Which USA He was trying for years without getting the desired results and ended up abandoning, it is already a reality for Japan. The Maritime Self -Defense Force of Japan (JMSDF) has published images of the Riel cannon who is developing mounted on the experimental ship JS Asuka; It is a new version visibly more developed than previous prototypes. The JMSDF has published the images on the occasion of the recent inspection of the JS Asuka of the Vice Admiral Omachi Katsushicommander of the self -defense fleet.
Previously, some accounts that follow naval news had already published others in social media, taken from afar, in which you can see the rail canyon already installed on the demonstration ship. The Riel Canyon is the product of the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA)with industrial support of Japan Steel Worksone of the main naval manufacturers of the country.
今日は軍港めぐりで🇯🇵海上自衛隊試験艦「あすか ASE-6102 」のﾚｰﾙｶﾞﾝと思われるものが見えました😁
砲台と砲身が角張った形状です😲 pic.twitter.com/ourhhqu4i1
– モリジュン (@hnlehupy4nr6hrm) April 9, 2025
What is a rail or Railgun cannon
A rail, or Railgun, is an electromagnetic weapon that launches projectiles through electric and magnetic fields instead of chemical explosives or propelants. By generating an intense electric current between two conductive rails, A metallic projectile is accelerated at hypersonic speedswhich allows you to achieve objectives with great kinetic energy.
However, despite their potential, these systems They are not yet ready to replace conventional artillery due to several unresolved technical problems: The extreme wear of the canyon after few shots, the need for very powerful and compact energy sources, the limited cadence of shooting and reliability in real combat conditions. To what extent the Riel de Atla cannon has overcome these obstacles, It is unknown.
The development that the United States canceled, but Japan keeps active
The formal development of the Japanese Riel Canyon began in 2016starting real fire tests in 2022. The first steps of development focused on 2 key technical challenges: the stability of the projectile at hypersonic speeds and the mitigation of cannon wear, since the Use electric and magnetic fields To accelerate projectiles, great stress is generated in its internal components.
These problems led to the cancellation of similar projects in the US., Where, after an investment of more than 500 million dollars, The program was abandoned in 2021 for rapid degradation of the canyon after less than 30 shots. Although it is unknown if the development continues classifiedly, Washington has reoriented its efforts towards solid state laser systems and other weapons. Japan, however, has kept its program active.
What is known about the Japanese Riel Canyon
The current prototype, installed in the JS Asuka, weighs some 8 tons and has a 6 -meter -long cannon. According to open sources analysis such as Shephard Media, the system can launch 40 mm and 320 grams steel projectiles at an outlet speed of approximately 2,230 meters per second (Mach 6.5 or 8,027 km/h)with plans to increase the load energy of 5 megajulios (MJ) at 20 MJ soon. According to Naval News, a 2022 Atla report indicated that the goal was to get a useful life of the 120 -shooting cannon before the intense heat generated in each one of graduated too much.
The aforementioned characteristics make it one of the most powerful systems of its type. Unlike traditional explosive ammunition, the Riel Canyon uses pure kinetic energywhich positions it as A cheaper alternative against guided missiles in certain scenarios.
Projectiles can be configured for different missions, including Antiaree fragmentation rolesas published by published Japanese conceptual diagrams. Unlike laser weapons, riel cannons They are not limited by the line of vision or by atmospheric attenuationwhich gives them operational capacity in all types of climate and the possibility of attacking at greater distances.
Japan has been looking to integrate this type of systems with long -range interception platformsespecially before threats like DRONE PLAYER AND ENJAMBRES HIPERSONIC VEHICLES.