April 06, 2018
Does China's Navy Really Have a Railgun? (Or Is It a Hoax?)
In late January 2018, photos started circulating on social media showing a Chinese landing ship armed with a large gun turret fitted on its bow where the ship’s anti-aircraft turret would normally be. If confirmed to be a working prototype, China would be the first in the world to have a warship carrying an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG)—a new type of armament capable of posing a severe threat to U.S. forward-deployed forces. Despite sinking over $500 million into research and development, the U.S. Navy has thus far been unable to successfully produce the weapon. The absence of any information on the design and the testing of the railgun prototype from Chinese authorities, however, casts doubt on whether the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) prototype even works.
The development of rail guns and other directed-energy weapons are the future of maritime superiority. So, should the U.S. military be concerned about the Chinese ships with next-generation weapons? Until we see a fully operational Chinese railgun launch a projectile using electromagnetic energy, the answer is “no.”
Read the full article in The National Interest
More from CNAS
-
America’s Taiwan Dilemma
Podcast
Jacob Stokes from the Center for New American Security in Washington explains the implications for regional security regarding the rising tensions between China and Taiwan. Th...
By Jacob Stokes
-
International Community Must Do More to Protect Human Rights in Afghanistan
Commentary
Human rights in Afghanistan, especially those of women and girls, have deteriorated sharply during the first year of Taliban rule. The very real prospect of losing a generatio...
By Lisa Curtis, Annie Pforzheimer & Jan Mohammad Jahid
-
China Hit Some Bumps on Its Road to Semiconductor Dominance
Commentary
China’s statist approach suffers from endemic waste, misallocation of capital and corruption. China isn’t guaranteed to succeed simply because Beijing wants to....
By David Feith & Rick Switzer
-
Time to Get Tough on the Taliban
Commentary
As Washington reduces its diplomatic engagement with the Taliban, it should also focus on finding creative ways to support Afghan civil society...
By Lisa Curtis & Nader Nadery
