{"id":17778,"date":"2025-11-16T13:08:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T16:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=17778"},"modified":"2025-11-16T13:08:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T16:08:22","slug":"proyecto-de-canon-electromagnetico-railgun-de-japon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/?p=17778","title":{"rendered":"Proyecto de ca\u00f1\u00f3n electromagn\u00e9tico (RAILGUN) de Jap\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"

La Agencia de Adquisiciones, Tecnolog\u00eda y Log\u00edstica (ATLA) de Jap\u00f3n, proporcion\u00f3 detalles adicionales sobre las pruebas del ca\u00f1\u00f3n electromagn\u00e9tico (RAILGUN) en alta mar realizadas el verano pasado durante una presentaci\u00f3n en su Simposio Anual de Tecnolog\u00eda de Defensa, inaugurado a principios de esta semana. Las autoridades japonesas afirman haber demostrado una vida \u00fatil del ca\u00f1\u00f3n de m\u00e1s de 200 disparos al lanzar proyectiles a unos 2300 metros por segundo.<\/p>\n

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Japan\u2019s Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has offered the first look at damage to\u00a0a target ship after it was hit<\/a>\u00a0by projectiles fired from\u00a0a prototype electromagnetic railgun<\/a>\u00a0in testing earlier this year. Japanese authorities say valuable data and experience were gleaned from the demonstration, which will feed into its continued push\u00a0toward an operational railgun capability<\/a>. This is an area of development where the U.S. Navy notably\u00a0halted work in the early 2020s<\/a>, despite\u00a0having seen promising progress<\/a>, due to\u00a0significant technological impediments<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ATLA provided additional details about the at-sea railgun testing that took place this past summer during a presentation at its annual Defense Technology Symposium, which opened earlier this week. For the tests, the prototype weapon system was installed on the rear flight deck of the JS\u00a0Asuka<\/em>, a one-of-its-kind 6,200-ton-displacement testbed warship belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Pictures of the railgun onboard\u00a0Asuka<\/em>\u00a0first began to emerge in April<\/a>. ATLA\u00a0released an initial batch of imagery<\/a>\u00a0from the at-sea tests, along with a brief statement about the results, in September.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A previously released picture showing the prototype railgun installed on the JS Asuka being fired during the testing earlier this year. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The prototype railgun used in the testing is an evolution of a design that ATLA has been developing\u00a0since the mid-2010s<\/a>. That work has included previous live-fire testing at facilities on land, as well as\u00a0at least one earlier at-sea test<\/a>\u00a0that did not involve shooting an actual target vessel.<\/p>\n

Railguns, in general, use electromagnets instead of chemical propellants to fire projectiles at very high velocities. Dart-shaped projectiles, each with four fins at the rear and no warhead, were fired during the at-sea tests earlier this year. The projectiles were initially held inside a sabot that broke apart after leaving the muzzle. There was also a metal armature at the rear that served to push the projectile in the sabot down the barrel, which fell away after firing.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A slide from the ATLA presentation this week highlighting the evolution from earlier prototype railguns tested at facilities on land to the one mounted on the JS Asuka for the at-sea tests. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Another slide from the presentation discussing the design of the projectiles fired during the at-sea testing. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A tug-like ship was used as the target for the railgun installed on the JS\u00a0Asuka<\/em>. The target vessel was moving during at least some of the test shots, but under tow behind another ship rather than its own power. It was struck multiple times, with the cross-shaped impact points showing the fin-stabilized projectiles flew in a stable manner, as seen in the images at the top of this story and below.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The full slide covering damage to the target ship from ATLA\u2019s presentation this week. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Another slide with additional details about how the test shots at the target ship were carried out. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to level shots at the target ship, the railgun was fired at a 45-degree upward angle to provide an opportunity to gather data on the basic ballistics of the weapon and round combination.<\/p>\n

Operators aimed the railgun remotely using a camera mounted under the barrel. An additional high-speed camera and a small radar were also positioned on JS\u00a0Asuka<\/em>\u2018s flight deck to collect additional data. A drone filmed the testing from above. When ATLA first released imagery from the testing back in September,\u00a0TWZ<\/em>\u00a0highlighted the presence<\/a>\u00a0of what was likely a small radar array, as well as electro-optical and\/or infrared cameras, which has now been confirmed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A slide highlighting the camera under the railgun\u2019s barrel, which was used to aim the weapons during the at-sea tests earlier this year. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
A slide with additional imagery from the at-sea tests, including of the ballistic shots fired with the weapon aimed 45 degrees upward. The radar array and high-speed camera that helped collect data during the testing are highlighted in the image at far left. ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ATLA says that the testing also provided valuable new experience regarding the installation and operation of a railgun on an actual naval vessel. Of course, an operational naval railgun would likely be far more deeply integrated into a warship compared to the test arrangement on JS\u00a0Asuka<\/em>. A more traditional naval installation on any ship would require finding sufficient space above and below deck for the railgun and its associated systems, as well as making a host of other necessary modifications, which could be costly and time-consuming.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, ATLA continues to work to improve various key underlying technologies as part of its ongoing railgun development efforts, including when it comes to power and cooling, as well as general wear and tear. Japanese authorities say they have now been able to demonstrate a barrel life of more than 200 rounds when firing projectiles at around 2,300 meters per second. As of 2023,\u00a0ATLA had reportedly<\/a>\u00a0been able to fire projectiles from prototype railguns at around 2,230 meters per second and had said it was working toward a barrel life of 120 rounds.<\/p>\n

