Railgun spotted on ship
Japan’s marine apparently tests futuristic weapon
04/11/2025 – 2:58 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Japan is working on a new, futuristic weapon system. Now such a so -called Railgun was probably spotted on a test ship.
A prototype of an electromagnetic railgun that has not yet been officially confirmed was spotted on a test ship of the Japanese Navy. Photos that circulate on the X platform show the ship “JS Asuka” With a striking structure at the rear.
The pictures suggest that Japan tests a new prototype of this new weapon – a technology in which the country has been working for several years and could have the far -reaching military consequences.
Like the US magazine “Newsweek” reported, the “JS Asuka” Most recently observed when the port of Yokosuka expires at the mouth of the Bay of Tokyo. The ship apparently had container modules on board, which according to experts serve to support a railgun test.
The Japanese Ministry of Defense has not yet officially commented on the process. However, it is already known that the responsible technology authority atla as early as 2023 ambitious plans “Early ready for use” who had railgun.
An electromagnetic railgun works without conventional leading charges. Instead, it accelerates a projectile by electrical energy using two current rails at hyper -sound speed – up to Mach 6.5, i.e. more than 8,000 kilometers per hour. This creates a huge kinetic effect, which according to one from the military specialist portal “Hard point” Quoted video of the ATLA to make several layers of steel – analogous to the structure of the fuselage of a warship.
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The advantages of technology: a range that is more than ten times as large as with conventional cannons, lower ammunition costs and the loss of dangerous explosives on board.
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At the same time, there are serious technical challenges: the heat development when shooting down is extreme, the lifespan of the run so far – loud “Newsweek” it must be replaced after just a few dozen shots. In addition, the energy supply required has so far been so large that it claims entire containers.
International cooperation – also with Germany
How “Futurezone” and “Hard point” Japan is therefore increasingly looking for international partnerships. As early as 2023, Tokyo received technical advice to the US Navy, whose Railgun development was discontinued in 2021. In 2024 there was a significant step: Germany, France and Japan signed an agreement on the joint further development of Railgun technology. Among other things, the aim is to reduce the power supply and reduce the thermal load.
Loud “Futurezone” Has Japan already experimented with ceramic-thin film capacitors to increase the energy density and significantly reduce the modules. In the meantime, these should be ten times more compact than their predecessor models – a crucial step towards mobile use.
It is still unclear when Japan’s Railgun will be ready for use. But the timetable is: By 2027, a ship -supported prototype for the defense against enemy ships should be ready, a version for air defense by 2028 – also for use on land and on vehicles. At the same time, Europe continues to work on the hyper-sound potential, for example in the Franco-German research institute ISL in Saint-Louis.
It succeeded in there “Hard point”to accelerate your own missile at hyperschall speed-a technology that could also be used in Railgun projectile in the future.
