The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s (JGSDF) primary land warfare platform, the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Type 10 ‘Hitomaru’ main battle tank (MBT), is being lined up for a much-needed modernisation project aimed at improving its lethality and survivability in the contemporary battlefield.
According to a 20 September notification released by the Ministry of Defense (MoD), an unspecified number of Type 10 MBTs with be fitted with an active protection system (APS) as well as a remote weapons station (RWS) armed with a 30mm automatic cannon.
The upgrades will enable the JGSDF’s Type 10 fleet to better address emerging battlefield threats such as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and unmanned aerial systems (UAVs), which have proven their effectiveness against armoured fighting vehicles on both sides of the ongoing Russo-Ukraine War.
According to the notice, the APS will be integrated to on-board sensor systems to detect and defeat incoming anti-tank projectiles, while the RWS should be fitted with its own sensor to detect and track UAV threats.
The document did not disclose the candidate systems being considered, but local reports have indicated that these include the Elbit Systems Iron Fist, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Trophy, and the Rheinmetall StrikeShield. The RWS being considered is reportedly the Kongsberg RS6 Protector.
Moreover, the MoD earlier released a separate document in June detailing a similar request for industry to propose “technical measures to improve the capabilities of the Type 10 tank”. The document did not reveal the specifics, but it is understood that the request is also open to foreign companies, provided that they offer technology transfer and localised production.
The JGSDF is believed to operate around 120 Type 10 MBTs since the tank entered service in 2012. MHI continues to manufacture a small batch of Type 10 MBTs each year, with new 12 tanks budgeted for fiscal year 2025.
The Type 10 MBT is a unique tank designed to meet the specific requirements of the JGSDF with a compact physical form and a combat weight of 44 tonnes. It was developed from the mid-1990s by the MoD’s Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) – now subsumed into today’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) – as a lighter and more mobile complement to the JGSDF’s MHI Type 90 ‘Kyū-maru’ MBT, which has a combat weight of around 50 tonnes and is unable to traverse many of Japan’s rural roads and bridges because of its mass.
by Jr Ng
