Type 97 Automatic Cannon
Kokura Arsenal · Rifle · Discontinued · 1938
Also known as: Type 97 20mm, Kyu-nana shiki
Overview
The Type 97 Automatic Cannon is a Japanese 20mm anti-tank rifle developed for the Imperial Japanese Army in the late 1930s. A gas-operated, magazine-fed heavy automatic rifle feeding from a seven-round top-mounted box magazine, it fired the powerful 20x125mm cartridge to defeat the light armor of the era. Weighing roughly 52 kg without its protective shield, it required a crew of nine to carry and operate, and saw service from the 1939 battles of Khalkhin Gol through the Pacific theater of World War II.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 52200 g (1841.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 2096 mm (82.52") |
| Folded Length | 2527 mm (99.49") |
| Barrel Length | 1064 mm (41.89") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 866 m/s (2841 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 60750 J (44807 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 700 m (766 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 2000 m (2187 yd) |
| Rate of Fire | 120 rpm |
| Number of Grooves | 8 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- 20x125mm Type 97 · primary — also known as 20x124mm, 20mm Type 97
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic, Full Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Features: Top Mounted Magazine, Armor Shield, Carrying Handles, Monopod Bipod Support, Muzzle Brake
Service history
Operators
- Imperial Japanese Army · adopted 1938 · as Type 97
Conflicts
- Battles of Khalkhin Gol (1939)
- World War II Pacific Theater (1941-1945)
Production
Estimated total produced: 1,200 · Production years: 1938-1943
Approximately 1,100 produced at Kokura Arsenal through 1941, plus roughly 100 additional built by Nihon Seikosho Company in 1943.
Origin
Country of origin: Japan
Designer: Kokura Arsenal
Discontinued: 1943
Notes
Officially termed an 'automatic cannon' though it functioned as a man-portable anti-tank rifle. Designed for semi-automatic fire, but the gas-operated mechanism was capable of full-automatic fire, and field reports describe guns firing fully automatic. Could penetrate roughly 30mm of armor at 250 meters.
Background
Heavy and unwieldy at over 50 kg, the Type 97 demanded a nine-man crew to move it into position by its detachable carrying handles. First blooded against Soviet armor at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, by the Pacific War its 20mm round was largely obsolete against modern Allied tanks, relegating it to bunker-busting and anti-materiel roles.