Howa Type 96
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Barrel
- 455 mm
- Weight, empty
- 25.00 kg
- Introduced
- 1996
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Howa Type 96 is a Japanese 40mm belt-fed automatic grenade launcher adopted by the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force in 1996. Operating on a blow-forward action and firing from an open bolt, it chambers the 40x53mm high-velocity grenade from a 50-round belt at a cyclic rate of up to 350 rounds per minute. Mounted on a heavy tripod or vehicle pintle and fitted with a ladder-type sight and slotted muzzle brake, it provides infantry with area suppression and anti-personnel fire out to roughly 1,500 metres.
Japan's post-war arms-export restrictions meant the Type 96 was developed domestically by Howa rather than importing the ubiquitous American Mk 19, giving the JGSDF its own indigenous automatic grenade launcher.
Classified here as a machine gun in line with other automatic grenade launchers in the database. Typically crew-served from a tripod or mounted on light vehicles.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Howa Machinery
- Category
- Machine Gun
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- In service
- Produced
- 1996
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 455 mm
- Overall length
- 975 mm
- Weight, empty
- 25.00 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Blow forward
- Firing mechanism
- Open bolt
- Capacity
- 50
- Magazine
- Belt
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Finish
- Phosphate
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Effective range
- 1500 m
- Maximum range
- 2200 m
- Rate of fire
- 350 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Slotted muzzle brake
Ladder type sight
Tripod mounted- Vehicle mountable
Carrying handle
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 261 machine guns | 25.00 kg | 10.50 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 260 machine guns | 975 mm | 1156 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 257 machine guns | 455 mm | 605 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 222 machine guns | 50 | 50 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Howa Type 96
How much does the Howa Type 96 weigh?
The Howa Type 96 weighs 25.00 kg (55.12 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Howa Type 96?
The Howa Type 96 is chambered in 40x53mm HV Grenade.
How many rounds does the Howa Type 96 hold?
The Howa Type 96 holds 50 rounds, fed from a belt.
How long is the Howa Type 96?
The Howa Type 96 is 975 mm (38.4 in) long overall, with a 455 mm (17.9 in) barrel.
Who makes the Howa Type 96?
The Howa Type 96 is made by Howa Machinery (Japan).
When was the Howa Type 96 introduced?
The Howa Type 96 was introduced in 1996.
How does the Howa Type 96 operate?
The Howa Type 96 uses a blow forward action, and its firing mechanism is open bolt.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
- 1996
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/howa-type-96' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "howa-type-96", "name": "Howa Type 96", "manufacturer": { "id": "howa", "name": "Howa Machinery", "countryCode": "JP", "foundedYear": 1907, "website": "https://www.howa.co.jp", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "92a63959c6eadbabe566297f6ef96a1554d837fd5792be753c7906ecdbc12361" }, "category": { "id": "machine-gun", "name": "Machine Gun", "description": "Fully automatic firearms for sustained fire" }, "country_of_origin": "JP", "year_introduced": 1996, "barrel_length_mm": 455, "weight_empty_g": 25000, "action_type": "blow_forward"}