6. Japan’s Komatsu LAV
Producer: Komatsu
the Japan Self-Defense Force as the main user
Expense: $270,000*
First produced in 2002, the Komatsu is a type of light armored vehicle solely used by the Japan Self-Defense Force. Similar to the Panhard VBL employed by the French Army, the Komatsu LAV (factory designation: KU50W) is distinguished from it by having four doors and a larger cabin that is intended for carrying soldiers.
Komatsu LAV ©Wikimedia.org/Hunini
When the JGSDF sent the vehicle to Samawah, Iraq, for humanitarian missions, the KLAV made its public debut in Kuwait. The Mitsubishi Light Trucks and the Toyota High Mobility Vehicles were not as protected against small weapons fire as the KLAV.
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