Navy Railgun

Scarecrow · May 7, 2008

Some advanced and pretty cool weaponry from the US Navy.

Um, wow. This video comes from a test firing of the Navy’s Elecromagnetic Railgun (EMRG), which was carried out yesterday at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia. The gun—which generates a powerful electromagnetic field to hurl projectiles at extremely high speeds—is rated at 32 megajoules, but the railgun engineers have to work up to that number slowly: this test was designed to reach a record-setting muzzle energy rating of 10 MJ. (The actual number turned out to be 10.64 MJ, according to Collin Babb with the Office of Naval Research.)

The Navy’s eventual goal is a ship-mounted railgun that can fire a projectile more than 200 miles at speeds of more than 8,000 feet per second. Context: The Navy’s current MK 45 five-inch gun has a range of just 20 miles. The Navy hopes to have a prototype ready sometime between 2016 and 2018.
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http://www.livescience.com/technology/080201-electromagnetic-record.html

The U.S. Navy yesterday test fired an incredibly powerful new big gun designed to replace conventional weaponry aboard ships. Sci-fi fans will recognize its awesome power and futuristic technology.
The big gun uses electromagnetic energy instead of explosive chemical propellants to fire a projectile farther and faster. The railgun, as it is called, will ultimately fire a projectile more than 230 miles (370 kilometers) with a muzzle velocity seven times the speed of sound (Mach 7) and a velocity of Mach 5 at impact.
The test-firing, captured on video, took place Jan. 31 in Dahlgren, Va., and Navy officials called it the "world's most powerful electromagnetic railgun."
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Scarecrow · May 7, 2008

On the tech side this is really an awesome achievement, and it will likely be used for space based systems.

On the other side, this kind of weaponry is more then a little scary. The range, the fact that it would be extremely difficult to detect, and the speed at which it hits means it can cause extensive damage.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4247543.html
Navy engineers had a banner day on Thursday, with two weapons tests breaking world records—loudly.
Demonstrating the power of an extreme machine that PM got an exclusive first look at last year, engineers fired a seven-pound slug from an electromagnetic railgun at a record power level of 10 megajoules (check out video below). That kind of muzzle energy should be enough to pulverize land and sea targets at long ranges.
The previous railgun power record hovered around nine megajoules. The electric system is meant to replace Navy warship's 5-in. guns.
Later last night, at the High Speed Test Track at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, a classified Navy test rocketed a payload across a track at 6589 mph—136 mph faster that the existing land speed record for anything on tracks.
The secret payload traveled a distance of 3.61 miles in about six seconds on three sleds. Each sled ignited in stages to propel the cargo down the track. A helium tent enclosed nearly three miles of the 10-mile track in order to reduce the aerodynamic heating and drag on the payload.
Despite our earlier speculation, no one is saying what it was that traveled so fast. Navy sources did admit that, on top of the multiple sonic booms heard in the desert, the payload itself detonated at the end of the track.
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URwormfood · Jan 11, 2009

On the railgun concept I find this cool...related to the tests posted, but contract is in..

Dec 23/08: Sauer, Incorporated in Jacksonville, FL wins an $8.3 million firm-fixed-price task order to design and build an Electromagnetic Launch RDT&E(Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation) facility at Naval Support Activity South Potomac in Dahlgren, VA (N62477-04-D-0036, #008).

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/EMALS-Electro-Magnetic-Launch-for-Carriers-05220/

~worm~

HardHatMike · Jan 16, 2009

Only problem with the video in the op is that it's obviously either fake or misrepresented. Major problems with it:

1. Where is all of the ancillary machinery that would be associated with a machine such as this? The amount of electric power need to fire a projectile that large would be staggering, yet all I see there is a big gun barrel. No power lines. No generators. Nothing.

2. There should be no exhaust gasses coming out when it is fired. That's the whole point of a railgun, that you don't need to keep the propellant around and thus making the firing platform safer for the crew.

3. Speaking of the crew, look again at the guy that loaded the round and tell me that he's a member of the Armed Forces, or a professional defense contractor. Right......

So, while I'm sure this technology is under development. This is not it.

Scarecrow · Jan 16, 2009

HardHatMike said: ↑

Only problem with the video in the op is that it's obviously either fake or misrepresented. Major problems with it:

1. Where is all of the ancillary machinery that would be associated with a machine such as this? The amount of electric power need to fire a projectile that large would be staggering, yet all I see there is a big gun barrel. No power lines. No generators. Nothing.

2. There should be no exhaust gasses coming out when it is fired. That's the whole point of a railgun, that you don't need to keep the propellant around and thus making the firing platform safer for the crew.

3. Speaking of the crew, look again at the guy that loaded the round and tell me that he's a member of the Armed Forces, or a professional defense contractor. Right......

So, while I'm sure this technology is under development. This is not it.
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Wow, well I guess we have our own Railgun expert here. You must have years of exp. in this field and vast knowledge of the subject. You are so sure of your comments, I look forward to reading something reputable to back up your assertions.

FormerGermanGuy · Apr 12, 2009

HardHatMike said: ↑

1. Where is all of the ancillary machinery that would be associated with a machine such as this? The amount of electric power need to fire a projectile that large would be staggering, yet all I see there is a big gun barrel. No power lines. No generators. Nothing.
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I agree completely; experimental next-generation weapons should always be shown in their entirety, on Youtube if possible. Secrecy is overrated.

2. There should be no exhaust gasses coming out when it is fired. That's the whole point of a railgun, that you don't need to keep the propellant around and thus making the firing platform safer for the crew.
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Google 'heat of compression' and 'diesel effect', and then get the spectroscopic analysis of whatever they guy wrapped the slug in before he loaded it before spouting off next time. There are hundreds of explanations available; pick one besides 'it's a coverup'.

3. Speaking of the crew, look again at the guy that loaded the round and tell me that he's a member of the Armed Forces, or a professional defense contractor. Right......
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Um, ever been to a shipyard? Those guys are all government contractors, usually members of the local dockworker's union, and often hippies, bikers, and other utterly non military-looking types. Working as a government contractor rarely requires you to meet military grooming standards.