(CNN) China is getting closer to equipping its warships with electromagnetic railguns, state media reports -- which, if true, means its fleet could soon boast some of the most advanced weapons technology on the planet.

Citing CCTV, the state-run Global Times on Thursday reported the underlying railgun technology -- which utilizes electrical power rather than explosives to launch projectiles -- was based on "fully independent intellectual property," rather than copied from other countries.

Unconfirmed sightings of a Chinese landing ship apparently equipped with a test railgun in an undisclosed location have circulated around the internet this week

Military expert Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN that if the reports were accurate, the weapon was likely to be "a year or two away from being operational."

"They'll say it's operational -- what that mean the operational evaluation has started, (and they're) testing it under more realistic conditions," he said. "Typically you're looking at a year before being deployed."

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