And the winner
And defeated
In the playground of this world -
No more than a drop of dew
No longer than a flash of lightning.
Ouchi Yoshitaka (1507-1551)
Weapons and firms. And it so happened that, having suffered a crushing defeat in World War II, Japan experienced terrible national humiliation. In fact, the country was crushed - in every sense. In 1950, in terms of its economic development, it was in the same place with Egypt. However, she started her own military, and the Korean War breathed life into her economy. And the "Japanese miracle" began, a miracle primarily of borrowing and modernization, and the borrowing of everything and everyone affected the Japanese armed forces.
In the mid-1950s, the command of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces decided to replace the American M1 Garand rifles and M1 carbines in their armament. In March 1956, Japan and the United States signed a Standardization Agreement, as a result of which the new standard cartridge of the Japanese army became 7.62 × 51 mm NATO, but with a 20% decrease in charge and a 10% decrease in muzzle velocity. But the return also decreased, which was of great importance for the stunted and weak post-war Japanese. In the same year, General Kijiro Nambu and Colonel Kenzo Iwashita at Howa Machinery Company Ltd, located in Nagoya, began work on a new rifle chambered for this cartridge. However, it was only possible to create it in 1964, and at the same time it was put into service under the designation Type 64. The production of Type 64 rifles was carried out at an enterprise in the village of Shinkawa (today the city of Kiyosu) until 1988. One of the most noticeable features of this rifle was the open bolt with a reloading handle mounted on top of it, and the ability to automatically switch firing from the front sear to the rear when the barrel overheats.
The rifle went into service, but then the Vietnam War began, and the US Army began to replace the 7.62 mm M14 rifle with the 5, 56 mm M16 rifle. Less weight and standard NATO ammunition - all this was very tempting, since the Type 64 was criticized by many for its high metal content and weight.
Due to the peculiarity of the bolt design for the Type 64 rifle, it was necessary to develop a non-standard mount for the sniper scope and, in addition, it became not very convenient to use it with it!
Howa was already licensed at this time to manufacture the AR-180 rifle, the commercial version of the Armalite AR-18 rifle. A batch of rifles was produced for field trials, and when they tested positive, the official development of the next generation assault rifle, designated HR-16 (HR1604), began, which eventually became the "Type 89" as it was developed in 1989.
One of the most advantageous features of the Type 89 rifle compared to the Type 64 was the lower load on the soldier and the increase in the amount of ammunition that he could carry. In addition, thanks to the use of aluminum and plastic, in contrast to the steel and wood construction of the Type 64 rifle, the weight of the rifle itself has decreased, that is, it has become more convenient to handle.
The fixed stock version of the rifle has a rubberized storage tank inside it. Although the standard model is equipped with a fixed stock, a small number of rifles have a folding stock. Such rifles are made for the crews of armored vehicles and paratroopers.
It is believed that the rifle is at least as accurate as the Type 64 rifle, that is, they are equal in terms of accuracy. The Type 89 rifle is equipped with a built-in bipod, like its predecessor, to improve shooting accuracy. However, unlike the bipod on the Type 64 rifle, on the Type 89 sample, the bipod can be easily removed, since it is attached to the barrel with a spring mechanism and held with a lever lock. In addition, the "Type 89" forend is made so that the legs of the bipod fold inward.
The design of the rifle was directly related to examples such as the AR-18 and the Heckler & Koch G3. In addition, since the rifle from the very beginning was designed for the physique of Japanese soldiers, its creators adjusted all the ergonomic and weight characteristics to them.
The complex design and a large number of parts of the Type 64 rifle often became the reasons for its failures. Therefore, the number of parts on the new sample has been reduced. Because of this, the cost of the Type 89 rifle has become approximately half that of the Type 64 rifle. Moreover, if in 1989 it cost 870,000 yen, then in 2005 its price dropped to 340,000 yen. Despite this, it is still considered too expensive for a mass weapon, since the ideal price, according to the Japanese government, should be in the range of 10,000 to 100,000 yen per copy and no more.
Rifle ammunition for the Type 89 rifle is interchangeable with the SS109 / M855 5, 56x45mm cartridge used by the US and NATO forces. Along with the 7.62x51mm cartridge, this provides full interchangeability with the ammunition stocks of the US Army units stationed in Japan. The only difference is the markings: since the ammunition designed for the Type 89 rifle is manufactured in Japan, it is stamped with the Sakura of the Self-Defense Forces instead of the typical NATO cross used in SS109 / M855 cartridges.
The rifle has a traditional gas valve, but the Japanese would not be Japanese if they did not modernize it even a little. In this case, they made the front part of the piston somewhat narrower than the diameter of the gas cylinder, and even placed it at some distance from the gas outlet. As a result of this innovation, the gas energy works in two steps: the initial impulse is received, as usual, by the head of the gas piston, but since the “maximum” pressure does not build up in the cylinder immediately, it turns out that it reaches its maximum when the piston is already moving. That is, there is no push, and since there is no push, the rifle mechanism works more smoothly, and this reduces its wear. Such is the "small" trifle, but nice!
The Type 89 can use M16 rifle magazines. However, the magazine, produced specifically for the 89th rifle, has a special pusher that prevents the bolt from closing after all the cartridges in the magazine are used up. If the magazine of the M16 series is used, the shutter will close in any case. There are four holes on Japanese stores that allow you to control the consumption of cartridges. But many find this inconvenient, as the holes allow sand and any other foreign objects to easily enter the magazine and cause delays in firing.
It is believed that the bevel of the magazine receiver is insufficient compared to the M16, which is bad, since it increases the time required to reload the rifle in certain combat situations.
The selector switch is located on the right side of the receiver and has four positions, including a three-shot cutoff fire.
A bayonet for a rifle can be used as a wire cutter, combining it with a scabbard, and the scabbard itself, or rather, their tip, can be used as a bottle opener. The American M9 bayonet can also be attached to this Japanese rifle. A Type 06 rifle grenade has been developed for the rifle. An American M203 grenade launcher can also be installed on it, but with an appropriate adapter.
A number of long-lasting accessories are also suitable for the rifle, but soldiers should, or rather, have the right to buy them, for their own money! Even those to whom they are issued must reimburse their value by paying the quartermasters money from their salaries.
There were attempts to make a shortened version of this rifle, that is, a "carbine" with a total length of about 800 millimeters, with four Picatinny rails. An aiming system was also developed, which includes a rangefinder and a video camera, which allows you to keep the rifle from yourself at a distance and still shoot from it. But there is no talk of replacing the Type 89 rifle yet.
