Japan lays out near-term plan for Patria AMVs procurement

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 8×8 AMV to replace the JGSDF’s ageing fleet of Komatsu Type 96 8×8 APCs.

Patria proposed the licenced production of the AMVs in Japan with a private sector company, ATLA added.