Japan has released photos of its railgun—which fires projectiles using electricity—in action during a test against a target at sea amid China's development of similar futuristic weapons.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Why It Matters

Japan has been developing railgun technology since 2016, according to defense outlet Naval News . Equipped with two rails, the weapon uses an electric pulse—instead of explosive chemical propellants—to generate an electromagnetic force that accelerates a projectile to up to six times the speed of sound, hitting its target with extreme velocity.

Facing China 's development of advanced anti-ship missiles , Japan plans to deploy railguns as an air-defense system to protect its warships. Railguns are

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