light tank; whippet tank
Military term for a small, fast tank, especially from the early to mid-20th century. 'Whippet tank' refers to a specific British WWI model, but 軽戦車 is the general category.
In World War II, many countries used light tanks for reconnaissance.
Heavy tank, the largest and most heavily armored class.
Compound of 軽 (light) and 戦車 (tank). The term 戦車 itself is a Japanese coinage from 戦 (war) and 車 (vehicle), originally used for chariots, later applied to tanks.