According to the U.S. publication "Defense Watch," on September 12, the Japanese Ministry of Defense's Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Bureau (ATLA) conducted its first live-fire test of an electromagnetic railgun at sea and successfully hit a long-range target.

This railgun was installed on the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's experimental ship Asahio, with the test lasting from June to July, for a period of two months.

ATLA disclosed that the railgun's firing speed reached 2,500 meters per second, far exceeding the level of modern tank guns at 1,750 meters per second, possessing high kinetic energy and marking the first practical significance of hitting targets in combat.

The U.S. media pointed out that compared to Japan, the U.S. railgun project was forced to be suspended several years ago due to slow progress and high costs. Now, Japan has made progress, which may bring a new spring for the U.S. military.

Considering the tradition of U.S.-Japan military technology integration, Japan is likely to transfer part or all of its railgun achievements to the U.S. Navy, helping it bypass previous technological bottlenecks.

Japanese Railgun

The working principle of a railgun is to use electromagnetic force to push a metallic projectile at high speed, replacing the traditional gunpowder propulsion method of conventional artillery.

It generates a strong electromagnetic force between two metal rails through current, pushing a sliding armature and projectile to accelerate and fire a supersonic kinetic energy projectile.

Since no gunpowder explosion is required, railguns have the characteristics of low cost and high speed. The projectile itself is simply a regular-shaped, high-density metal block, relying entirely on kinetic energy to strike the target and cause damage.

Such kinetic projectiles have extremely low cost, without explosives or guidance systems, can be mass-produced and stored. In theory, they are suitable for deployment in multiple scenarios such as ship-mounted weapons, island garrisons, and unmanned platforms.

In actual combat, railguns can be used to intercept high-speed missiles, strike swarms of drones, suppress enemy light ships, and disable shore-based communication facilities. They are especially suitable for use in combat environments with severe electronic interference and high demand for concentrated firepower.

Its disadvantages are also obvious. Railguns are extremely dependent on power supply systems, requiring the release of hundreds of megawatts of energy in an instant for each shot, far exceeding the power capacity of ordinary warships, making them difficult to install.

Moreover, the barrel wear is severe, with each shot causing irreversible damage to the rails, resulting in a very short actual lifespan.

Another issue is the poor ballistics stability. It cannot self-guide and only relies on the lead time of the fire control system to strike the target, with accuracy rapidly decreasing with distance.

Additionally, railguns do not have over-the-horizon capability, operating only within tens to hundreds of kilometers, which makes them only functionally useful in the context of modern operations spanning thousands of kilometers.

Chinese Railgun

From the perspective of overall technology and system maturity, China has clearly made more progress in the field of railguns.

As early as 2018, images of a suspected railgun prototype device installed on a Type 072 amphibious assault ship were first exposed.

Thereafter, in the following years, China continuously published patent documents related to railguns, covering key aspects such as power systems, electromagnetic launch structures, kinetic projectile stability, and shipboard installation layouts.

According to foreign media speculation, China has completed ground tests and shipboard live-fire launches, with some technologies being applied to the electromagnetic catapult system of the Fujian aircraft carrier, forming an electromagnetic full-chain platform technical advantage.

Once deployed on a large scale, China will form a dense, low-cost, and highly difficult-to-intercept regional suppression weapon system in the Asia-Pacific region, something that Japan cannot match at present.

Compared with this, the U.S. railgun project, launched in 2005, was once prosperous, aiming to create a sea-based weapon with a range exceeding 200 kilometers. However, in 2021, it was officially announced to be terminated, with the main reasons being immature power systems, short barrel life, and difficulty in ensuring ballistic accuracy.

Japanese Railgun

In summary, railguns are both a high ground in technological competition and a new variable in tactical confrontation.

If Japan and the U.S. jointly deploy railguns, especially forming kinetic firepower blockade points around the First Island Chain, it will interfere with the medium and short-range mobility of Chinese vessels.

In response to this, China can take systematic countermeasures from three dimensions.

First, tactically, adhere to the principle of long-range suppression to prevent enemy railgun platforms from entering the effective combat range.

Use hypersonic weapons such as the DF-17 and YJ-21 to precisely destroy railgun platforms more than 300 kilometers away;

Second, technologically, develop electromagnetic disturbance devices and plasma trajectory jammers, deploying them around ships or important islands, using electromagnetic disturbances to interfere with railgun trajectories, causing them to miss their targets.

At the same time, accelerate the miniaturization of laser weapons to weaken and intercept incoming kinetic projectiles in the terminal phase;

Third, in terms of defense system construction, treat railguns as cheap kill projectiles, using low-cost decoy targets to attract their ammunition and induce their shooting to fail.

In conclusion, in the short term, railguns do not have strategic significance, and their tactical significance is relatively limited. With the background of technological leadership, China can respond more easily.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7549419237576737331/

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