tankettes built in the 1920s and 1930s, they had thin armor that could be penetrated by .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun fire at 600 yards (550 m) range.
Type 94 tankette at Armor School History Museum
The moment of the blast, at the Gate of China (December 12, 1937).
Type 94 tankette captured at the Battle of Okinawa
Late model Type 94 tankette
A tankette is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle that resembles a small tank, roughly the size of a car. It is mainly intended for light infantry support and scouting. Colloquially it may also simply mean a small tank.
A TKS tankette in the Polish Army Museum
A TKS tankette with a human for scale in a 2019 parade in Poland
A Japanese Type 94 tankette
An Italian Carro Leggero 3/35 (L3/35) light tank