Type 88 75 mm AA Gun

Japanese Type 88 75mm AA Gun
Type 88 75mm AA Gun at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo
Type	Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1927–1945
Used by	Imperial Japanese Army
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War, Soviet-Japanese Border Wars, World War II
Production history
Designed	1925-1926
Number built	2000+
Specifications
Weight	2,450 kg (5,401 lb) Firing 2,740 kg (6,041 lb) Traveling
Length	5 m (16 ft 5 in) Firing 4 m (13 ft 1 in) Traveling
Barrel length	3.212 m (10 ft) L/44
Width	1.6 m (5 ft 3 in) Track 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Maximum firing
Height	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Crew	12 (min 4)
Shell	AA pointed shell, HE, shrapnel, smoke, incendiary, and illuminating
Caliber	75 mm
Barrels	single
Breech	Semiautomatic horizontal sliding
Recoil	Hydropneumatic, variable
Carriage	2 wheel 36 by 6 rubber tire, 90 psi
Elevation	0 to +85 Degrees
Traverse	360 Degrees
Rate of fire	15–20 rounds/minute
Muzzle velocity	720 m/s (2,400 ft/s)
Effective firing range	9,098 m (29,849 ft)

The Type 88 75 mm AA Gun (八八式七糎野戦高射砲, Hachi-hachi-shiki nana-senti Yasen Koshahō^?) was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War and World War II. The Type 88 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2588 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1928 in the Gregorian calendar. It replaced the earlier Type 11 75 mm AA Gun in front line combat service, and at the time was equal in performances to any of its contemporaries in western armies and was considered capable of handling any targets the Japanese army was likely to encounter on the Asian mainland. Although it was soon overtaken by improvements in aircraft technology and was lately obsolete by 1941, it continued to be used on many fronts until the end of the war.

The Type 88 75 mm AA Gun was based on an exhaustive evaluation by the Army Technical Bureau of several existing overseas designs, amalgamating some of the best features from each design (especially from the World War I-vintage British Vickers QF 3 inch 20 cwt AA gun) into a new, Japanese design. The Type 88 number was designated for the year the gun was accepted, 2588 in the Japanese imperial year calendar, or 1928 in the Gregorian calendar. The Type 88 was superior to Type 11 in accuracy and range of fire.

The Type 88 75 mm AA gun entered service between 1927 and 1928, and was deployed to virtually every anti-aircraft field artillery unit as protection against medium level aircraft attacks. Although it was difficult and expensive weapon for Japan to produce with its limited industrial infrastructure and production technology, it was produced in larger numbers than any other medium anti-aircraft weapon in the Japanese inventory. Over 2000 units completed by the time of the surrender of Japan.