Type 99 88 mm AA Gun

• Name — Japanese Type 99 88mm AA gun • Origin — Empire of Japan • Type — Anti-aircraft gun • Is Ranged — yes • Is Artillery — yes • Service — 1939–1945 (to include captured Chinese SKC/30 units) • Used By — Imperial Japanese Army • Wars — World War II • Production Date — 1942-1945 • Number — 946 • Weight — 6.5 tons • Part Length — 3.959 m, L/45 • Caliber — 88 mm • Barrels — single • Rate — 15 rounds per minute • Velocity — 800 m/s • Range — 10,420 m • Max Range — 15,700 m • Elevation — -11° to +80° • Traverse — 360°

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese forces captured a number of German-made SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns from the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China. These weapons were originally 88 mm SKC/30 naval dual-purpose guns for Germany's Kriegsmarine, and should not be confused with the more famous FlaK 88 mm anti-aircraft gun. Realizing the superiority of this design in terms of range and firepower over the domestic Type 88 75 mm AA gun, the Japanese Army Technical Bureau quickly reverse engineered it and placed it into production when the Type 88 anti-aircraft gun began to show increasing obsolescence against modern military aircraft. Approximately 946 units were built.

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun had a mono-block gun barrel, semi-automatic vertical sliding breech block, and hydro-pneumatic recoil mechanism. The firing platform was supported by five legs, each of which (along with the central pedestal) had adjustable screwed foot for leveling. The gun barrel could easily be removed from the breech end-piece, and the entire assembly could be broken down into six separate assemblies for ease of transportation. It fired a 9 kg high explosive projectile to an effective altitude of 10420 m. Armor-piercing shells were also developed for potential anti-tank use. Projectiles • High-explosive –　9 kg • Incendiary – 9.5 kg • Armor-piercing – 10 kg

The Type 99 88 mm AA gun was primarily deployed in defense of the Japanese home islands against Allied air raids and against the perceived threat of Allied invasion.