Komatsu Type
96 Mortar Carrier
Notes: The Type
96 Mortar Carrier was developed at the same time as the Type 96 APC, and is a
Type 96 APC with modular modifications to outfit it for its role as a mortar
carrier. As stated, the
modifications are modular; the modifications may be removed easily, replaced
with APC-type components, and be turned back into a Type 96 APC.
This marks the first time that the JGDSF has fielded a mortar carrier in
large numbers since World War 2.
It has not been exported, like most Japanese weapons, but has seen combat
service in Afghanistan and Iraq during Japan’s short-lived participation in
ISAF.
Since it is
modular-fit mortar carrier, the Type 96 mortar carrier retains many of the same
components as the Type 96 APC. The
Type 96’s mortar is the Israeli Soltam K-6 (actually, it is the US version of
the K-6, the M-120), which is license-produced in Japan.
(Sort of a double license there; the US has permission to build mortars
for Japan, who license-produce them from the US.)
Unlike previous Japanese mortar carriers, the Type 96 carries a decent
amount of ready ammunition for its mortar.
The chassis and hull of the type 96 APC remains largely the same; the
firing ports of the Type 96 are retained, though the rearmost ports are blocked
by mortar ammunition storage. The
overhead hatch for the mortar is the same hatch used by the APC version, and the
Type 96 Mortar Carrier retains the power-operated rear ramp with a smaller door
set in it. As with the APC, the
Type 96 Mortar Carrier has numerous tie-down points for troop, supply, or combat
equipment strapped to the sides of the vehicle.
The driver is in the front right side of the vehicle at the top of the
glacis, and has three vision blocks to his front.
(Early photos show the driver of the Type 96 with a fourth vision block
to the right of the driver, but Type 96s used by Japanese troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan have only the three frontal vision blocks.) The center vision block
can be removed and replaced with a night vision block.
For service in Afghanistan, a bullet-resistant windshield was fitted to the
driver’s position that covered the front and sides of the driver’s position,
allowing him to drive with his head out of the vehicle in relative safety. (This
windshield has AV 4).
The engine
is to the left of the driver. The
commander is behind and to the right (centered) of the driver; he may be armed
with a Type 96 AGL (Type 96A) or an M-2HB fitted with a QCB kit (Type 96B).
The commander can aim and fire his weapon (though not reload it) while
ducked down into the hatch or while the vehicle is buttoned up. The commander’s
weapons can be aimed using a simple 1x reticule with illumination; this reticule
is superimposed on the commander’s front vision block. The commander’s front
vision block can also be overlaid with one of two night vision devices. The crew
in the rear can use the front-most firing ports.
Though Komatsu and the JGSDF insist that the rear ramp has two firing
ports in it, photographic evidence (taken in Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, and in
Defense Exhibits) says otherwise, though it’s possible that Komatsu intends to
add them later.
The smoke grenades, four per side, are found on each side of the forward side of
the vehicle. The fighting
compartment includes three seats for the rest of the mortar crew.
(The standard Type 96 APC infantrymen’s seats remain, though most of the
length is folded up and strapped in the up position.)
The armor of the
Type 96 Mortar Carrier is of all-welded steel, but it is a bit more advanced
than older APCs, and the Japanese are considering adding MEXAS-type appliqué
composite armor to the Type 96 in the future. The vehicle uses a Komatsu 6D40
turbocharged diesel developing 640 horsepower coupled to an automatic
transmission, and is reportedly quite easy to drive.
The suspension is 8x8 and of the off-road-type, and steers with the front
set and rear set of wheels steering independently to tighten the turning radius.
Tires are both run-flat and puncture-resistant. A mortar ballistic
computer is standard on the Type 96 mortar carrier, as is a GPS and a
self-surveying unit. Another small
computer is carried, allowing it to generate its own fire solutions and
containing a mapping program. The Type 96 Mortar Carrier can also serve as a
faux FDC if necessary. The Type 96
Mortar carrier has a medium-range radio for general use, and a long-range
data-capable radio for use if range is a problem or to receive and transmit
information.
Twilight 2000
Notes: Though in the Twilight 2000
timeline, the Type 96 APC and Type 96 Mortar Carrier entered production earlier
than in real life (in 1994), only 60 examples of the Type 96 (40 APCs/Subtypes
and 20 Mortar Carriers) were produced.
In the Twilight 2000 timeline, these vehicles are called the Type 94.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
Type 96A |
$508,908 |
D, A |
650 kg |
15.5 tons |
5 |
10 |
Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G) |
Shielded |
Type 96B |
$491,991 |
D, A |
650 kg |
15.5 tons |
5 |
10 |
Passive IR (D, G), Image Intensification (G) |
Shielded |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
Type 96A/B |
183/92 |
42/22 |
360 |
204 |
Stnd |
W(6) |
HF12Sp HS6Sp
HR6 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control* |
Stabilization* |
Armament |
Ammunition |
Type 96A |
+1 |
Basic |
120mm M-120 Mortar, Mk 19 (C) |
45x120mm, 375x40mm |
Type 96B |
+1 |
Basic |
120mm M-120 Mortar, M-2HB (C) |
45x120mm, 1200x.50 |
*These modifiers apply only to the commander’s weapon, and not to the mortar.
