Type 99 88 mm 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
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1938
Number built	approx 1,000
Specifications
Weight	6.5 tons
Barrel length	3.959 m (13 ft), or L/45
Caliber	88 millimetres (3.5 in)
Barrels	single
Elevation	-11° to +80°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	15 rpm
Muzzle velocity	800 m/s (2,600 ft/s)
Effective range	10,420 m (34,190 ft)
Maximum 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 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2599 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1939 in the Gregorian calendar.

History and development

During the Battle of Nanjing in 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 naval anti-aircraft weapons for the German Navy, and should not be confused with the more famous FlaK 88 mm anti-aircraft gun.

Quickly 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. Approximately 1000 units were built.

Design

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun had a single piece gun barrel with sliding breech and vertical sliding breech block. 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 9.0 kilogram high explosive projectile to an effective altitude of 10,420 meters. Armor-piercing warheads were also developed for potential anti-tank use.

Projectiles

• High-Explosive –　9.0 kg
• Incendiary – 9.5 kg
• Armor-Piercing – 10.0 kg

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.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• War Department TM-E-30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces September 1944
• 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.
• Rottman, Gordon L. The Japanese Army in World War II. Osprey (2005) ISBN 1-84176-870-7

External links

• Taki's Imperial Japanese Army
• NavWeapons.com