The Type 97 fixed machine gun was the standard fixed light machine gun on aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. This weapon was not related to the Type 97 heavy tank machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in ground combat.
Overview[]
The Type 97 was similar to the Army Type 89 machine gun, being a licensed copy of the Vickers Class E machine gun. It was highly suitable for synchronization and was used as the cowling armament on the A6M Zero. However, the Type 97 and Type 89 were chambered for rounds of slightly different cartridge length, making their ammunition incompatable.