Characteristics
The Type 87 self-propelled anti aircraft gun looks similar to the Gepard, but has a smaller turret and weighs significantly less.[4] Both vehicles are based on a tank chassis – the Type 74 and Leopard 1, respectively – and use Oerlikon's 35 mm twin guns.[1] Instead of mounting the fire control radar on the turret front like the Gepard, the Type 87's fire control radar is located on top of the turret, reportedly due to patent issues.[1][4]
The chassis is welded of rolled homogeneous armour plates and retains the Type 74's hydropneumatic suspension, engine, transmission, and other automotive components.[4] The Type 87's chassis exterior differs from the Type 74 chassis it is based on, with the most discernable differences being the Type 87's vertical side armour and additional storage on the rear.[1] Due to the vehicle's increased electrical power requirements, a new auxiliary power unit is installed in the front right section of the chassis, in addition to the Mitsubishi 10ZF22WT two-stroke V10 air-cooled turbocharged diesel engine in the rear.[4] The driver is seated in the front left and both the commander and the gunner are in the turret above the middle section of the chassis.[4]
The Type 87 is armed with two 35 mm Oerlikon KDA autocannons that have 90-caliber barrels.[4] The guns are mounted on both sides of the turret, while ammunition is stored in a magazine in the turret basket (HEI and SAPHEI) and in armoured boxes outside the turret (APDS).[1] Each gun has a firing rate of 550 rounds per minute, with 310 rounds of anti-air and 20 rounds of anti-armour ammunition available per gun.[1] The autocannons can be used for attacking aerial and ground targets, although the 35 mm shells lack proximity fuses and the guns cannot use AHEAD ammunition.[4] For self-defence, the Type 87 has triple 60 mm (vehicles produced before 1992) or quadruple 76 mm (vehicles produced in 1992 or later) smoke grenade launchers, which are automatically triggered by a laser warning receiver.[1]
The rear of the turret is equipped with a rod-shaped pulse-Doppler search radar that has a range of approximately 20 km, and a dish-shaped fire control radar. Although it is not possible to simultaneously engage multiple targets, searching for multiple targets simultaneously is possible. The Type 87 is also equipped with an optical sight, a night vision device, a laser rangefinder, and other backup targeting devices.[4]
