Type 99 155 mm self-propelled howitzer

The Type 99 is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, developed as the successor to the Type 75 after the limited range of that vehicle became apparent, especially beside the FH70 towed howitzer. Full-scale development began in 1994, with Japan Steel Works as the primary contractor for the gun and turret and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries designing a chassis based on that of the Type 89 infantry fighting vehicle, lengthened by one road wheel. It has a 52-calibre gun that reaches up to 40 km with base-bleed shells, and an automatic loader for both shells and propellant charges. The engine is a Mitsubishi 6SY31WA diesel of 600 horsepower, the same engine as in the Type 89. Funding for the first four vehicles was approved in 1999 and the last delivery was made in 2022. The wheeled Type 19 howitzer now serves beside it.