By: Mike Yeo, January 13, 2017 (Photo Credit: Japanese Ministry of Defense)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has unveiled a prototype eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier (APC) as part of a research project for a new class of modular vehicles.
The project, known for now as the Wheeled Armoured Vehicle (Improved), will eventually lead to a new vehicle type to replace the Type 96 eight-wheel drive armored personnel carrier in use by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
The new vehicle will feature improved protection against a variety of threats such as improvised explosive devices, versatility and room for future growth in capabilities compared to the Type 96 it is replacing. It will also be fitted with a more powerful engine and a strengthened suspension to cope with the increased weight and payloads.
In a news release, Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced that the prototype was handed over on Jan. 10. Built by Japan’s Komatsu Limited, the vehicle is 8.4 meters (27 feet) long, 2.5 meters (8 feet) wide and 2.9 meters (9 feet) high, with a weight of approximately 20 ton. It can carry 11 onboard including three crew members in its basic APC guise.
An ATLA spokesperson told Defense News that the engine onboard the prototype is a 10.8 liter diesel engine capable of developing approximately 500 horsepower (372.8 kilowatts), allowing the vehicle to attain a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) on paved roads.
The ATLA spokesperson has also revealed that the rear compartment will be modular in nature, with swappable mission modules fitted on the vehicle as required by the mission. In addition to the basic APC variant, a communications support vehicle as well as an engineering variant were shown on the video released by ATLA.
Japanese MoD budget documents indicate that 4.7 billion yen (US $41 million) had been earmarked to produce the prototype and conduct trials, with manufacturing starting in 2015. Trials with the prototype are expected to last until 2019.
Tokyo-based defense analyst James Simpson expects full-scale production to start following the trials, also noting that the Japanese MoD will be looking to fit the new vehicle with a remote weapon station currently being developed.