K-RAIL - Korean Railgun Project

As the Defense Acquisition Program Administration looks to the future of the Korean National Navy, the most imminent program to be implemented is to be a broad-scale upgrade from AEGIS-era systems to the DEUNGPAE integrated naval defense system, as displayed on the new Yi Jong-mu class destroyers which premier next year.

Hoping to begin DEUNGPAE upgrades to the Sejong the Great class destroyers in 2028, and to begin replacing foreign-produced radar on all Korean ships by 2029, and aware of the immense cost of refitting a ship, DAPA has deemed it wise to undertake the K-RAIL project over the next two years. The K-RAIL will aim to produce a naval railgun series, capable of replacing traditional naval guns to participate in land bombardment and, in the future, capable of performing CIWS functions.

There will be four variants - K-RAIL-8, K-RAIL-16, K-RAIL-32, and K-RAIL-64, which each capable of firing projectiles 8 MJ, 16 MJ, 32 MJ, and 64 MJ respectively. The K-RAIL-8 will be developed first as a test, with higher MJ versions coming later. On this project, DAPA will consult the Korean Institute of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science, the Sixth Machine Industry Bureau, Korea Aerospace Industries, various Hanwha Group affiliates, LIG Nex1, and researchers at Seoul National University domestically. Internationally, quiet outreach to the Third American Republic's Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. NSWCDD is and has been at the forefront of railgun development, and would be a great boon to the project.

The program has an allotted time period of 2.5 years and $1 billion in funding for the K-RAIL-8, K-RAIL-16, and K-RAIL-32 systems, while the K-RAIL-64 system is estimated to be finished in 4 years.