The United States Navy's Electromagnetic Railgun system has been
fired for the 1,000th time, bringing the system one step closer to
integration on USN warships deployed at sea.
Less than 12 months ago, the railgun established a new world record
when it fired a projectile with 33 megajoules of force. Since then, the
tests have been ongoing, culminating in the landmark 1,000th launch,
which occurred on 31 October.
The 999 previous firings have examined various aspects related to the
system's performance, including potential damage caused to it by the
massive forces involved when it's in operation.
USN Electromagnetic Railgun
The USN's Electromagnetic Railgun's being put through its paces by scientists working at ONR - the Office of Naval Research.
"A railgun weapons system must be able to launch hundreds of
projectiles and withstand extreme pressures, currents and temperatures",
Captain Paul Stewart, the US Naval Research Laboratory Materials
Testing Facility's Commanding Officer, explained.
"Today's firing of the 1,000th shot demonstrates Navy researchers are
steadily progressing toward achieving that goal, developing a more
effective and efficient future ship combat system."
US Navy Railgun: Projectile Launch
The US Navy railgun defies the convention set by earlier weapons
designs, which typically launch their projectiles with an explosive
force. It, by contrast, draws on electromagnetic power to charge a
projectile forwards. This launched projectile travels on rails, before
leaving the railgun at extreme velocities, up to a maximum of seven
times the speed of sound (Mach 7).
"This test demonstrates continued advances in armature development,
rail design, and barrel materials used in high power railgun launch",
Doctor Robert Meger, who leads the Charged Particle Physics division of
ONR, said in a statement. "Firing up to 15 shots per week on the
laboratory's experimental railgun, researchers at NRL perform detailed
testing and analysis of rails and armatures, providing S&T expertise
to the Navy program that is directly applicable to tests at large-scale
power levels", he added.
From here on in, the USN will continue to progress the
Electromagnetic Railgun concept, despite the chance that its future
might be endangered by budget costs.
Railgun image copyright US Navy
