SHIZUOKA ¨C The Ground Self-Defense Force held a large-scale live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sunday, showcasing a Hyper Velocity Gliding Projectile (HVGP) launcher to the public for the first time.
The Type-25 HVGP missile system was deployed at the GSDF¡¯s Camp Fuji in the prefecture in March.
In the exercise, about 50 tanks participated and 69.5 tons of ammunition were used. Multiple GSDF units, including a surveillance unit using drones, conducted coordinated operations.
Meanwhile, a firing drill using the state-of-the-art Type-10 tank was canceled in the wake of a deadly shell explosion accident at the Hijudai training area in?Oita Prefecture in April.
In a drill defending against drone attacks, which have become an increasingly prominent fixture of warfare?in Ukraine and the Middle East, soldiers shot down flying drones with rifles.
Observing the exercise, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said, ¡°It¡¯s an urgent task to establish a new way of defending our country.¡±
About 3,000 GSDF troops attended the exercise. It was live-streamed online.
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