Type 99 Light Machine Gun

Infobox Weapon
name= Type 99 Light Machine Gun
|

caption=Type 99 Light Machine Gun
origin=flagcountry|Empire of Japan
type=Light machine gun
is_ranged=yes
service=1939-1945
used_by=
wars=World War II
designer=Kijiro Nambu
design_date=1939
manufacturer=
production_date=1939-1945
number=
variants=
weight= 11.4 kg
length= 1181 mm
part_length= 550 mm
width=
height=
crew=
cartridge=7.7x58mm Arisaka
caliber=
action=Gas-operated
rate= 250 to 900 round/min
velocity=715 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
range=
max_range=
feed=30 round detachable box magazine
sights=

The nihongo|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. [Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II ]

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. [Meyer, The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan. pg.53 ] Both the Type 11 and Type 96 used the same 6.5x50mm Arisaka cartridges as the Type 38 rifle infantry rifle. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III] TM-E 30-480 (1945) ] 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 the basically 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. 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. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III] TM-E 30-480 (1945) ] 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. [ [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III] TM-E 30-480 (1945) ] 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. [ [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg54-e.htm] Modern Firearms ]

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. [Morse, "Japanese Small Arms of WW2; Light Machine Guns Models 11, 96, 99 97 & 92" ]

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. [ [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg54-e.htm] Modern Firearms ]

See also

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

References

*cite book|author= Bishop, Chris (eds) |title= The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II |publisher= Barnes & Nobel |year=1998|id= ISBN 0760710228
*cite book|author= Mayer, S.L. |title= The Rise and Fall of Imperial Japan |publisher= The Military Press |year=1984|id= ISBN 0517423138
*cite book|author=Morse, D.R. |title=Japanese Small Arms of WW2; Light Machine Guns Models 11, 96, 99 97 & 92 |publisher=Firing Pin Enterprizes |year=1996|id= ASIN: B000KFVGSU
*cite book|author=Popenker, Maxim |title=Machine Gun: The Development of the Machine Gun from the Nineteenth Century to the Present Day|publisher=Crowood |year=2008|id= ISBN 1847970303
*cite book|author=Rottman, Gordon L. |title=Japanese Infantryman 1937-1945|publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=2005|id= ISBN 1841768189
*

External links

* [http://world.guns.ru/machine/mg54-e.htm Modern Firearms]
* [http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/mg.htm Taki’s Imperial Japanese Army page]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/Japan/IJA/HB/HB-9.html#III US Technical Manual E 30-480]
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/japanese-model99-mg.html Japanese Model 99 MG Tactical and Technical Trends No. 35, U.S. War Department ]

Notes