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ATLA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The wear on barrels from the sustained firing of projectiles at very high speeds is one of a number of long-standing challenges for railguns, in general. A worn-out barrel can lead to the loss of range and accuracy, as well as increase the risk of a catastrophic failure.<\/p>\n

Railguns also have significant power generation and cooling requirements, which have, in turn, historically made them very physically bulky. The installation on JS\u00a0Asuka<\/em>\u00a0included four shipping containers full of additional systems and equipment to help meet those needs.<\/p>\n

Kazumi Ito, principal director of the equipment policy division at ATLA, said his country\u2019s railgun efforts were \u201cprogressing,\u201d but acknowledged \u201cvarious challenges,\u201d while speaking through an interpreter at a panel discussion at the DSEI Japan 2025 exposition earlier this year,\u00a0according to\u00a0National Defense Magazine<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ATLA video below shows previous live-fire testing of a prototype railgun at a facility on land.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

In general, the potential rewards from developing a practical railgun suitable for operational military use are great. Such a weapon would offer valuable anti-air capabilities, as well as the ability to engage targets at sea and on land. It would also bring additional benefits in terms of the relatively low cost of its ammunition and magazine depth. As\u00a0TWZ<\/em>\u00a0has previously written:<\/p>\n

\u201cIn principle, a practical electromagnetic railgun would offer a highly capable and flexible weapon system that can rapidly engage a wide array of targets at sea, on land, and even in the air, and at considerable ranges. Japan has previously expressed interest in this capability explicitly to help protect against incoming hypersonic threats. Such a weapon would also offer benefits in terms of magazine depth and cost compared to traditional surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, given the small size and lower unit price of the individual rounds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to warships, in particular, where physical space is at a premium and where options for reloading missiles at sea can be at best extremely limited, having a weapon system firing lower-cost munitions from a large magazine and that can engage a broad swath of target sets would be a clear boon.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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A U.S. Navy briefing slide from the service\u2019s abortive railgun program showing how ships armed with the weapons (as well as conventional guns firing the same ammunition) could potentially engage a wide variety of aerial threats, including cruise missiles, as well as surface targets.\u00a0USN<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The benefits railguns could offer extend to ground-based types, as well as ones installed on naval vessels. ATLA\u2019s presentation this week shows a truck-mounted railgun, along with one on a warship, as part of the projected roadmap for further railgun developments. ATLA has highlighted the potential for land-based capability in the past, as well.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A slide showing the general planned progression of Japanese railgun developments from the work that has been done already to a more refined design, and then operational naval and ground-based capabilities.\u00a0ATLA<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The previously released ATLA video below also depicts ground-based truck-mounted railguns.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

As\u00a0TWZ<\/em>\u00a0has noted<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0the past<\/a>, Japan\u2019s continued push ahead with the development of railguns stands in ever-starker contrast to the U.S. Navy\u2019s shelving of its work on such a capability\u00a0back in 2022<\/a>, at least publicly. Starting in 2005, the service had been very actively pursuing an operational railgun and had plans to move from\u00a0extensive on-land testing<\/a>\u00a0out to sea. However, the expected at-sea tests were repeatedly delayed and never came to pass. The Navy cited major technological hurdles in its decision to halt its railgun program.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, ATLA has\u00a0reportedly met with U.S. Navy officials<\/a>\u00a0to discuss its past railgun work and how it might be useful to Japan\u2019s ongoing efforts. The possibility of greater collaboration in the future has also come up. Last year,\u00a0ATLA signed a separate deal<\/a>\u00a0with the Franco-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) to cooperate on the development of railgun technologies.<\/p>\n

China has also been experimenting, on-and-off, with railguns\u00a0since the 1980s<\/a>. In 2018, a\u00a0prototype railgun mounted in a large turret<\/a>\u00a0emerged on\u00a0a People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship<\/a>, but the exact status of that program is now unclear.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The Chinese naval railgun that emerged in 2018.\u00a0Chinese internet<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As mentioned, work on railguns is also ongoing as part of a joint effort between Germany and France. Turkey\u00a0has received particular public attention<\/a>\u00a0for its railgun developments in recent years, as well. There continues to be general interest, globally, in railguns for naval and ground-based applications.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

ATLA\u2019s update on the at-sea railgun testing earlier this year makes clear that, regardless of any other global development, Japan very much remains committed to its pursuit of this capability.<\/p>\n

Fuente:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.twz.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

La Agencia de Adquisiciones, Tecnolog\u00eda y Log\u00edstica (ATLA) de Jap\u00f3n, proporcion\u00f3 detalles adicionales sobre las pruebas del ca\u00f1\u00f3n electromagn\u00e9tico (RAILGUN) en alta mar realizadas el… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17779,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17787,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17778\/revisions\/17787"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}