[Japanese Morooka Engineering Vehicle Makes Debut on Ukraine Frontline]
In a recent video, a Japanese-made Morooka PC-065B engineering vehicle—a tracked vehicle weighing five tons with a cargo platform and three-ton crane—made its first appearance on the Ukraine frontline (as shown in Figure One).
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, Japan has pledged approximately $1 billion in aid to Ukraine. Although this assistance is often labeled as "non-lethal," it is crucial for Ukrainian forces on the frontlines. The PC-065B can carry three tons of weight when traversing muddy terrain and swamps. For Ukrainian infantry at a numerical disadvantage, it is an ideal choice for constructing defensive fortifications.
As early as May 2023, the Japanese government promised to provide a batch of 101 vehicles to Kyiv, including Toyota trucks and some PC-065Bs. Weeks later, these vehicles began arriving in Ukraine via Poland.
Although the PC-065B lacks armor protection and armament, it plays a significant role on the frontline, posing risks not only to the vehicles but also to their operators—and indirectly inflicts equivalent damage on Russian forces.
With its excellent mobility in muddy terrain, spacious cargo platform, and crane, the PC-065B helps engineering troops construct bunkers and other defensive structures, enabling numerically disadvantaged Ukrainian infantry to survive artillery and drone strikes and repel fierce Russian offensives.
The PC-065B joins hundreds of similar logistical vehicles used by the Ukrainian military. Some are optimized for construction tasks, while others are better suited for cargo transport or ambulance duties. Australia's M-113AS4, Sweden's BV-206 and BVS-10, and Norway's NM199 are all tracked vehicles that are relatively lightweight for their size, providing excellent performance in the gelatinous mud commonly found in spring in Ukraine's countryside. This same mobility is useful year-round in Ukraine's southern marshlands.
The use of the BVS-10 as an ambulance in the newly formed 40th Ukrainian Marine Corps Brigade, which is responsible for defending the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast, is not without reason. The downside of these lightweight vehicles is that they are highly vulnerable to Russian drones, artillery, and any type of firepower. Over the course of three years of intense fighting, Ukraine has lost about 15 tracked support vehicles. The losses currently do not include the Japanese-made PC-065B.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828906193070220/
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