Meet this Japanese self-propelled gun based on the Chi-Ha tank with a 105 mm howitzer, becoming a new and interesting vehicle for the Japanese lower ranks.

Ho-Ni II: A Tank Destroyer (SPG) for Japan at Rank I

At a glance:

• 105 mm howitzer with HEAT and high-explosive rounds
• Good gun depression
• Average mobility
• Limited traverse angles
• Vulnerable open crew compartment

Introducing the Ho-Ni II!

In the next major update, we’ll be adding the new Japanese Ho-Ni, featuring a self-propelled gun on the chassis of Japan’s most widely-produced medium tank, the Chi-Ha. This vehicle is armed with a large howitzer, the largest-caliber gun in the series. Let’s take a further look at this thing!

Meet the largest-caliber self-propelled gun in the Ho-Ni family, arriving at rank II in the Japanese ground forces tree. The main feature that distinguishes the Ho-Ni II from its siblings is the gun. The oscillating part of the 105 mm Type 91 field howitzer is mounted on an armor shield, firing high-explosive and HEAT rounds. The HEAT round’s penetration is enough to destroy most targets at its rank, including T-34s and Shermans if you aim for their weakspots! The gun has a limited traverse angle of 10 degrees left and right, so in most cases you’ll have to aim the hull towards your target. Due to the gun’s long breech, elevation is also limited to 22 degrees, but the gun’s depression is at an excellent -17 degrees, allowing you to shoot from behind cover effectively.

The chassis of the Ho-Ni II derives from the Chi-Ha medium tank, giving it decent mobility with a top speed of up to 40 km/h. The superstructure however is very lightly protected just like the Ho-Ni I. The front and some of the side armor is at least bulletproof, but the crew are completely exposed from the top and the rear, making them especially vulnerable to machine guns and aircraft.

The Ho-Ni II will excel in a strong position, thanks to its gun depression and relatively fast fire rate, it can easily lock down a sightline from cover. Like with many SPGs in the game positioning is key, so identify a good spot in a high traffic area and lock in!

That’s it for this one, we’ll continue releasing dev blogs for the next major update, so keep an eye on the news. See you soon!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

You can kick-start and greatly speed up the research of the Ho-Hi II with this pack: