Military Vehicles [Japan]: Komatsu LAV (陸上自衛隊)

Description

The Komatsu Light Armored Vehicle/LAV (Japanese: 軽装甲機動車 - Keisoukoukidousha) were first produced in 2002 by Komatsu Ltd. Defense Systems Division in Komatsu, Ishikawa, Japan. It is used exclusively by the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces/JGSDF (Japanese: 陸上自衛隊, Rōmaji: Rikujō Jieitai). The vehicle has a passing resemblance to the French Panhard VBL that are in current use by the French army, albeit in a four-door form. The Komatsu LAV was developed in 1997 to meet a JGSDF need for an armored wheeled vehicle that could provide armored protection since their Toyota High Mobility Vehicles (the Mega Cruisers) and Mitsubishi Type 73 Light Trucks (Mitsubishi Pajero-based military vehicles) were not adequate to provide protection from small arms fire. The vehicle saw extensive use in Japan's involvement in the Second Iraq War (USA's Operation Iraqi Freedom) as part of the Japanese Iraq Reconstruction and Support Group (Japanese: 自衛隊イラク派遣 じえいたいイラクはけん - Jietaiirakuhaken), a battalion-sized, largely humanitarian contingent of the Japan Self-Defense Forces that was sent to Samawah, Southern Iraq in early January 2004 and withdrawn by late July 2006. Sources: en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org Music: Musicshake - Ride on Em

Keywords

Komatsu, Light, Armored, Vehicle, LAV, Japan, Ground, Self, Defense, Force, Japanese, High, Mobility, Multipurpose, Wheeled, HMMWV, Humvee, Hummer

Related videos ^Experimental