Japan carries out tests of railgun against at-sea target

Japan's railgun seen here carrying out a test firing from JS Asuka . (Japan Ministry of Defense)

Japan's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has carried out test firings of its shipboard electromagnetic (EM) railgun against a target at sea.

A statement and images issued by the agency on 10 September confirm that the target used in these tests was mounted on a moving vessel. The tests took place between June and July 2025, ATLA said.

From the images released, this target vessel appears to be a 260 tonne Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) yard tug that has been improvised specifically for the railgun tests.

Also seen in the images of the EM railgun is what appears to be an antenna for a muzzle velocity radar and a camera that has likely been mounted to assist with target impact analysis.

In addition, a smaller camera has been mounted beneath the muzzle of the EM railgun, presumably to act as a viewfinder for the weapon.

This is the first known instance that ATLA has employed such a set-up for its railgun testing, although the statement issued on 10 September stopped short of explicitly stating this.

In collaboration with the JMSDF, ATLA has mounted its under-development EM railgun on research vessel JS Asuka since at least October 2023. Asuka is a 151 m destroyer-like vessel that was commissioned by the JMSDF as a survey and research ship in March 1995.

As part of its set-up on Asuka