Japan develops new tracked infantry fighting vehicles with 360-degree counter-drone suite.

Documents shared on X on November 4, 2025, indicate Japan’s Ministry of Defense is evaluating counter-drone self-protection on new Common Platform Tracked infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier variants. The effort aims to give frontline units near-term defenses against quadcopters and loitering munitions, improving survivability and freedom of maneuver.

Japan is moving to harden its next tracked combat vehicles against small drones, according to program materials published on X by @Military_Hobbys. The documents describe 35-ton and 33-ton Common Platform Tracked variants that integrate four MESA sensor panels around the turret to create a continuous detection ring that can cue the main gun for drone engagement. Tokyo has not issued a formal announcement, but the push aligns with ongoing Ground Self-Defense Force counter-UAS field experiments, including a laser C-UAS prototype shown publicly in late 2024, and with Japan’s broader exploration of new tracked combat platforms and turret concepts in recent years.
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The IFV option uses a remote turret similar to the Type 24 and retains the 30 mm Mk 44 Bushmaster as the primary weapon (Picture source: X Channel @Military_Hobbys)

The IFV option uses a remote turret similar to the Type 24 and retains the 30 mm Mk 44 Bushmaster as the primary weapon. Airburst timing is part of the concept of employment. The documentation mentions Mk 310 ammunition with a preset detonation point, intended to defeat small multirotors in clutter or behind masking. The APC variant mounts the M230LF on the RS6 remote weapon station already seen on upgraded Type 10 tanks. In this configuration the gun fires 30×113 mm rounds with radio fuzes, a different ballistic family with the same end state: fragment the target within its flight envelope without long bursts or waste of ammunition.

Each vehicle shows four MESA panels fixed to the turret faces for continuous coverage. The concept aligns with Ku-band cognitive MESA radars of the EchoShield type, advertised at 15.4 to 16.6 GHz, with a 130 by 90 degree field of view and a 10 Hz track update rate. A unit in this class weighs about 19 kg, draws less than 250 W in operation, and outputs data over 10 Gbps Ethernet, parameters compatible with a turret installation constrained by power and volume. The Japanese drawings do not identify a supplier, but the bands, formats, and published performance match the needs of a tracked vehicle under EMCON or on the move. Four faces remove blind arcs common to single-aperture C-UAS kits.

The Common Platform Tracked line is intended to replace the Type 73 APC and the Type 89 IFV, which entered service in small numbers BITD, around 68 units. The new plans show the 35-ton IFV with a remote turret, while the 33-ton APC keeps a lower profile under the RS6 station. Both carry distributed radar antennas and associated fire-control links. The concept implements a layered defense in which detection, tracking, cueing, and kinetic defeat reside on the vehicle rather than depending on a separate SHORAD battery after first contact.

Four radar faces do more than drone search. Continuous staring creates a localized Recognized Air Picture and feeds a richer RMP/COP at battalion level. The panels can provide discrimination and update rates needed for a hard-kill active protection system. If the architecture preserves power and I/O margins, the same MESA network can handle APS functions at millisecond scale while tracking MALE-class UAVs at longer slant ranges. This compresses the sensor stack and eases interoperability with dismounted teams and adjacent vehicles.

At the tactical level, the equipment changes daily practice for squad leaders. Very short-range UAVs no longer force a halt under cover while another asset hunts the track. Turret sensors detect in all quadrants, the gunner receives an automatic solution, and a suggested burst length. Airburst settings cover a gap where plain HE-T struggles against small rotors. With four faces, the vehicle maintains coverage during traverse and rapid slews to engage ground targets. The APC variant uses the same sensor-to-shooter loop with a lighter cannon and radio-fuzed round suited to brief exposures from defilade. In both cases, the crew can remain under EMCON, emitting only when required, an offset to adversary EW that attempts to cue artillery onto emitters. For commanders, the primary effect is tempo. Platoons keep movement, maintain spacing, and protect the column against quadcopters that try to fix vehicles for top-attack munitions.

In the Indo-Pacific, littoral and dense urban terrain impose short reaction times. Vehicles able to generate a local picture, share a minimal COP, and deny an adversary persistent ISR complicate PLA and DPRK planning. If development proceeds with open architectures, integration into joint air-defense networks remains possible while retaining autonomy when links degrade. Partners in the Asia-Pacific and Europe will observe trials for technical choices on onboard C-UAS, the power-volume-link balance, and the use of MESA for UAV detection and potentially for a hard-kill APS. The message is practical survivability at a scale that armies can actually field.