Sumitomo Type 62
| Sumitomo NTK-62 | |
|---|---|
Type 62 Machine Gun on display | |
| Type | General purpose machine gun |
| Place of origin | Japan |
| Service history | |
| In service | February 15, 1962–present |
| Used by | Japan |
| Wars | Cold War Iraq War |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Masaya Kawamura |
| Designed | 1954 |
| Manufacturer | Sumitomo Heavy Industries |
| Unit cost | ¥2,000,000 (c. 1985) |
| Produced | 1962–present |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 10.15 kg (22.38 lb) |
| Length | 1,200 mm (47.2 in) |
| Barrel length | 546 mm (21.5 in) |
| Cartridge | 7.62×51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated |
| Rate of fire | 650 RPM |
| Maximum firing range | 1,000 m 1,500 m (with bipod) |
| Feed system | Belt-fed |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Sumitomo NTK-62 (62式7.62mm機関銃, Rokuni-shiki Nana-ten-rokuni-miri Kikanjū) is the standard issue general-purpose machine gun of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It's also known as the Type 62 7.62mm Machine Gun or the Type 62 GPMG.
When first issued, it fulfilled both light and medium machine gun support throughout the JGSDF. Though the Sumitomo Heavy Industries' M249 firing the smaller 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge has largely replaced it in the light machine gun role at the squad level in the JGSDF, the Type 62 still plays the support role at platoon and company level for the infantry as a medium machine gun firing the more powerful 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge. It also continues to be used as a co-axial weapon in various armored vehicles, including tanks and APCs.
Like all modern Japanese-made firearms, it was never exported.