China reportedly mounted an electromagnetic railgun on the bow of a Type 072III landing ship in December 2017 and has kept it at sea since then. The US Navy spent about $500 million over 15 years on its own railgun program but never fielded a gun at sea and canceled it in July 2021.
WHO:China; US Navy
WHAT:China reportedly kept an electromagnetic railgun installed on a Type 072III landing ship at sea since December 2017, while the US Navy canceled its railgun program after spending about $500 million without deploying it at sea.
WHEN:Reported Sep 12, 2026 at 7:44 AM ET
WHERE:China
WHY:The US program was canceled after failing to get its railgun to sea despite long development spending.
Reporting from 1 identified publisher for this event.
