Type 99 Light Machine Gun

Type 99 Light Machine Gun
Type 99 Light Machine Gun
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	Japan
Service history
In service	1939-1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	World War II, Korean War, Chinese Civil War, Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	Kijiro Nambu
Designed	1939
Produced	1939-1945
Specifications
Weight	11.4 kg
Length	1181 mm
Barrel length	550 mm
Cartridge	7.7x58mm Arisaka
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	450-500 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	715 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
Feed system	30 round detachable box magazine

The Type 99 Light Machine Gun (九九式軽機関銃, Kyūkyū-shiki Kei-kikanjū^?) was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II. ^[1]

History and development

The Type 96 Light Machine Gun, an improvement over the previous Type 11 Light Machine Gun was introduced into combat service in 1936, and quickly proved to be a versatile weapon to provide covering fire for advancing infantry. ^[2] Both the Type 11 and Type 96 used the same 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridges as the Type 38 rifle infantry rifle. ^[3] The system had the advantage that any squad member could supply ammunition for the light machine gun; however, as the Japanese army was switching from the Type 38 rifle to the Type 99 Rifle which used a 7.7 mm cartridge, it was necessary to develop a new version of the Type 96 light machine gun that would also be able to use this larger caliber.

Design

The Type 99 was basically the same design as the Type 96 light machine gun, and had a number of parts in common. However, it dispensed with the oiler and had better primary extraction, increasing reliability over its predecessors. Early models had a mono-pod at the stock and a flash suppressor on the muzzle, which was screwed onto a threaded portion of the gun barrel. ^[3] A top-mounted curved detachable box magazine held 30 rounds, and the finned gun barrel could be rapidly changed to avoid overheating.

The Type 99 had a blade front sight and a leaf rear sight, with graduations from 200 to 1,500 meters, with a wind adjustment. A 2.5X telescopic sight with a 10 degree field of view could be attached at the right side of the gun. ^[3] These were often issued to the best marksmen of the unit and occasionally employed like a sniper rifle. A standard infantry bayonet could be attached to the gas block below the barrel, but on the battlefield this feature proved inconsequental due to the weight of the gun and that the blade was largely obstructed by the flash hider when it was fixed on the muzzle. ^[4]

Combat record

The Type 99 came into active service in 1939, and was used side-by-side with the older Type 11 and Type 96, as these models had been produced in large quantities and many front line troops continued to use the Type 38 rifles with their 6.5 mm ammunition. All three weapons remained in service until the end of the war. ^[5]

Variants

A limited production version of the Type 99 was produced for paratroopers. It had a detachable stock and a forward-folding pistol grip. For deployment, the barrel and butt were detached from the gun, the pistol grip and bipod folded, and the entire set packed into a carrying bag. ^[4]

See also

• Mendoza RM2
• Lahti-Saloranta M/26
• FM-24/29
• Furrer M25
• Weibel M/1932
• Bren gun
• Charlton Automatic Rifle
• M1918 BAR

References

• Bishop, Chris (eds) (1998). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. ISBN 0760710228. 
• Mayer, S.L. (1984). The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. The Military Press. ISBN 0517423138. 
• Morse, D.R. (1996). Japanese Small Arms of WW2; Light Machine Guns Models 11, 96, 99 97 & 92. Firing Pin Enterprizes. ASIN: B000KFVGSU. 
• Popenker, Maxim (2008). Machine Gun: The Development of the Machine Gun from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day. Crowood. ISBN 1847970303. 
• Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). Japanese Infantryman 1937-1945. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1841768189. 
• US Department of War (1994 reprint). Handbook on Japanese Military Forces, TM-E 30-480 (1945). Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0807120138. 

The Type 99 Light Machine Gun was used most as an MG or for the head gunner in a Japanese squad. The Type 99's flash hider did a bad job. The Type 99 LMG was basically the same model as the Bren Gun, Czech Zb26,Type 96, and MG30, but the fire power and other mechanical uses are different. It takes an 7.7mm round and has already an scope. Each magazine to the Type 99 holds 32 or 30 bullets in it. The Type 99 has variants like the Type 99 rifle and others. Overall the Japanese did a good job on the MG.

External links

• Modern Firearms
• Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army page
• US Technical Manual E 30-480
• Japanese Model 99 MG Tactical and Technical Trends No. 35, U.S. War Department

Notes