The mastermind behind the gun restoration, Joe Meaux, stands proudly with the Japanese Type 99 20mm auto-cannon.
This gun is one variant of a design — known as the "FF" — originally developed by the Swiss company Oerlikon in the 1920's for use by combat aircraft. All types were widely used on German and Japanese fighters during WWII.
Image Credit: DCL
A close-up view of the Type 99 auto-cannon shows the 60-round drum magazine that was commonly used in Japanese Zeros. Joe and his team had to rebuild part of the ammo feed and receiver to reattach the drum.
Image Credit: DCL
If this scene looks familiar to the Finnish Lahti shoot, that's because the Red Jacket boys repurposed the Lahti mount to take the Type 99.
The "99" in the name for this gun comes from the 99 in the Japanese imperial calendar year 2599 which equals our year 1939, the year the gun was first produced in Japan.
Image Credit: DCL
This view of the gun shows the battery cables that are connected to the firing system. The gun requires a small electrical charge to get the blowback sequence started.
Image Credit: DCL
Always creative with themed targets, the Red Jacket team actually did a pretty good job slapping together a Japanese Zero. The historical sticklers should just go with the flow because what red-blooded American wants to shoot up a U.S. Navy fighter?
For the record, not all Zeros carried the Type 99 cannon; the ones that did had a pair mounted internally about half way out on both wings.
Image Credit: DCL
When safety issues led to the cancellation (let's hope only the postponement!) of the auto-cannon shoot, Will ordered a "Mad Minute" when everyone at Red Jacket could grab a gun and join the firing line. No target will go to waste.
Image Credit: DCL
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