Howa Type 89
Assault rifle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Howa Type 89 Assault Rifle (89式小銃, hachi-kyū-shiki-shōjū), referred to as the Type 89 5.56mm Rifle (89式5.56mm小銃, hachi-kyū-shiki-go-ten-go-roku-miri-shōjū),[5][6] is a Japanese assault rifle used by the Japan Self-Defense Forces,[6] the Japan Coast Guard's Special Security Team units,[6] and the Special Assault Team.[7] It has never been exported outside Japan due to its strict Japanese Arms Export Ban.[8] It is known in JGSDF service as Buddy.[6][9]
Howa Type 89 | |
---|---|
Type | Assault rifle |
Place of origin | Japan |
Service history | |
In service | 1989–present[1] |
Used by | Japan Self-Defense Forces Japan Coast Guard Special Assault Team |
Wars | Iraq War |
Production history | |
Designer | Defense Agency Technical Research and Development Institute |
Manufacturer | Howa |
Unit cost | ¥347,000 (1998)[2] ¥325,800 (2005)[3] |
Produced | 1989–present |
Variants | See Variants |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) |
Length | 916 mm (36.1 in), (670 mm (26.4 in) Howa Type 89-F) |
Barrel length | 420 mm (16.5 in) |
Cartridge | 5.56×45mm NATO |
Action | short stroke gas piston, rotating bolt. |
Rate of fire | 750 rounds/min |
Muzzle velocity | 920 m/s |
Effective firing range | 500 m |
Feed system | 20/30-round detachable STANAG magazines |
Sights | Iron sights; optical sights can be placed with Weaver or Picatinny railing mount[4] |
The Type 89 was introduced to replace the Howa Type 64 battle rifle in frontline units, entering service in 1989. It has remained Japan's principal service rifle since then. Small numbers of the Type 89's successor, the Howa Type 20, were purchased in 2020. The Type 20 is intended to supplement and eventually replace the Type 89.