Type 97 aircraft machine gun

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 light machine gun used by the Imperial Japanese Army in ground combat.

Design
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 noninterchangeable.

Deployment
The Type 97 came into service in 1937, and was used in the B6N Jill, D3A Val, D4Y Judy, E16A Paul, F1M2 Pete, and J2M Jack in addition to the A6M Zero.