Wheeled Armored Vehicle (Revised)
The Improved Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier is a wheeled armored vehicle developed by the Ministry of Defense. Development was carried out as a successor to the Type 96 wheeled armored vehicle, but development was discontinued in July 2018. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Forces had two models of armored personnel carriers. These are tracked "Type 73" and "Type 96" wheeled in quantities of over 330 and 360 units, respectively. It is easy to see that to completely replace the existing equipment, it will take long-term mass production at a very high rate.
Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) promoted a development project aiming for completion in 2018 as a successor to the existing 96 type wheeled armored vehicle. In order to respond to various threats associated with international peace cooperation activities and invasion of islands, improvement of protection capabilities is required.
First of all, the outline of the project is the successor to the JGSDF's current Type 96 wheeled armored vehicle. It is a project to develop wheeled armored vehicles (kai) used for convoy guarding in international peace cooperation activities. In order to improve the defense performance, it is essential to increase the size of the vehicle body, improve the engine output, improve the suspension capacity, etc., and there is a limit to the improvement of the Type 96 armored person. This vehicle was developed to solve these problems.
Regarding the purchase of similar equipment from overseas, the Ministry of Defense conducted a comparative study from a comprehensive perspective on the required performance such as protection from various threats at the "18th Ministry of Defense Policy Evaluation Experts Meeting". The superiority of this project was recognized. " On the other hand, the members of the Council of Experts were asking various questions about the specifics and the appropriateness of domestic development.
Komatsu was reported to be in talks with the Swiss company MOWAG, whose subject is the acquisition of a license for the serial production of the Piranha IV armored vehicle. International negotiations yielded no real results, so Japan temporarily lost the opportunity to upgrade its armored vehicle fleet with the help of foreign-made vehicles.
As for the implementation period, the Ministry carried out trial production from FY2014 to FY2016, examinations were to be conducted until FY 2018. As for the necessity, first of all, in the 96-type wheeled armored vehicle, threats associated with Japanese cooperation activities, such as an instant explosive device called an IED. There is a limit to ensuring safety from such threats. Therefore, in order to improve defenses, etc., The goal was to develop wheeled armored vehicles (kai) with functions and performance adapted to such missions.
Komatsu had been producing various wheeled armored vehicles for many years, and by utilizing that know-how, Komatsu commissioned a prototype research in February 2015, produced a prototype, and delivered it in January 2017. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had a MAV based on a mobile combat vehicle, but it seems that it is an in-house prototype unique to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and had nothing to do with the wheeled armored vehicle (revised). Since the wheeled armored car (revised) was ordered from Komatsu after defeating Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in a competitive bidding, it seems that the base of the vehicle was Komatsu's NBC reconnaissance vehicle.
A total of three types of prototypes have been prototyped: a communication support unit equipped with an access node device for a communication system, and a facility unit equipped with a 70-type mine bombing device and capable of towing an 83-type mine laying device. Perhaps there will be more variations when it is formalized.
The design was an eight-wheeled wheeled armored vehicle, with a driver's seat on the front right side, an engine on the left side, and four hatches on the rear upper surface, which was drawn as a design similar to the Type 96 armored vehicle. The traditional design with the front engine compartment was significantly reworked. At the same time, the control compartment in the forward part of the hull and the aft landing compartment with landing via the rear ramp were kept.
The difference between the prototype vehicle and the design was that the engine was mounted on the same right side as the driver's seat, and there were two cupolas in series on the left side (the front is the machine gunner and the rear is the commander's seat). The hatch on the upper surface of the rear had four large hatches on the front side and four small hatches on the rear side. The lower part of the car body was V-shaped, and measures against land mines and IEDs are taken. The outer shell of the car body was bolted, and can be replaced depending on the situation.
The new armored personnel carrier receives a welded armored hull, additionally reinforced with patch panels. The composition, thickness and level of protection of the main or additional armor were notdisclosed. The body itself was probably capable of withstanding a small bullet shot. Rifle caliber weapons from all angles or large caliber systems in front projection. The use of additional modules suggested a significant increase in performance, up to the possibility of protection against small-caliber artillery shells.
A typical problem of armed conflicts in recent years has been the widespread use of explosive devices of various types placed on vehicle routes. This threat was also taken into account in the new Japanese project. To protect against the explosion of a mine under the wheel or body, the lower part of the V shape is used, which deflects the shock wave to the sides. It should be noted that other traditional modern means of protection of the crew and the landing force are not used.
Protection of the machine and people is also provided by other means. The project provides for the use of collective protection against weapons of mass destruction. For timely notification of an imminent attack, an armored personnel carrier carries a set of laser radiation sensors. There is an automatic fire extinguishing system.
It was big. Actually, the total height is 2.9m, which is large, but the width is 2.5m, which is within the domestic vehicle restriction regulations on the total width, and the tires are not so big in the first place, so it feels extra big. And the weight is 20 tons.
