(Type 87 RCV prototype image). After WWII, the Japanese armed forces were dependent on American supplies to equip a new army, called the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF). This dependence meant that the supplied equipment was not the most suitable for Japanese needs due to its harsh terrain and a devastated road network. This was the case for the reconnaissance units, which were provided with a few outdated M-8 Greyhound and M-20 AUC wheeled vehicles. Finally, in the late 1970s, it was decided to remedy this situation and studies were started for a new armed reconnaissance vehicle more suitable for these missions, which in recent years were carried out with motorcycles and light off-road vehicles.Studies carried out in the late 1970s demonstrated that wheeled vehicles had the same mobility capabilities as many tracked vehicles on rough roads and highways. The Komatsu Type 82 Command Vehicle was introduced in early 1982, and in 1983 two prototypes of a new reconnaissance vehicle were ordered from Komatsu Limited. Komatsu used much of the mechanical components from the underside of the Type 82 hull and designed a new 6×6 vehicle fitted with a turret with a 25mm gun. Technical testing of the prototype began in 1985, and practical testing began in 1986. Finally, in 1987, the vehicle was accepted for service under the designation “Type 87 Reconnaissance Combat Vehicle”.The Type 87 is designated “87RCV” or “Black Eye” by the Japanese Ministry of Defense, although the troops simply call it “RCV”. The internal layout of the Type 87 is quite special and comprises the driver and forward scout compartment in the front of the hull, the fighting compartment with the turret in the middle, and the rear part, with the engine on the right and the rear scout on the left. The vehicle also has two access/emergency doors. One is on the right side of the vehicle, between the first and second wheels, and serves the commander, gunner, driver and front scout. The second is on the left side of the vehicle, between the second and third wheels, is equipped with a small observation block and serves the rear scout.This vehicle carries a crew of five: driver, commander, gunner, forward scout/radio operator and rear scout. The driver sits on the right side of the front with the radio operator on the left and both have their own hatch covers, the driver’s with three periscopes and the radio operator with a front periscope. The driver’s central periscope includes an IR device for night driving. The commander sits on the right of the turret and has a roof-mounted sight and 6 observation periscopes in his hatch cover. The gunner sits on the left in the turret and has a single combined observation/targeting night/day sight in front of his hatch cover. The rear scout sits in the rear facing backwards and enters the vehicle through a small rear access door and also has a hatch on the hull roof equipped with a single rearward-facing periscope and a television camera mounted on the left side of the rear.The Type 87 RCV is powered by a water-cooled V10 Isuzu 10PBI diesel engine that develops 305 hp and allows it to reach 100 km/h on road, with a maximum range of 500 km. The engine is coupled to a manual transmission with six forward and one reverse speed. The suspension is made up of coil springs on each wheel. It has 6×6 traction although normally it uses 6×4 with the last two axles being the tractors. The steering operates on the two front axles and the 6 tires are bulletproof with reinforced sides, allowing the vehicle to run with one of them damaged. It also has a central tire inflation system to adjust the pressure to soft ground and improve mobility. The Type 87 RCV is not amphibious but can cross water courses up to 1 meter deep without preparation. For driving on public roads the Type 87 has a removable windscreen which makes driving easier, allowing the driver to drive with his head out of the hull in bad weather.The hull and turret are made of fully welded rolled steel plates and offer protection against small arms fire and shell splintering. The vehicle carries two automatic fire extinguishers and has no NBC protection. As for armament, the Type 87 RCV has a 25/80mm KBA-B02 gun mounted in the turret. This gun is a copy of the Swiss Oerlikon 25mm Contraves gun and is manufactured under license by Japan Steel Works. The gun has a dual feed system and has a maximum rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, can fire at an elevation angle of -10º to +45º and the traverse is 360º.The 25mm gun uses an APDS-T (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer) and a HE (High-Explosive) round, although it can use the full range of NATO 25mm rounds. The APDS-T round has a muzzle velocity of 1,335 m/s and can penetrate 25mm of RHA armour at a 30º inclination from 2,000 metres away. In addition to the gun, the Type 87 carries a coaxially mounted 7.62mm Type 74 machine gun, and four Type 3 or Type 4 smoke grenade dischargers are mounted on either side of the turret. Ammunition carried is 400 rounds of 25mm (140 ready to use) and 4,000 rounds of 7.62mm (400 ready to use). An anti-tank rocket/grenade launcher with some ammunition is usually carried in the area where the rear scout is located.In 1988, the first 7 vehicles of an initial order of 60 units were delivered and after that the delivery schedule has been really irregular and it has lasted for 26 years!, something that seems to be the norm in Japan, as it happened with the deliveries of the Type 89 IFV. According to data from the Japanese Ministry of Defense, from 1987 to 2013, 111 Type 87 RCVs had been purchased, of these, 87 were delivered between 1987 and 1995 and the other 24 were delivered between 1996 and 2013, at an average of 1.33 vehicles per year!. It seems that currently (2024) all 111 vehicles are still in service and are deployed in a couple of Ground Forces Schools and in platoons, squadrons and reconnaissance companies belonging to various Brigades and Divisions of the JGSDF.
