Type 74 Tank Machine Gun
Sumitomo Heavy Industries · Machine Gun · In Service · 1974
Also known as: Type 74 vehicle machine gun, 74式車載7.62mm機関銃
Overview
The Type 74 is a 7.62x51mm NATO coaxial/vehicle machine gun developed in Japan as a replacement for the licence-built Browning M1919A4. A heavily modified derivative of the earlier Type 62 general-purpose machine gun, it is gas-operated with a long-stroke piston and rotating bolt, fires from a belt, and uses an electric solenoid trigger for remote actuation. Fielded since 1974, it serves as the coaxial armament on a wide range of Japanese armoured vehicles including the Type 74, Type 87, Type 89, Type 90, Type 10 main battle tanks and the Type 16 combat vehicle.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 20400 g (719.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1085 mm (42.72") |
| Barrel Length | 625 mm (24.61") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Long Stroke |
| Firing Mechanism | Solenoid Fired |
| Magazine Type | Belt |
| Muzzle Velocity | 855 m/s (2805 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 3410 J (2515 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1500 m (1640 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 1000 rpm |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Finish | Phosphate |
Calibers
- 7.62x51mm NATO · primary · 7.62mm NATO — also known as 7.62x51mm, 7.62 NATO, .308 Winchester
Features
- Firing modes: Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Disintegrating Link Belt
- Safety mechanisms: Solenoid Interlock
- Features: Coaxial Vehicle Mount, Solenoid Electric Trigger, Quick Change Barrel, Dual Rate Of Fire, Heavy Profile Barrel
Service history
Operators
- Japan Ground Self-Defense Force · adopted 1974 · as Type 74 vehicle-mounted machine gun
Production
Production years: 1974-present
Domestic Japanese production for the JGSDF only; not exported
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Notes
Manufactured by Sumitomo Heavy Industries (the small-arms successor to the Type 62 programme). Features dual cyclic rates (approximately 700 rpm low / 1000 rpm high). Barrel quoted at 625 mm bare, 702 mm with flash hider.
Background
Because Japan's post-war arms-export ban kept the Type 74 entirely domestic, it is one of the few modern coaxial machine guns that has never been sold abroad or seen foreign combat, quietly riding inside nearly every Japanese tank turret for half a century.