Japan fires howitzers in Australia
The Japan Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) has fired two FH-70 howitzers at the Australian Defence Force’s Shoalwater Bay Training Area during Exercise Southern Jackaroo.
Southern Jackaroo is a two-week trilateral ground exercise involving Australia, Japan and the US. The 2019 exercise involves over 150 JGSDF troops along with around 300 US Marine Rotational Force-Darwin members and over 260 soldiers from the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade.
The howitzers were fired at ranges of 25km, a first for the JGSDF as Japanese training areas are not able to accommodate firings at this range. The firing is part of a suite of initiatives agreed to during the Australia-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministers’ Meeting in October 2018 which explored opportunities to increase the complexity and sophistication of the countries’ combined military exercises.
Cmdr of the Australian Army’s 7th Brigade, Brig Andrew Hocking, said: ‘The JGSDF should be proud of the achievements it has made during this exercise and we were proud to be a part of it.
‘The capability is complex, so to prove that their munitions and guns are effective at that range is a real accomplishment.’
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Land Warfare
-
![Laser weapon solutions are emerging as Europe confronts air defence cost imbalance]()
Laser weapon solutions are emerging as Europe confronts air defence cost imbalance
Europe’s air defence debate is increasingly shaped by the blunt economics of the field. While high-value interceptor missiles can effectively shoot down cheap drones, doing so at scale presents cost challenges.
-
![ARX Robotics expands in UK following British Army backing for uncrewed platforms]()
ARX Robotics expands in UK following British Army backing for uncrewed platforms
Following an order from the British Army, ARX Robotics has begun manufacturing autonomous ground platforms in the UK. Christopher Foss examines the company's growing range of systems.
-
![Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs]()
Textron unveils a smaller, low-cost variant of the Ripsaw family of UGVs
Ripsaw M1 has been designed to support the US Marine Corps’ littoral missions by carrying diverse types of payloads and performing multiple missions. Shephard spoke with Textron to find out more.
-
![UK plans to adopt “phased approach to restarting” British Army Ajax programme]()
UK plans to adopt “phased approach to restarting” British Army Ajax programme
The introduction of Ajax vehicles into British Army service was stopped after health issues during an exercise. However, an investigation reported “no single causal mechanism of the symptoms reported by our soldiers but rather a combination of multiple factors”.
