The first concept for a Japanese wheeled chassis mounting a 105 mm cannon appeared with the (将来装輪戦闘車両) program in 2003. The program was centered around a universal wheeled chassis mounting a variety of weaponry including a 40 mm CTA cannon, 120 mm mortar system, 155 mm howitzer, and a 105 mm cannon. The Future Combat Vehicle program was cancelled due to development expenses, but the concept for a 105 mm cannon would be expanded upon in the Light Combat Vehicle Program. The LCV program was a technology demonstration to explore the viability of multiple concepts that would possibly be integrated into the maneuver combat vehicle development. These include IED and mine resistance, individual motors inside of the wheels, air transportability inside of a C-2 and
Lockheed C-130 Hercules, passive hydro-pneumatic suspension to reduce recoil and a double action low recoil cannon that could provide indirect and direct fire. Initial designs for the LCV called for a 6x6 design, 99 MCVs were originally planned to be introduced by the end of FY 2018. (though these plans, as with the original plans for the MCV, were as of mid-2015 under review and subject to possible major revision. The intention is for the MCV to act as both as a rapid reaction asset against
conventional incursions on the outer islands and as a
counter-insurgency vehicle against
asymmetrical attacks in urban areas of Japan by enemy special forces, intelligence operatives, or their
proxies. The MCV was part of a new armored vehicle strategy that prioritized light
air-transportable firepower. Originally the number of
main battle tanks was to be reduced from 760 to 390, with most remaining tanks to be concentrated on the main Japanese islands of
Hokkaido and
Kyushu. Some 200–300 MCVs were to be procured and these would be airlifted to islands when and where they were needed. The idea was that the smaller, lighter, and faster MCV could be redeployed quicker than tanks to better defend the outlying islands. This represented a shift in Japanese armored vehicle structure from one designed to repel a
Soviet invasion from the north to a more mobile force aimed at possibly defending against a Chinese invasion of the southern island chain. The MCV was intended to help re-equip existing divisions and brigades reorganised into mobile (rapid reaction) divisions/brigades, as well as equip new dedicated rapid reaction regiments alongside (eventually) the
light-weight combat vehicle (LCV) which was also designed with defense of the outer islands in mind. On March 15, 2023, ATLA announced that 250 MCVs will be brought into JGSDF service. == Variants ==