Navy Aims to Break Electromagnetic Railgun Record

Railgun Test
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POST UPDATED, SEE: U.S. Navy Sets Railgun Record

What is the electromagnetic railgrun? In a word, innovation. This weapons system will bypass the traditional use of chemical propellants or rocket motors for firing projectiles or missiles. Instead, electromagnetic railguns mounted on U.S. naval vessels will use electricity to launch projectiles farther and faster than any ship in today's fleet.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008 -- The Office of Naval Research will test fire an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. on Jan. 31, 2008, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. EST. The gun will be fired at over 10 megajoules of energy – a power level never before achieved by an EMRG.

The New York Times reports the innovation stretches back to the 1980s, when railguns were part of President Ronald Reagan’s antimissile defense plan.

By 2008, the technology has come a long way in a more terrestrial application: the Navy is testing them as ship-to-land projectiles.

So far, there have been several successful tests of the railgun, which uses electromagnetic rails to fire missiles, instead of fuel and on-board motors.

The latest test, scheduled for Thursday, plans to break a record by firing the gun at 10 megajoules. A 16-megajoule test was planned for later this year, with the ultimate goal is to get it up to 64, officials say. The more power, the farther these things will fly, obviously.

For a megajoule frame-of-reference, a Navy official compared the 8-megajoule railgun shot to “hitting a target with a Ford Taurus at 380 mph.”

The gun fires a projectile with electricity, rather than gunpowder. A shell is launched at Mach 7 through the electromagnetic rails into the atmosphere for about one minute, flies out of the atmosphere for four minutes, and then descends to Earth toward its target at Mach 5 in approximately one minute. The projectile is guided using the Global Positioning System, according to The Navy Times.

More than 75 railgun firings have occurred at the Dahlgren facility this year, but this firing event is the next step forward in the development of this technology as the gun will be fired at over 10 megajoules of energy — a power level never before achieved by an railgun, according to a statement by the Office of Naval Research.

The program wants to demonstrate more than 100 shots by fiscal 2011. The objective is to fire 3,000 rounds per gun barrel. The barrels should be changeable onboard ship, according to program officials.

The Navy states, when fully operational, the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) will:

• Deliver hypervelocity projectiles at Mach 5 on impact in support of Marines and ground forces.


• Strike within 5 meters of a pinpointed target from distances in excess of 200 nautical miles.


• Maximize damage through kinetic energy from longer range while minimizing risks to crews and ships.

Traditional fire-protection and ammunition-handling requirements are not necessary using an electromagnetic-pulse power system.

The end result could be a more cost-effective and highly lethal weapon, program manager Elizabeth D’Andrea said at an industry conference in August, adding that the railgun program strives to provide “missile ranges at bullet prices.”

The Navy plans to have an EM railgun onboard a ship, potentially its next-generation cruiser CG(X), between 2020 and 2025.

The Marine Corps is particularly interested in the EM railgun because it could provide high-speed, over-the-horizon fire support from the sea.

Related:
View a clip of an electromagnetic railgun launch.
Obtain ONR's electromagnetic railgun briefing.

U.S. Navy Electromagnetic Railgun Program Web Site

(Compiled from news media and official sources.)

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