Type 3 aircraft machine gun
type of Machine gun
The Type 3 13 mm fixed aircraft machine gun (Japanese: 三式十三粍固定機銃, romanized: San shiki jyū-san mirimētoru kōtei kijū) was a Japanese Navy aircraft machine gun used during World War II. It was based on the American M2 Browning machine gun but used the 13.2x99mm Hotchkiss cartridge.
History
The Type 3 was derived from the .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning but chambered for the slightly larger 13.2×99mm Hotchkiss round, the same cartridge as the Hotchkiss M1929 machine gun and the Imperial Japanese military's licensed version, the Type 93 heavy machine gun. Despite the small difference in calibers, it was possible to use M2 Browning cartridges in the Japanese machine gun, which ostensibly occurred during World War II. The machine gun was produced from 1943 to 1945.
The fixed version was used on later models of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and prototypes of the Kawanishi N1K Shiden Kai.
The Type 3 was trialled for flexible defensive fixtures as well as fixed offensive ones. The flexible version featured a longer barrel. It was ultimately determined to be unsuitable in a flexible defensive role due to its weight compared to existing alternatives; the 13.2mm Type 3 weighed almost 28 kg (62 lb), heavier than the 20mm Type 99-1 Mod.1 autocannon at 23 kg (51 lb). The flexible version was ultimately rejected in favour of the lighter Type 2 machine gun.
See also
List of Japanese military equipment of World War II
13 mm caliber
List of machine guns
Notes
Literature
René J. Francillon: Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. Londyn: Putnam, 1979.
“Type 3 aircraft machine gun” enters the record as type of Machine gun. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Type, aircraft and machine can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Type 3 aircraft machine gun” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Type, aircraft and machine provides the most credible route into that argument.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 19, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q3271256. The first chronological checks are 1943, 1945 and 1979.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Type 3 aircraft machine gun”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Type 3 aircraft machine gun primary sources, Type 3 aircraft machine gun archive and Type research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Type 3 aircraft machine gun”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Type 3 aircraft machine gun” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.