By wannapong @Adobe Stock
Iona Cleave of The Telegraph reports that Japan has revealed a ship-mounted railgun capable of shooting down hypersonic missiles, aiming to boost defense amid regional threats. Mounted on the JS Asuka, the weapon uses electromagnetic energy to fire projectiles at 2,500 m/s—faster and cheaper than traditional arms. Developed since 2016, the railgun had its first onboard test in 2023. Japan continues its push as other nations explore similar tech. Cleave writes:
Japan’s navy has unveiled a ship-mounted electromagnetic railgun intended to shoot down incoming Chinese hypersonic missiles.
The large futuristic-looking weapon system was pictured last week undergoing advanced stages of testing on the flight deck of the experimental JS Asuka warship.
Tokyo has been intensely focused on fielding its next-generation weapons as threats increase in the Indo-Pacific from China, Russia and North Korea. […]
On 9 April, Vice Admiral OMACHI Katsushi, Commander of Self Defense Fleet visited JS ASUKA to observe the latest status of a “Railgun”, which is under development at the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA).#Railgun #asuka #ATLA pic.twitter.com/accGodNiES
— JMSDF Self-Defense Fleet ENG (@JMSDF_SDF_ENG) April 18, 2025
The UK, despite carrying out research, is not building its own railgun. Instead, it is in the advanced stages of developing a direct energy weapon known as DragonFire.
Tipped as a revolutionary weapon, DragonFire uses lasers to down drones and missiles with an intense light beam, not projectiles fired by electromagnetic forces, and costs £10 a shot.Ukraine has developed its own laser weapon which is understood to have been modelled on a UK prototype after designs were shared with Kyiv in 2024.
Read more here.
