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Next Wheeled Armored Vehicle

The next wheeled armored vehicle will equip JGSDF combat and combat-support units for peacekeeping operations as well as “counter island invasion” scenarios. Currently, about 400 Type 96 Armored Personnel Vehicles are in use. Komatsu initially developed the successor vehicle, but withdrew in 2019 due to the lack of defense and development costs.

Type 96 armored vehicle, which is the main wheeled armored vehicle of the Ground Self-Defense Force, has been deployed for more than 20 years since the start of deployment in 1996 (Heisei 8). It is undeniable that it feels a little inferior.

For this reason, the Ministry of Defense announced in December 2013 the medium-term defense capability development plan that it would introduce a "wheeled armored car (revised)" that succeeds the 96-type wheeled armored car, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Komatsu As a result of examining the proposal from the factory, Komatsu's proposal was adopted. The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency has advanced the pieces to the point of prototyping a wheeled armored vehicle (revised) in January 2017.

However, about a year later, in December 2017, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency announced that it would extend the development period of the wheeled armored vehicle (revised) due to insufficient performance of the bulletproof plate. Approximately seven months after that, in July 2018, there is no prospect of improvement of defects such as bulletproof plates even if development is continued.

The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency announced that it will discontinue the development of the wheeled armored vehicle (revised) because it cannot meet the target price. The plan to introduce a wheeled armored vehicle that succeeds the Type 96 wheeled armored vehicle was once returned to a blank slate and repartitioned as the "next wheeled armored vehicle."

The Japan Ministry of Defense announced 10 September 2019 that it had shortlisted the Finnish Patria AMVXP, Canada’s General Dynamics Land Systems LAV 6.0 and the local company Mitsubishi Mobile Armored Vehicle under its revised project to buy next wheeled armored vehicles. Japan’s chosen vehicle will replace the older Type 96 wheeled armored personnel carrier in service with the military. No details were initially available as to what offsets and local assembly requirements will be required for the winner.

There was also a proposal for the Boxer wheeled armored vehicle (manufactured by ARTEC GmbH, Germany) in addition to the three models selected, but as a result of comparative examination, the three models were selected.

Two test vehicles will be procured for a total of 2.1 billion yen from the budget of the Equipment Agency and the Ground Staff Office in the 2019 (Reiwa 1st year) budget. In addition, various tests such as maneuverability tests and bulletproof / explosion resistance tests will be conducted from 2021 to 2022, aiming for selection at the end of 2022.

Is there any reason to leave the domestic equipment that seems to have no problem in terms of performance and make it foreign-made? Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' vehicles are based on the "Type 16 Mobile Combat Vehicle." Increasing the defense power of shells and land mines increases the weight of the vehicle body and impairs the ability to run on rough terrain. It seems that the point will be how to overcome the problem by devising the structure and new materials, and how to keep the cost down.

Future Wheeled Fighting Vehicles was a research project conducted by the Ministry of Defense on common basic technologies necessary for the future family of wheeled armored fighting vehicles. Research prototypes and tests were conducted to obtain technical data.The research trial was conducted from 2003 (Heisei 15) to 2007, and the test was conducted from 2005 to 2007. Initially, research focusing on anti-aircraft combat vehicles was considered as a "future wheeled combat vehicle (anti-aircraft)", and the research was scheduled to be completed in 2008 (Heisei 20). Later, it was decided that it would be appropriate to decide the necessity of anti-aircraft combat vehicles while taking into consideration the status of consideration of future equipment plans, so research was conducted by changing the working name to "future wheeled combat vehicles". The research was completed in 2007 (Heisei 19).

As early as 2010 the JGSDF was studying a lightweight and compact multi-functional combat vehicle equipped with the Ground Self-Defense Force's infantry unit, but with mobility, defense, and firepower. By connecting with light equipment and a small number of units via a network, asymmetric combat and islands it was possible to respond to new threats such as dealing with departmental invasion and various situations.

According to a preliminary evaluation, the vehicle body is " a protectiver body that protects the occupants from debris from explosives such as shells and blast waves and has mobility", and according to the 2010 brochure of the Technical Research and Development Institute of the Ministry of Defense, it is hybrid driven by an in-wheel motor. It is an ambitious design that aims to achieve both improved survivability and running stability by making the height of the vehicle bottom plate variable while adopting a V-shaped bottom surface to deal with IED.