Type 99 81mm

History

Like other participants in World War II (1939-1945), the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) employed several different types of infantry-grade field mortars. In 1939, a new 81mm caliber design appeared, named "Type 99" (named after the Japanese calendar year "2599").

The Type 99 was a short-barreled weapon that was classified as a compact "trench mortar" when it was believed that warfare was still being fought through "trench warfare" as in World War I (1914-1918).

The Type 99 weighs 53 pounds and is over two feet long as a complete weapon system. Its launch tube is just over a foot long. A bipod assembly was mounted under the muzzle, hinged to affect height, and a rectangular base plate was mounted on the rear end of the unit.

The base plate is more than two feet wide.

The Type 99 fires an 81mm shell, weighs 7 pounds, and has an effective range of 710 yards (650 meters). The absolute range is almost 2,200 yards (2,000 meters). The loading system, like most weapons in this class, is entirely manual.

Integrated mounting hardware allows an elevation range of +45 to +85 degrees, and projectiles exit the muzzle at 270 feet per second.

Available ammunition types include Standard Explosive, Smoke (Parachute), Flare (Green Smoke), Mine Dispenser Cartridges and Chemical Cartridges. The projectile is a self-contained ammunition with a primer, propellant charge, shock fuse and spring-loaded fins for stabilization during ballistics.

The projectile exploded on impact, or with some operator intervention - due to delayed action.

The Type 99 mortar remained in service until the end of the war in 1945.

Specification

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Changes