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Japanese Type 99 88mm AA gun
Japanese Type 99 88mm AA gun
	Type 99 88 mm AA gun
Type	Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1939–1945 (to include captured Chinese SKC/30 units)
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	World War II
Production history
Produced	1942-1945
No. built	946
Specifications
Mass	6.5 tons
Barrel length	3.959 m (12 ft 11.9 in), L/45
Caliber	88 millimetres (3.5 in)
Barrels	single
Elevation	-11° to +80°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	15 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)
Effective firing range	10,420 m (34,190 ft)
Maximum firing range	15,700 m (51,500 ft)

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun (九九式八糎高射砲, Kyūkyū-shiki hassenchi Koshahō) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. The Type 99's number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2599 in the Japanese imperial year calendar (1939 in the Gregorian calendar).^[2]

History and development

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces captured a number of German-made SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns from the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China. These weapons were originally 88 mm SKC/30 naval dual-purpose guns for Germany's Kriegsmarine,^[3] and should not be confused with the more famous FlaK 88 mm anti-aircraft gun.^[4]

Realizing the superiority of this design in terms of range and firepower over the domestic Type 88 75 mm AA gun, the Japanese Army Technical Bureau quickly reverse engineered it and placed it into production when the Type 88 anti-aircraft gun began to show increasing obsolescence against modern military aircraft. Approximately 946 units were built.^[5]

Design

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun had a mono-block gun barrel, semi-automatic vertical sliding breech block, and hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. The firing platform was supported by five legs, each of which (along with the central pedestal) had adjustable screwed foot for leveling. The gun barrel could easily be removed from the breech end-piece, and the entire assembly could be broken down into six separate assemblies for ease of transportation. It fired a 9 kilograms (20 lb) high explosive projectile to an effective altitude of 10,420 metres (34,190 ft). Armor-piercing shells were also developed for potential anti-tank use.^[6]

Projectiles

High-explosive –　9 kg (19 lb 13 oz)
Incendiary – 9.5 kg (20 lb 15 oz)
Armor-piercing – 10 kg (22 lb 1 oz)

Combat record

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun was primarily deployed in defense of the Japanese home islands against Allied air raids and against the perceived threat of Allied invasion.^[7]

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b Ness 2014, p. 186.
^ War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944 p 400
^ Taki's Imperial Japanese Army – Type 99 88mm AA Gun
^ Ness 2014, p. 188.
^ Ness 2014, pp. 186, 188.
^ Bishop, The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. ^{[page needed]}
^ Rottman, The Japanese Army in World War II. p. 40

Bibliography

Bishop, Chris (eds) The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Barnes & Nobel. 1998. ISBN 0-7607-1022-8
Chant, Chris. Artillery of World War II, Zenith Press, 2001, ISBN 0-7603-1172-2
McLean, Donald B. Japanese Artillery; Weapons and Tactics. Wickenburg, Ariz.: Normount Technical Publications 1973. ISBN 0-87947-157-3
Ness, Leland (2014). Guide to Japanese Ground Forces 1937–1945: Volume 2: Weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army & Navy Ground Forces. Helion & Company. ISBN 978-19099-8275-8.
Rottman, Gordon L. The Japanese Army in World War II. Osprey (2005) ISBN 1-84176-870-7
War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944