The Japanese Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced it is to start procuring two new types of small arms for the infantry units of the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF) in FY2023, Shinichi Kiyotani reports on European Security and Defence website. The new procurement includes the acquisition of Belgian FN Herstal MINIMI Mk3 light machine guns and German G28 sniper rifles.
The Japanese MoD has selected the FN Herstal Minimi Mk3 squad support weapon, as the Minimi (B), to fill the shortfall in the procurement of the 5.56 mm Minimi Mk1 currently produced under licence by Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI) and will procure 514 such weapons for JPY 920 M over the next financial year, Shinichi Kiyotani reports. Additionally, anti-heat bags for spare barrels (to allow the weapon crew to reposition while carrying hot barrels), and dustproof carrier bags (which were not adopted for the Mk1), will be included in the purchase. An advantage in selecting the Mk3, industry sources noted, is that it shares the same barrel as the Minimi Mk1. With SHI withdrawing from machine gun production, the Minimi Mk3 is being procured directly from FN in Belgium.
Japan’s Ground Staff Office has announced it will procure 3,100 Minimi Mk3s, at a unit cost of