Type 98 20 mm AA Machine Cannon
From Self-sufficiency
| Type 98 20 mm anti-aircraft machine cannon | |
|---|---|
| 300px A Type 98 20 mm cannon at the China People's Revolution Military Museum. Note the gun has no magazine fitted. | |
| Type | Autocannon |
| Place of origin |  Japan
|
| Service history | |
| In service | 1938–1945 |
| Used by | Japan
|
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Number built | 2,500 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 373 kg |
| Barrel length | 1.4 m (L70) |
| | |
| Shell | 20 mm |
| Caliber | 20 mm |
| Action | Gas operated |
| Carriage | Two wheeled split trail. |
| Elevation | -5° to +85° |
| Traverse | 360° |
| Rate of fire | 300 rounds/min (maximum) 120 rounds/min (practical) |
| Muzzle velocity | 830 m/s |
| Maximum range | 5,500 m (horizontal) 3,500 m (altitude) |
| Feed system | 20 round box |
The Type 98 20 mm AA Machine Cannon was the most common light anti-aircraft gun of the Imperial Japanese Army. About 80% of IJA light AA guns were Type 98. It entered service in 1938 and first saw combat in Nomonhan. It was used until the end of the Second World War.
The gun can be emplaced in about 3 minutes by an experienced crew or fired inaccurately from its wheels.
This weapon and its variants were based on the German/Swiss design of the Oerlikon 20 mm cannon of the 1930s, which the Japanese forces had bought and further developed at home.
Ammunition
- Type 100 Armour piercing tracer. Weight 162 g projectile and 431 g complete round.
- Type 100 High-explosive tracer (with self destruct). Weight 136 g projectile and 405 g complete round.
References
- US Army field manual at hyperwar.org
- Intelligence briefing at lonesentry.com
- Japanese Artillery weapons and tactics, Donald B. McLean, ISBN 0-87947-157-3
External links
File:Japanese Type 98 20 mm Anti-aircraft gun.gif
A drawing of a Type 98 20 mm gun from a US Army field manual
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