Japan targets Chinese, North Korean hypersonic missiles with US$56 million railgun plan
- Advanced anti-missile system would be able to fire rounds at over 2,000 metres per second, offering protection against nuclear-capable hypersonic glide weapons
- Development is seen as a countermeasure made ‘out of desperation’ against the advances made by Beijing and Pyongyang
The Ministry of Defence has succeeded in having 6.5 billion yen (US$56.1 million) allocated in the initial 2022 budget proposal for a weapon that is widely regarded as being potent, but also problematic due to the technological advances that will be required. Undeterred, work is under way on the system at the ministry’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency, with officials hopeful it can be deployed before the end of the decade.
Instead of using a conventional explosive propellant to fire a bullet, a railgun utilises electromagnetic force to launch high-velocity projectiles. The round that is fired does not usually contain an explosive charge, instead relying on the projectile’s speed, mass and kinetic energy to inflict damage on the target.
At present, interceptor missiles have a maximum speed of around 1,700 metres per second, but projectiles launched from an electromagnetic railgun will travel at speeds of more than 2,000 metres per second. That particular challenge has already been achieved, with a prototype Japanese weapon hurling a projectile at a rate of nearly 2,300 metres per second.
“This is basically a countermeasure against hypersonic glide missiles that we are now seeing appearing,” said Kazuto Suzuki, a professor of science and technology policy at Tokyo University.