Some observers thought it would be a good idea to make it wider, but with the vehicle restriction ordinance, there is an advantage that infrastructure obstacles will be reduced in domestic operation.
The BTR (improved) wheeled armored vehicle received a relatively simple-shaped body, consisting of several large armor plates. The front projection is protected by four parts of different shapes, located under a different inclination. Due to the reduced width of the front blades, the zygomatic parts are used at an angle to the axis of the machine. The upper front sheet, characterized by a great length, also serves as the front section of the roof. For some reason, it is installed with a slight slope. The hull has vertical sides, a slightly sloping transom, and a horizontal roof with curved side parts. Above the wheels developed side niches are provided.
The engine compartment of the armored personnel carrier is located in the central part of the body and is offset to starboard. It contains a Komatsu diesel engine with 500 horsepower. The engine was connected with the transmission of an unnamed type to distribute the torque to all wheels. The chassis of the new armored vehicle was based on existing foreign and domestic developments. It consists of eight wheels with individual suspension on the levers with spring damping. The project does not foresee the possibility of crossing water obstacles by swimming, so there are no special propulsion devices for this.
The crew of the wheeled armored vehicle (improved) consisted of three people: the driver, the commander and the gunner. The driver is in front of the hull on the starboard side. Directly behind is the engine compartment. The driver had his own hatch in the roof of the hull, equipped with a set of periscopes. For greater driving comfort on the go, the hatch can be equipped with a canopy with glazing. Two other crew seats were located to the left of the engine compartment one after the other. The first prototype received a traditional hatch at the front left and a commander turret at the rear. In the future, such equipment may be replaced by other products.
The armored personnel carrier was capable of carrying up to eight soldiers with weapons. All of them are located in the general troop compartment in the aft hull. A characteristic feature of the troop compartment, which distinguishes the new Japanese car from similar foreign models, is the use of common benches. Four sets are installed along the sides in the form of a double seat and a back of the same width. No special energy absorbing chairs are used in the prototype. It is argued that attaching the seats to the sides of the hull reduces the negative impact of the shock wave on the troops.
A significant part of the aft sheet of the hull is taken up by the lowered ramp opening. The latter is mounted on the hinge of the lower location and is completed with two hydraulic cylinders. It should be noted that hydraulic ramps, as in the case of the 96 Type, are located outside the hull and can be exposed to serious risks. In case of breakage of the hydraulics on the ramp there is a regular door.
The troop compartment of an armored personnel carrier is completely closed. Optical devices, windows, or devices are not used to fire personal weapons. The use of small arms is only possible with open hatches in the roof, but this is associated with understandable risks for combatants.
The prototype presented had no weapons. The existing architecture of the machine allowed the use of various weapons of existing and possible types. Therefore, it was quite possible to use a turret borrowed from the existing "Type 96". In this case, the armored vehicle can carry a large-caliber machine gun or a 40-mm automatic grenade launcher. According to ATLA, in the future, the BTR of the Wheeled Armored Vehicle (Enhanced) would be able to receive a remotely controlled combat module of one type or another.
The total height was about 50 cm higher than the 96 Type, which is high, but in the first place it was structurally impossible because the 96 Type wheeled vehicle was structurally impossible due to the unreasonable demand to suppress it to the same level as the 73 type of tracked vehicle.
The maximum speed of an armored personnel carrier on the road should reach 100 km / h. Power reserve, depending on various factors, - 800-1000 km. The possibility of climbing the slopes of the inclination and movement of 30 ° with roll at 9 ° was declared. The trench is wider than 2m and the wall is 60 high, see. The machine cannot float, but it can cross bodies of ford water to a depth of 1.2 m.
As a result of subsequent shooting tests, a defect was found in the bulletproof plate, it was announced in December 2017. The bulletproof performance of the bulletproof plate used varied widely, and there was a risk that the bulletproof performance could not be ensured stably, including the lack of thickness. On December 26, 2017, the development manufacturers Komatsu Ltd. and the Ministry of Defense postponed the development completion time to 2021 (Reiwa 3) or later, saying that there was a problem with the bulletproof plate of the prototype vehicle.
Komatsu worked to achieve the required quality and contribute to national defense by rebuilding the project system in the future. If the bulletproof performance is improved, the size of the vehicle body will also increase, which will not meet the dimensions and weight of the vehicle body required by the GSDF, and the running performance will also decrease. In addition, it is clear that the development cost will increase.
Komatsu carried out repair work including bulletproof tests, but as a result of discussions with the Ministry of Defense, Komatsu came to the conclusion that even if Komatsu continued the development project as it is, it was unlikely that Komatsu will be able to complete the development. Therefore Komatsu anounced 27 July 2018 that it had decided to cancel this project. Komatsu subsequently announced in February 2019 that it would end its involvement in the development and manufacturing of armored vehicles entirely, save for the continued production of nuclear, biological and chemical reconnaissance vehicles already on contract. The Japan Ministry of Defence had invested approximately $41 million in the production of the new armoured personnel carrier.
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