Mitsubishi
SU-60-Based Mortar Carriers
Notes: Soon
after the SU-60 APC went into production in the 1950s, the Japanese began
development of mortar carriers based on the SU-60.
This had mixed results; it produced viable self-propelled mortar
carriers, but the base SU-60 chassis is small and there isn’t a lot of room for
ready operation or for the crew to operate the mortar, not to mention much room
for ready ammunition. This makes
ammunition-hauling vehicles vital to these mortar carriers’ operations, as they
carry virtually all the ammunition, fuzes, and charges for the mortar carriers’
bombardments. As a result, the two
SU-60-based mortar carriers that were built were small (only 18 of each were
produced), and until the mid-1990s, the JGSDF for the most part operated without
mortar carriers, using ground-mounted mortars instead or relying on howitzer
fire.
The two mortar
carriers were developed and built in tandem.
The SV-60 variant is armed with an M-29 81mm mortar.
The mortar is mounted in the same manner as most such vehicles, facing to
the rear and firing over the back of the vehicle.
The SV-60 provides the mortar with elevations from +40 to +85 degrees,
and traverse of 40 degrees to either side of the centerline. The interior of the
SV-60, despite the small amount of on-board ammunition, is quite cramped, and
though there are seats in the rear for two of the crewmembers, there is little
room for much else; as with most such vehicles, the outside of the vehicle
becomes festooned with crew, spare, and combat equipment. The bow machinegun and
gunner are retained, though the gun barbette and the vision blocks are basically
surrounded by the bipod and baseplate used for ground-mounting the mortar away
from the vehicle.
The SX-60 is the
same basic idea as the SV-60, but it is armed with an M-30 4.2” (107mm) mortar.
More modifications were required to mate the M-30 with the SU-60 chassis;
inside the vehicle, the floor slopes somewhat, and externally, the rear of the
vehicle also angles down. This was
done to ensure the M-30 has enough room when it is dropped into carry position,
and to ensure that the crew isn’t in danger from muzzle blast when the mortar is
firing. The mortar has elevation
ranges from +37 to +65 degrees, and a traverse of 40 degrees to the right or
left. The SX-60 also carries a
baseplate and bridge for ground-mounting; these are mounted (like the SV-60) on
the glacis. Unfortunately, these
items, especially the baseplate, are so large that the bow machinegun had to be
eliminated. The seat remains,
though the seat is simply another crewmember’s seat.
Instead of the standard two hatches in the rear face, the SX-60 is
equipped with a power-operated ramp which makes feeding the SX-60 with 4.2”
ammunition easier. The SX-60 has the same problems with cramped onboard
conditions as does the SV-60.
In both cases,
the mortar carriers have the same thin welded steel armor as the SU-60 APC.
The driver is in the same position on the front right, with three vision
blocks to the front and a hatch above him.
The bow machinegunner of the SV-60 has a hatch overhead and spotting
sight to aim the machinegun which is integral to the machinegun ball mounting.
The SX-60’s equivalent position simply has the overhead hatch; the
machinegun and its ball mount are plated over and nothing like a vision block or
suchlike has been provided for his position.
Both versions also retain the commander’s position behind and center of
the driver’s and bow machinegunner’s positions.
The commander’s position also retains the all-around vision blocks and
the pintle-mounted machinegun, along with its distinctive frontal gun shield
(equivalent to AV 2). The rear deck hatch is slightly enlarged, and consists of
two pieces opening to the right and left.
The SV-60 has the same two hatches in the rear face as the SU-60; the
SX-60 has a ramp, as noted above.
These mortar carriers are equipped with a Mitsubishi 8 HA 21 WT turbocharged
diesel, and a manual transmission.
Suspension consists of conventional torsion bars, with three out of the five
roadwheels on each side having shock absorbers.
The SV-60 and SX-60 are not amphibious.
In general, the
SV-60 and SX-60 were sort of “neglected” by the JGSDF; they received very little
in the way of upgrades and most of those upgrades were done to maintain and keep
the vehicles running and the mortars they carried operational.
Vehicle |
Price |
Fuel Type |
Load |
Veh Wt |
Crew |
Mnt |
Night Vision |
Radiological |
SV-60 |
$99,918 |
D, A |
300
kg |
21.1
tons |
5 |
5 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
SX-60 |
$92,151 |
D, A |
290
kg |
21.9
tons |
5 |
11 |
Headlights |
Enclosed |
Vehicle |
Tr Mov |
Com Mov |
Fuel Cap |
Fuel Cons |
Config |
Susp |
Armor |
SV-60 |
143/100 |
33/23 |
370 |
123 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF5
HS3 HR3 |
SX-60 |
138/96 |
32/22 |
370 |
128 |
Stnd |
T2 |
HF5
HS3 HR3 |
Vehicle |
Fire Control |
Stabilization |
Armament |
Ammunition |
SV-60 |
None |
None |
81mm
M-29 or M-29A1 Mortar, Type 62 (F), M-2HB (C) |
24x81mm, 435x.50, 2200x7.62mm |
SX-60 |
None |
None |
4.2”
M-30 Rifled Mortar, M-2HB (C) |
8x4.2” Shells, 435x.50 |