Patria sends AMV XP for Japanese tests
8x8 vehicle will be evaluated as a contender in the Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier programme.
Finnish company Patria has despatched AMV XP 8x8 vehicles to Japan for tests under the next-generation Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (WAPC) programme.
The vehicles will be handed over to the Japanese MoD on schedule, Patria announced on 16 December, and the company added that it ‘is ready to provide all necessary support’ in the upcoming tests for the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force.
AMV XP (pictured) is just one contender in the WAPC project, alongside the the Mitsubishi Armored Vehicle (MAV) and General Dynamics Land Systems LAV 6.0.
Following the test phase, the MoD will evaluate all three vehicle types.
The JGSDF presently fields 389 Type 96 WAPCs, but Shephard Defence Insight notes that its off-road mobility, defensive and landmine protection capabilities are insufficient. The future WAPC will replace it as well as any remaining Type 73 APCs, so the required number could reach 700-1,000 vehicles.
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Improved Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier [Japan]
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