Type 99 LMG

Type 99 light machine gun
Type 99 light machine gun
Type	Light machine gun
Place of origin	Empire of Japan
Service history
In service	1939–1945
Used by	See Users
Wars	Second Sino-Japanese War World War II Indonesian National Revolution Hukbalahap Rebellion Korean War Chinese Civil War Vietnam War
Production history
Designer	Kijiro Nambu
Designed	1939
Produced	1939–1945
No. built	53,000
Specifications
Weight	10.4 kg (23 lbs)
Length	1181 mm (46.5 in)
Barrel length	550 mm (21.7 in)
Cartridge	7.7×58mm Arisaka
Action	Gas-operated
Rate of fire	700 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	730 m/s (2,400 ft/s)
Feed system	30 round detachable box magazine

The Type 99 light machine gun (九九式軽機関銃, Kyūkyū-shiki Kei-kikanjū^?) was a light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

The Japanese Army was using the Type 96 light machine gun, an improvement over the previous Type 11 light machine gun. The Type 96 had been introduced into combat service in 1936, and quickly proved to be a versatile weapon to provide covering fire for advancing infantry. Both the earlier Type 11 and current Type 96 light machine guns used the same 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka cartridges as the Type 38 infantry rifle. Using similar ammunition in both guns simplified supply and had the added advantage that any squad member could supply ammunition for the light machine gun, or vice versa.

However, in 1939 the Japanese army was in the process of switching to a larger and more powerful 7.7 mm cartridge which also had no rim, which improved cartridge handling. This more powerful cartridge: 3,136 J energy, compared to the earlier 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka cartridge: 1,966 J energy, required a firearm that had more steel, bigger springs and a heavier bolt to handle the extra forces involved. This required a switch from the Type 38 rifle to the Type 99 Rifle which could handle the more powerful round. Similarly, it was necessary to develop a new version of the reliable Type 96 light machine gun that would also be able to use this new larger caliber; thus the advantages of common ammunition between riflemen and machine gunners could continue. The Type 99 light machine gun was produced at Kokura, Nagoya Arsenal and Mukden with a total production of about 53,000 weapons.