Japan releases image of Railgun installed on naval vessel

Japan Unveils Ship-Mounted Railgun Prototype

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) publicly released images of an electromagnetic railgun prototype mounted aboard the experimental test ship JS Asuka (ASE-6102), marking a major milestone in Japan’s nearly decade-long effort to field next-generation high-velocity weapons. The railgun, developed by the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA), has been under active development since fiscal year 2016 through a program titled “…

Railgun Installed On Japanese Warship Testbed

The Japan Self-Defense Forces have offered an official look at the turret-mounted electromagnetic railgun now installed on the test ship JS Asuka. The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has been working on railguns since the mid-2010s, which could be a future armament for Japanese warships and could also be employed in a ground-based mode. This is also a category of weapons that the U.S. Navy notably …

Japan releases image of Railgun installed on naval vessel

On April 18, 2025, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) released an image of its state-of-the-art railgun currently undergoing testing aboard the test ship JS Asuka.