Through a brief social media post, the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced this morning that the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted live-fire tests with its new electromagnetic cannon between the months of June and July, mounted on the test ship JS Asuka. The institution’s intention was to evaluate the weapon’s performance and record as much data as possible, in preparation for a detailed presentation scheduled for the ATLA Technology Symposium to be held on November 11–12.
Going into detail, the post shows four images in which the electromagnetic cannon can be seen in action, aiming and firing at an unidentified vessel used as a target. This is, in principle, the same design that the aforementioned ATLA had first presented in 2023 during its initial tests, which according to the agency were the first of their kind worldwide and served as the starting point for the recent activities.
Based on previous testing reports, this is a 40 mm cannon capable of firing steel projectiles weighing around 320 grams. The main advantage of this new weapon lies in its design, which uses electromagnets instead of conventional chemical propellants to achieve high-speed shots, reaching approximately 2,230 m/s (Mach 6.5). It was also reported that during the first tests the cannon used about 5 megajoules (MJ) of charge energy, although ATLA’s intention was to move forward with a final model employing 20 MJ. In terms of service life, it was said that each cannon could fire up to 120 projectiles without the need for reloading.
Analysts also highlight that the design allows for the use of smaller projectiles than conventional cannons, making it possible to store a larger number of rounds on the ship while also making detection by the enemy more difficult. This would be especially useful when operating in contested environments populated by coastal batteries capable of responding quickly to incoming fire, as well as against ships equipped with countermeasure systems able to intercept them.
It should be remembered that Japan has been working on obtaining such a weapon since the 1990s, with initial developments carried out at the agency’s Ground Systems Research Center (GSRC). At that time, it was a smaller model of about 16 mm. It was only in 2016 that the country revitalized efforts to move forward with the current approach, while in 2018 the first video of a proof-of-concept test was released, and by 2022 a USD 47.9 million contract was signed with Japan Steel Works for the construction of the prototype.
Image credits: @atla_kouhou_jp on X
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Sell it to the Philippines to deter China.