The U.S. Navy Gave Up on the Railgun in 2021 — Now the Iran War, Japan, and a New Battleship Are Bringing It Back

The U.S. Navy Gave Up on the Railgun in 2021 — Now the Iran War, Japan, and a New Battleship Are Bringing It Back

The U.S. Navy declared its electromagnetic railgun dead in 2021, after spending more than $500 million over roughly 15 years on a weapon it could not make work — beaten by barrels that wore out after a few dozen shots, power demands that exceeded what its ships could generate, and a decision to pour money into hypersonic missiles instead. Five years later, the weapon is back in the conversation, and not for nostalgia. Three separate forces are r…