Japan has tested a railgun that can accelerate projectiles to hypersonic speeds

Another test of the railgun has been held in Japan. The video of the electromagnetic gun tests was published by the Agency for Procurement, Technology and Logistics.

Here's What We Know

The relstron is capable of accelerating the projectile to unprecedented speeds. The details of the latest test are not specified, but it is known that the cannon can give a 40 mm projectile a speed of 2.23 km/s, which is 6.5 times the speed of sound (343 m/s).

Japan wants to deploy the electromagnetic booster both at sea and on land. In mid-autumn 2023, the Agency for Procurement, Technology and Logistics reported a successful test of a shipboard electromagnetic accelerator. The tests involved the Maritime Self-Defence Force and the Japanese Ministry of Defence.

The rail gun was unveiled in the spring of 2023. Japan Steel Works received $47.9 million from the Land Systems Research Centre to develop the prototype.