Japan's Technical Research & Development Institute (TRDI) has rolled out a prototype of what it calls the 105 mm Maneuver Combat Vehicle (MCV).
This 8x8 vehicle, which was unveiled by the TRDI's Ground Systems Research Centre at Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, has been developed to meet requirements for a vehicle with a high level of strategic mobility and firepower that can be rapidly deployed by air, land or sea.
Local media reported that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will manufacture the MCV, with the first units expected to enter Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) service in Fiscal Year 2016.
The JGSDF currently deploys the 105 mm-armed Type 74 tracked self-propelled howitzer and 120 mm-armed Type 90 and Type 10 main battle tanks but these cannot be used in all types of terrain and can only be transported over long distances by heavy equipment transporters.
The MCV has a reported maximum speed of up to 100 km/h and with a combat weight of about 26 tons, is more agile than its tracked predecessors. It also matches the minimum payload of the new Kawasaki C-2 tactical transport that Japan is building.
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