Usada 9mm SMG

The Usada 9mm SMG is a submachine gun patterned after the American M3A1 Grease Gun, originally developed in it's basic M3 configuration back in 1944. The Grease Gun was developed to replace the extremely expensive M1 Thompson with a weapon as cheap and easy to manufacture as possible, and earned the name "Grease Gun" from its similar appearance to a mechanic's tool. When the JSDF was created in 1954, many M3s were given over to be used as a personal defense weapon. The JSDF would use American M3s all the way until 1999, when the Minebea PM-9 was adopted to replace it. The M3 persisted with some tank crews even after this, however.
In 2020, having committed forces to the China War, Japan in the Imperial Science Academy in particular began to study the effectiveness of their currently existing weapons. The activation of the Seishinketsujo Redemption Battalion raised a unique point of logistics to the Japanese military; how was Japan to equip such a force? Captured enemy stockpiles of weapons were not seen as an adequate or reliable source of supply even for such disposable troops as the Seishinketsujo. The answer came from an Imperial Army officer with a relative in Usada Construction Company, who believed much like the Americans in 1944 that the M3 would provide a far cheaper and easier to produce alternative to the PM-9 through its extremely simple material and production requirements. Using an old M3A1 as a model, the weapon was reverse engineered, resulting in a weapon that, while not a perfect replica, mirrored the original as closely as possible. With no substantial source of .45 ACP ammunition, the caliber was then reduced to 9mm, and a short test run was initiated. Followed by a brief study from the Ministry of War, Usada Construction Company was awarded a contract with the Imperial Army to put the new SMG into full production.
Although the Usada 9mm is predominantly issued to Seishinketsujo and thought of as a low-grade weapon as a result, Japanese soldiers that have actually bothered to get their own hands on one have been surprised to find that the weapon is very comfortable to fire and easily controllable due to its low cyclic rate.
Category:PACYOA: TE
Category:Firearms
Category:Japan