Revealed publicly in 2019, Japan's first domestic wheeled self-propelled howitzer, designated Type 19
armed with a 155mm caliber gun promises to bring new fighting power to the country's artillery force
The system was developed in 2013 to replace the FH-70 field howitzer
In 2019, the first batch of 7 units was delivered
Basically, the Japanese Type 19 looks very similar to the French CAESAR
The main advantage of the system is with firepower similar to existing towed and self-propelled artillery systems
but with greater strategic mobility and faster reaction times
Compared to the towed FH70, the wheeled howitzer is designed to be mobile and networked to a Firing Command and Control System
which receives targeting information from artillery observers
The Type 19 is based on a MAN Military 8x8 military truck chassis with the crew cabin at the front and one 155mm howitzer mounted at the rear
The crew cab seems to be fitted with armor to provide protection against firing of small arms 7.62mm calibers and artillery shell splinters
The Type 19 has a crew of five with three soldiers seated in the crew cab and two additional seats in a cabin located in the middle of the truck chassis
This artillery system is armed with a 155 mm ordnance
The same ordnance is used by the Japanese Type 99 self-propelled howitzer
It is a longer version of the FH-70 155 mm field howitzer
Maximum range of fire is 30 km with a standard High Explosive Fragmentation shell and approximately 38 km with rocket assisted shell
Maximum rate of fire is around 6 rounds per minute
As for the French CAESAR, the Type 19 seems to be equipped with a main fire-control computer located in the crew
The rear four wheels are raised clear of the ground so that the large spade absorbs all the firing stresses
Mobility is powered by a MAN DF2066 LF34 10.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine, with 440 hp
This vehicle has good off road mobility and can travel over difficult terrain
Still though it is not as capable off road as the Type 99 with its tracked chassis
However due to its wheeled chassis the Type 19 can rapidly self-deploy over significant distances
Such wheeled howitzers are typically used by rapid deployment forces. Type 19 can reach a maximum speed of 88 km/h, a range of 800 km