Type 87 Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun
Encyclopedia
The is a Japan
ese air defense weapon built around the Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
system used on the Gepard
tank. The system uses a modified Type 74
tank chassis. It is also nicknamed by field officers as Guntank after the similar looking mobile suit
in the Mobile Suit Gundam
series.
SPAAGs provided by the United States, the Japanese Defense Agency began to issue requirements for the production of a local SPAAG unit to replace the M42. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
had been eventually awarded the contract to produce a SPAAG unit to replace its old M42s.
providing the chassis and Japan Steel Works
providing the cannon system. Initially, the chassis of the Type 61
tank would be used. Later, it had been rejected and had the chassis of the Type 74 tank used instead as a basis for producing the Type 87 SPAAG.
Prior to its development, tests had begun underway in 1982 with a prototype SPAAG unit manufactured in 1983.
had 52 of these vehicles in service.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese air defense weapon built around the Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon
The Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon is a towed anti-aircraft gun made by Oerlikon Contraves . The system was originally designated as 2 ZLA/353 ML but this was later changed to GDF-001...
system used on the Gepard
Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard
The Flugabwehrkanonenpanzer Gepard is an autonomous, all-weather-capable German self-propelled anti-aircraft gun . It was developed in the 1960s and fielded in the 1970s, and has been upgraded several times with the latest electronics...
tank. The system uses a modified Type 74
Type 74
The is a main battle tank of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force . It was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a replacement for the earlier Type 61. It was based on the best features of a number of contemporary designs, placing it in the same class as the US M60 or German Leopard 1. Like...
tank chassis. It is also nicknamed by field officers as Guntank after the similar looking mobile suit
Mobile weapons
In the Gundam terminology, the terms normal suit and astrosuit are used to refer to normal astronaut spacesuits, so as to avoid confusion with mobile suits....
in the Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam
is a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
series.
History
As the JSDF began to seek a replacement for the M42 DusterM42 Duster
The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an armored light air-defense gun built for the U.S. Army from 1952 until December 1959. Production of this vehicle was performed by the tank division of the General Motors Corporation. It used components from the M41 light tank...
SPAAGs provided by the United States, the Japanese Defense Agency began to issue requirements for the production of a local SPAAG unit to replace the M42. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
had been eventually awarded the contract to produce a SPAAG unit to replace its old M42s.
Development
It had been developed in 1987, given the Type 87 designation status, with Mitsubishi Heavy IndustriesMitsubishi Heavy Industries
, or MHI, is a Japanese company. It is one of the core companies of Mitsubishi Group.-History:In 1870 Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of Mitsubishi took a lease of Government-owned Nagasaki Shipyard. He named it Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works, and started the shipbuilding business on a full scale...
providing the chassis and Japan Steel Works
Japan Steel Works
is a steel manufacturer founded in Muroran, Hokkaidō, Japan in 1907.-History:Japan Steel Works was set up with investment from British firms Vickers and Armstrong Whitworth. During World War II, they manufactured what was then the world's largest gun barrel to be fitted on the battleship Yamato...
providing the cannon system. Initially, the chassis of the Type 61
Type 61
The Type 61 was a main battle tank developed and used by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force , built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries....
tank would be used. Later, it had been rejected and had the chassis of the Type 74 tank used instead as a basis for producing the Type 87 SPAAG.
Prior to its development, tests had begun underway in 1982 with a prototype SPAAG unit manufactured in 1983.
Status
In 2010, it was reported that the Japan Self-Defense ForcesJapan Self-Defense Forces
The , or JSDF, occasionally referred to as JSF or SDF, are the unified military forces of Japan that were established after the end of the post–World War II Allied occupation of Japan. For most of the post-war period the JSDF was confined to the islands of Japan and not permitted to be deployed...
had 52 of these vehicles in service.
External links
- Type-87 self-propelled anti-aircraft machine-gun at GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...