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Type99_LMG(WIP)

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.

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.


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 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.