Japan recently presented a futuristic „electric gun” that can be used to shoot down hypersonic missiles.
At the largest defense exhibition, opened this week in Japan, visitors had the opportunity to see a model of a futuristic „electric gun,” which producers say will be able to intercept hypersonic missiles, according to AFP, cited by France 24.
Railgun technology does not use gunpowder, but electromagnetic energy to propel projectiles along rails at extremely high speeds. Theoretically, the projectile will destroy the target, whether it be a ship, drone, or ballistic missile, solely with its extremely high kinetic energy.
Other countries, including the United States, China, France, and Germany, are also working on this technology, but the Japanese military navy was the first to test, in 2023, an electric gun mounted on a ship.
"A railgun is a future gun that fires projectiles with electric energy, unlike conventional artillery," said an official from the Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency (ATLA) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense, to AFP.
"It is expected that in the future, there will be threats that can only be addressed by railguns," added the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The DSEI Japan Conference military exhibition, organized by Japan for three days, started on Wednesday. The event coincides with Japan's shift to a more robust defense policy, in which the country seeks to sell more military equipment to other states.