Tras años de inactividad en el programa específico, la US NAVY ha retomado los ensayos de fuego con el prototipo de Cañón Electromagnético “Railgun”, desarrollado por General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS). Este sistema de artillería capaz de disparar proyectiles a velocidades superiores a Mach 6 utilizando solo energía eléctrica, se presenta como una solución muy adecuada para hacer frente a la amenaza creciente de drones y misiles. El renovado interés por la tecnología, coincide con el proyecto de un nuevo tipo de grandes buques de combate, en los que estas armas podrían ser finalmente integradas. Aunque continúan existiendo desafíos tecnológicos como el desgaste del cañón y otros, la reactivación del “Railgun” muestra un retorno al concepto de armas cinéticas de alta velocidad. Actualmente, el sistema sirve también como plataforma de investigación para el desarrollo de materiales y sensores en el ámbito de las armas hipersónicas.
The US Navy appears to have revived electromagnetic railgun testing after shelving related efforts in 2021, based on the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) 2025 Year in Review.
A report published by NAVSEA earlier this year briefly mentioned how the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s (NSWC) White Sands Detachment (WSD) conducted railgun testing and data-gathering “about high-velocity firing“ at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
It was a three-day campaign noted to have occurred in February 2025 as a joint effort between the WSD and the NSWC Dahlgren Division in Virginia for NAVSEA’s Joint Hypersonics Transition Office.
However, the objectives and findings of the testing were not disclosed.
Its occurrence raises further questions, as the US Navy canceled railgun research and development efforts in 2021, citing fiscal constraints, technical hurdles, and shifting priorities to hypersonic missile development.
There has been no public information that any sort of testing has taken place after the program was put on hold, up until February 2025.
Railgun Revival?
Unlike traditional guns that rely on gunpowder, railguns use electromagnetic force to fire projectiles at extremely high speeds, potentially lowering the cost per shot while launching kinetic projectiles that are harder to intercept.
In October 2025, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) advanced its railgun program by unveiling electromagnetic weapons designed to fire projectiles at hypersonic speeds against ballistic and cruise missiles.
The company said it proposed the weapon for US President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative, which aims to build a multi-layered missile defense system to protect the US homeland against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats.
Moreover, as ships with sufficiently powerful electrical systems can realistically operate electromagnetic railguns, talks have been underway about the possibility of the weapon being mounted on “Trump-class” battleships.
Announced by Trump in December 2025, the proposed vessels are expected to be the “largest” guided-missile surface combatants since World War II, measuring 880 feet (268 meters) long and weighing 30,000 to 40,000 tons.
“Our goal is to understand, really, what the requirements will be for Defiant and the Trump-class, so that we can get the right configuration to put forward for that new ship,” GA-EMS VP of Defense Systems & Technologies Nick Bucci informed Naval News in December.
Fuente: https://thedefensepost.com
