By Focus and AFP | 2025-09-16

Japan has successfully test-fired a ship-mounted electromagnetic railgun at a moving target vessel at sea, marking a milestone in Tokyo's push to modernize its Self-Defense Forces.

The tests took place from June to early July aboard the test ship JS Asuka, the Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced September 10.

"It's the first time that a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real ship," ATLA said on X, adding that it conducted the shooting test with the support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

Unlike conventional artillery that relies on chemical propellants, railgun technology uses electromagnetic force to fire a projectile along a pair of rails at extremely high velocity. The round then destroys the target solely with kinetic energy.

Potential targets of the railgun could be enemy ships, drones or incoming ballistic missiles, while the goal is to be able to shoot down hypersonic weapons.

'Gun of the future'

"A railgun is a gun of the future that fires bullets with electrical energy, unlike conventional artillery," an ATLA official told AFP during the DSEI Japan Conference defense fair in May, where a half-scale model of the weapon was displayed for visitors.

"It is expected that threats that can only be dealt with by railguns will emerge in the future," said the official, who did not want to be named.

Japan launched its electromagnetic railgun program in 2016. Live-fire testing started in 2022.

Other countries, including the United States, China, France and Germany, have invested in developing the technology, but Japan's navy in 2023 claimed a world first by test-firing a railgun on a ship.

In previous trials, Japan's prototype reached a muzzle velocity of 2,297 meters per second, or about Mach 6.5, according to open-source analysis. By comparison, the fastest conventional tank guns fire at roughly 1,750 meters per second, or about Mach 5.

Planners seek to boost the railgun's charge energy from 5 megajoules to 20 megajoules, according to Interesting Engineering.

"Railguns can do rapid-fire and fire at lower cost compared to conventional interceptor missiles, making them a promising next-generation defense system against hypersonic weapons exceeding Mach 5 developed by China, North Korea, and Russia," Naval News reported September 11.

'Game changer'

Japan has been modernizing its defense forces with advanced military technologies including railguns, high-power microwave systems and laser-based weapons.

Such technologies are a "game changer" in missile defense, lowering costs and enabling the interception of multiple missiles and drones simultaneously, Naval News said.

Photographs of the latest trials show the moment the railgun is fired as well as the target ship in the weapon's crosshairs.

The target vessel seems to be a 260-ton JMSDF yard tug modified for the railgun tests, Janes reported September 11. The railgun appears to have an antenna for a muzzle velocity radar and various cameras likely for viewfinding and impact analysis.

Efforts are under way to enhance the projectile's flight stability, develop a dedicated fire control system and establish a continuous firing capability, according to Naval News.

Japan is considering the use of railguns on land-based systems to counter enemy artillery or to provide coastal defense, the Japan Times reported.