Japan has selected Patria's Armoured Modular Vehicle (pictured above) to replace the JGSDF's existing Type 96 APCs. (Patria)
The Japanese Ministry of Defense (MoD) has outlined a five-year plan to procure Finnish company Patria's Armoured Modular Vehicles (AMVs) for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force's (JGSDF's) wheeled armoured personnel carrier (WAPC) programme.
A spokesperson for the MoD told Janes that, under the newly formulated “defence buildup programme”, the MoD is planning to procure approximately 140 armoured vehicles in five years.
In the fiscal year 2023, the MoD plans to procure 29 vehicles worth JPY23.2 billion (USD176 million), the spokesperson added. “We [MoD] are planning to purchase and test a variant of AMV as a reference in the fiscal year 2023, but the specific number of vehicles to be procured is still under consideration and we cannot provide an answer at this point,” the spokesperson said.
On 9 December, the MoD's Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) selected Patria 8Ă—8 AMV to replace the JGSDF's ageing fleet of Komatsu Type 96 8Ă—8 APCs.
Patria proposed the licenced production of the AMVs in Japan with a private sector company, ATLA added.
“Patria is currently negotiating with a Japanese company that will be the contract partner to licence produce the AMVs in Japan. However, the deal has not been finalised yet, so I can't name the company,” the MoD spokesperson said.
Janne Räkköläinen, senior vice-president of Patria, told Janes that the company has started “the detailed licencing discussions with Japanese industry, including the Japan MoD. The discussions are expected to be concluded in the first half of 2023”.
The details related to the production will be finalised during the licence and contract discussions, Räkköläinen added.
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