Japanese Forces

Japanese Navy Type 93 or Japanese Army Type Ho

NCY-152

Japanese Navy Type 93 or Japanese Army Type Ho twin 13mm heavy machine gun, seen in US Technical Manual TM-E 30-480: Handbook on Japanese Military . The Hotchkiss 13.2-millimeter heavy machine guns, which were designed for anti-aircraft applications, became available in the late 1920s, seeing service with the French Army and the French Navy. They had a effective ceiling of 3,980 meters and a maximum ceiling of 4,500 meters; when used against ground targets, the range was 6,000 meters. In 1930, the French Air Force also adopted the weapon (under the designation of mitrailleuse de 13,2 mm CA mle 1930) for airfield defense. Abroad, the Spanish Navy acquired many examples in Dec 1935, equipping several destroyers and cruisers. In Japan, the Japanese Navy adopted this design as the Type 93 13-millimeter heavy machine gun while the Japanese Army used the designation Type Ho.