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Type-96 25mm light automatic anti-aircraft gun

Perhaps the most famous and massive Japanese small-caliber anti-aircraft gun was the 25-mm Type 96. This automatic anti-aircraft gun was developed in 1936 on the basis of the gun of the French company "Hotchiss." It was widely used during the Second World War, it was the main light anti-aircraft weapon of the Japanese fleet.

The gun was developed in 1935 in order to renew the previously used 40-inch gun (40 mm cannon built on the Vickers 2pdr gun design). The base of the design of the gun was the gun gun of Hotchkiss in France. The correction points are: 1) casting some of the parts that were manufactured by machining, 2) using a line metal type suppressor, and 3) some for submarine loading. The use of stainless steel parts may be mentioned. And, in September 1936, it was formalized as "Type 96, 25 high-angle machine gun". The most significant difference of the Japanese model from the original was the equipment of the flash suppressor of the German company "Rheinmetall".

Type 96 was used in single, paired and structured installations, both on ships and on land. On large ships, the fire of built installations was controlled with PUAZO Type 95, the guidance was carried out remotely, and the shooters only had to press the trigger. Single installations were induced only manually. Over the years of production, more than 33,000 25-mm guns were produced.

Japanese military industry was not able to start mass production with the required quality of small-caliber anti-aircraft guns to cover its troops from low-altitude strikes of attack aircraft and bombers. Such guns were primarily sent to the needs of the fleet, the number of 25-mm anti-aircraft guns on the decks of warships during the war grew continuously, and the units fighting on land remained unprotected from the threat from the air. This forced the Japanese military to go for various improvisations.

A feed of the automatic machine was carried out by means of magazines of 15 cartridges which were inserted from above. Practical rate of fire was 100-120 shots / min. Total weight: 800 kg (single), 1100 kg (paired), 1800 kg (built). The initial velocity of the 320 g projectile was 820 m / s. The maximum range of fire - 7500 m, effective - 1500 m. Reachable height - 5000 m. The crew was 3-9 people.

Until the mid-1930s, the Type 96 25 mm anti-aircraft guns were quite satisfactory weapons. But during the war in the Pacific, significant shortcomings emerged. Practical rate of fire was low, optimal for weapons of this caliber would be tape power. Another drawback was the air cooling of gun barrels, reducing the duration of continuous firing. Anti-aircraft fire control systems also left much to be desired, and they were clearly not enough. Single anti-aircraft guns were equipped with a primitive anti-aircraft sight. However, in fairness it should be said that the Soviet 25-mm anti-aircraft gun 72-K had absolutely the same drawbacks.

When comparing with anti-aircraft guns of the British, Dutch and American fleets, it should be noted that the opponents of Japan had more effective short-range anti-aircraft guns, represented by 20-mm Oerlikon and 40-mm Bofors. The first surpassed the Japanese guns in the rate of fire, the second had a noticeably greater firing range and almost four times heavier projectile. The presence of highly sophisticated fire control systems for the Bofors fixed their superiority. The 25-mm universal anti-aircraft caliber of the Japanese combined not the advantages of two calibers, but their disadvantages.