JS Asuka, a one-of-its-kind dedicated experimental vessel with a 6,200-ton-displacement belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), was first spotted with the railgun in a turret installed on its stern flight deck in April, as TWZ reported on at the time. Additional views of the ship in this configuration emerged afterward.
A picture ATLA released yesterday of the turreted railgun installed on JS Asuka‘s flight deck earlier this year. ATLAA picture of JS Asuka from around the time of the railgun testing that ATLA also released yesterday. White shipping containers associated with the weapon mounted on the ship’s stern flight deck are visible. ATLAAn earlier picture offering a clearer view of the railgun turret installed on JS Asuka’s stern flight deck. @HNlEHupY4Nr6hRM
“ATLA conducted the Ship-board Railgun Shooting Test from June to early July this year with the support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force,” according to a post yesterday on the agency’s official Instagram page. “It’s the first time that a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real ship.”
One of the pictures accompanying ATLA’s Instagram post, seen at the top of this story, which was also shared on the agency’s other social media accounts, shows the railgun being fired. What looks to be a radar array and an electro-optical and/or infrared camera system are also seen in the image on a separate turret.
A close-up of what looks to be a turret with a radar array and an electro-optical and/or infrared camera system seen in the new picture of the railgun being test fired. ATLA
Another, seen below, shows a tug-like ship in the crosshairs of a targeting system. Additional pictures of the tug have now also emerged clearly showing target boards on the port and starboard sides of its funnel, as well as one facing the stern.
ATLA
So far, ATLA has not released any imagery of target vessels actually being struck by projectiles fired from the railgun mounted on Asuka. The agency says more details will be provided at its upcoming Defense Technology Symposium in November.
Back in 2023, ATLA said it had conducted the first-ever successful firing of a railgun from any ship. The agency did not name the vessel used in those tests.
