Combat vehicles / Armored personnel carriers / Type 96
Type 96
General Facts
- TYPE
Armored personnel carrier - ORIGIN
Japan - NICKNAMES
96?????? (Japanese service) - DESIGNED
Early 1990's - DESIGNER
Komatsu - PRODUCTION
1996 - present - PRODUCERS
Japan - Komatsu - QUANTITY
A total of 500 units planned. - UNIT COST
About $ 1.6 million per unit. - CHARACTERISTICS
Good mobility
Limited crew capacity
Limited firepower
Introduction
The Type 96 is a modern armored personnel carrier of Japanese origin. It was designed to supplement and partially replace the fleet of tracked APC's in Japanese service. The Type 96 features design elements from the Type 82 and Type 87 6x6 armored reconnaissance vehicles.
Layout
The Type 96 has a classic wheeled APC layout. The driver and commander are seated in tandem on the right of the engine. The troop compartment makes up the rear of the vehicle. It seats 8 soldiers and can be accessed through the roof hatches and rear ramp.
Firepower
The Type 96 is armed with either a 40mm Type 96 automatic grenade launcher or 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun. Either weapon is mounted on the commander's cupola and can be fired under full armor protection.
Protection
The steel hull provides protection against small arms fire and shell splinters. It is possible that the Type 96 may resist heavy machine gun fire over the frontal arc. Equipment includes a laser warning device, NBC system and two banks of four smoke grenade launchers.
Mobility
The 8x8 chassis provides very good mobility on roads and good mobility in all but the most difficult terrain. Steering is over the four forward wheels and a central tire pressure system is fitted. The 360hp Mitsubishi diesel engine provides a maximum road speed of 100 km/h.
Users
Like all Japanese military production the Type 96 is only used by Japan and is not available for export. The Type 96 was adopted in 1996, but series production commenced after 2001. A total of 500 vehicles is to be acquired.
Type 96
The Type 96 is a conventional 8x8 armored personnel carrier. It can be distinguished from foreign models by the large flat vertical sides. Unlike foreign 8x8 APC designs the Type 96 doesn't have a large number of variants. The models that do exist feature only minor differences.
Type 96, Type A: Standard armored personnel carrier version used to transport infantry on the battlefied. The Type A version is armed with the 40mm Type 96 automatic grenade launcher.
Type 96, Type B: The Type B model is virtually identical to the Type A except for the armament. The Type B features a 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun.
Type 96, NBC: Planned NBC reconnaissance version to supplement the Type 82. Carries special equipment and specialists instead of infantry.
- Specifications:
- Type 96
Type | Armored personnel carrier |
---|---|
Crew | 2 + 8 (commander, driver, 8 soldiers) |
Length | 6.84 m |
Width | 2.48 m |
Height | 1.85 m |
Ground clearance | ? |
Weight | 14.6 t combat load |
Ground pressure | ? |
Wheelbase | Wheeled chassis, 8x8 |
Turn radius | ? |
Engine | Mitsubishi 6D40 water-cooled 6-cylinder diesel, 360 hp |
Power ratio | 24.7 hp/t |
---|---|
Transmission | ? |
Speed | 100 km/h on road |
Fuel | ? |
Range | 500 km on road |
Wall | ? |
Trench | ? |
Gradient | ? |
Fording | ? |
Armor | ? |
NBC equipment | Yes |
Night vision | Yes, passive for driver |
---|---|
Smoke | 2x4 smoke grenade dischargers |
Remarks | - |
Armament | 40mm Type 96 automatic grenadr launcher, or 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun |
Weapon1 | 40mm Type 96 automatic grenadr launcher or 12.7mm M2HB heavy machine gun |
Weapon2 | - |
Weapon3 | - |
Weapon4 | - |
Weapon5 | - |
Weapon6 | - |