Japan has conducted its first successful test-firings of a ship-mounted electromagnetic railgun against a target vessel at sea, a feat that brings it a step closer to becoming the first nation to deploy such a next-generation weapon system.
The Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) revealed Wednesday that it conducted firing tests from June to early July using the prototype railgun deployed aboard the test ship JS Asuka.
“It’s the first time that a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real ship,” ATLA wrote on social media platform X, releasing a total of four images of the trials, which were carried out with support from the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
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