Howa Type 89
| Howa Type 89 | |
|---|---|
The Type 89 Assault Rifle
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| Type | Assault rifle |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1989—present |
| Used by | Japan Self-Defense Forces, Japan Coast Guard, Said to be with the Special Assault Team in certain quantities |
| Wars | Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Defense Agency Technical Research and Development Institute |
| Manufacturer | Howa |
| Unit cost |
¥347,000 (1998) ¥325,800 (2005) |
| Produced | 1989—present |
| Number built | 163,706 |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) |
| Length | 916 mm (36.1 in), (670 mm (26.4 in) with Howa Type 89-F) |
| Barrel length | 420 mm (16.5 in) |
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| Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 750 rounds/min |
| Muzzle velocity | 920 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 500 m |
| Feed system | 20/30-round detachable STANAG Magazines |
| Sights | Iron sights; optical sights can be placed with weaver or Picatinny railing mount |
The Howa Type 89 Assault Rifle (89式小銃 howa-hachi-kyū-shiki-syōjū?), referred to as the type 89 5.56mm rifle (89式5.56mm小銃 hachi-kyū-shiki-go-ten-go-roku-miri-syōjū?), is a Japanese assault rifle used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Japan Coast Guard's Special Security Team units, and the Special Assault Team. It was never exported outside Japan due to its strict anti-hardware export policy. It is known in JGSDF service as Buddy.
It has replaced the Howa Type 64 battle rifle in frontline units.
During the Vietnam War, the United States military replaced the M14 with the M16 for a variety of reasons, one of the most important being the advantage of increased rate of fire, light weight, and lower recoil of the 5.56×45mm NATO round over the larger 7.62×51mm NATO round. Despite the fact that this shortened the effective range of the average infantryman during a firefight, the 5.56×45mm round (SS109) eventually became the standard of ammunition type for all NATO member assault rifles. In accordance with this, the Japanese Defense Agency began development on their next generation assault rifle to replace the 7.62×51mm Type 64 battle rifle after its 25-year span of service.
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