Japan has been developing electromagnetic (EM) railgun technology since at least 2015, and current plans call for its future 13DDX destroyers to be armed with advanced weapons and possibly even lasers. The first images of these prototypes have finally been released.
Tokyo’s iconic Akihabara, or “Electric Town,” is the city’s shopping destination for the newest and hottest gadgets, gizmos, and cutting-edge electronics. Social media influencers often scour the shops for the next best thing.
Still, a photo posted last week to social media suggested that Japanese engineers have been working on more than personal electronics.
The first images were shared of a prototype weapon that has been a staple of video games for decades—namely, a railgun! The advanced gun was mounted on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) JS Asuka (ASE-6102), “an experimental ship” reportedly used to test new systems and equipment.
The Railgun Prototype Is Right on Track
As previously reported, Japan has been developing electromagnetic (EM) railgun technology since at least 2015, and current plans call for its future 13DDX destroyers to be armed with advanced weapons and possibly even lasers.
A 2016 demonstration saw a railgun fire a projectile at approximately 4,470 mph or 5.8 times the speed of sound. Such capabilities could be employed offensively to strike an enemy target and counter incoming threats, notably hypersonic missiles.
The JMSDF JS Asuka departed Yokosuka naval base last Thursday, and according to a report from Newsweek, “It has containers placed on its stern deck, which are likely supporting the possible railgun trial.” There is speculation that a pending at-sea test of the prototype railgun could be conducted.
The Railgun Prototype Is a Concept Pulled from Fiction to Reality
Though the railgun has become a staple of video games, the concept is far older than the first-person shooters that gave it such infamy. With high speed, mass, and kinetic energy, the projectile fired by a railgun wouldn’t need to contain any explosives to inflict damage.
The idea originated on the pages of pulp novels from the late nineteenth century but was first theorized as a practical weapon during the First World War. French inventor Andre Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplee conceived a platform that could utilize a large circuit to launch a projectile further than one launched via a chemical reaction.
He even created a simple electric cannon, which caught the French military’s attention, seeking a weapon that could rival such long-range cannons as Germany’s so-called “Paris Gun.”
In 1918, under the direction of the Director of Inventions at the French Ministry of Armaments, Fauchon-Villeplee was charged with developing a thirty to fifty-millimeter electric cannon based on his simple design. The war ended before he reached a prototype stage, and the matter was dropped.
The truth is that Fauchon-Villeplee’s concept may have been too far ahead of its time. The technology is simple enough, requiring a large electric circuit that consists of three parts: a power source (a considerable power source), a pair of parallel rails, and a moving armature.
An armature, a solid piece of conductive metal or a conductive “sabot,” bridges the gap between the rails. The current runs from the positive terminal of the power supply up the positive rail, over the sabot/armature, and down the negative rail back to the power supply.
The rails, which need to be made of conductive metal such as copper, would need to be over thirty feet long or longer. The current use of medium- to large-caliber railguns must be in millions of amps.
In other words, video games get it wrong that a handheld weapon could ever be developed, unless someone can wear a nuclear generator on their back and carry a gun larger than a modern howitzer!
Yet the games get the high accuracy, long range, and speed right, which makes them nearly unstoppable.
The United States Shows Interest in Railguns on Nuclear-Powered Warships
If power is the hold-up, the answer is simple: Mount a railgun on a nuclear-powered warship, and you’re good to go.
The United States may only operate nuclear-powered carriers and submarines today, but previously operated nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers.
Such warships could be armed with railguns, but overcoming the power supply is just one hurdle that needs to be cleared. Resistive heat is another issue, and while cooling options are being explored, repeated firings would damage the system.
That explains why the U.S. Navy scuttled its efforts to develop a railgun, even after investing upward of $500 million in its electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) program.
Perhaps the Japanese, who have developed everything from mini-washing machines to robotic dogs, have found a solution to the various problems.
According to Newsweek, Japanese sources have “created a barrel capable of firing up to 120 rounds without degradation.” At the same time, it can accelerate “new armor-piercing projectiles to muzzle velocities of 2,500 meters per second.”
That could make a formidable weapon, potentially more potent than even the 18.1-inch guns on the famed Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Yamato.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ John F. Williams.
