U.S. Navy Revives Electromagnetic Railgun Project for Future Trump-Class Battleships

Summary

The U.S. Navy has conducted new live-fire tests of its prototype electromagnetic railgun at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, marking a revival of the weapon system after the service shelved the program in the early 2020s. According to a Naval Surface Warfare Center document, testing was conducted in February 2025 as a joint effort between the White Sands Detachment and NSWC Dahlgren Division in support of Naval Sea Systems Command's Joint Hypersonics Transition Office. The railgun is now positioned to become a key feature on the future Trump-class "battleships" (BBG(X), a new generation of large surface combatants expected to displace around 35,000 tons and carry an integrated mix of hypersonic missiles, traditional guns, and directed energy weapons.

The prototype had been in storage since 2021 when the Navy announced it would close out work on the railgun program following years of technical challenges and failed attempts at at-sea testing. The weapon was originally developed by BAE Systems and tested at NSWC Dahlgren in Virginia before being moved to White Sands in 2019. While the specific objectives of the February 2025 tests remain unclear—they may have supported broader hypersonic technology development rather than railgun operational readiness—the renewed testing signals growing military interest in the weapon as part of next-generation naval warfare capabilities.

• The weapon had faced significant technical hurdles and delays, including abandoned plans for at-sea testing over multiple years