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Navy EMRG Hypervelocity Projectiles
It's almost a shame that the Navy's electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) can fire projectiles at targets up to 200 nautical miles away. If the enemy could see this thing fire, they'd surrender immediately. See EMRG video below for details.
(Navy electromagnetic railgun test firing)
Why railguns, you ask?
- Extended range – Railguns ultimately will be capable of engaging targets at distances in excess of 200 nautical miles. Currently, the Mk 45 5-inch/45 naval gunfire system has a range of slightly more than 13 nautical miles.
- Higher velocity – Railgun rounds will achieve hypersonic speeds in excess of mach 7 (5,550 miles per hour). Railguns can provide more responsive fires than current naval gunfire systems, cruise missiles, or aircraft on strip alert.
- Safer ammunition handling – Without the need for explosive propellants or warheads, there is no danger of accidental explosions during ammunition loading and magazine storage.
- More rounds aboard ship – Because railguns eliminate the need for explosive propellants, logistics for the weapons system is greatly simplified. The additional space can be used for additional rounds or for other uses in the ship. This means a ship can stay on station longer, providing fire support for ground forces ashore.
- High angle of trajectory - Because railguns can fire into the stratosphere, they have a high angle of fire that allows them to engage targets on the reverse slopes of hills and mountains along the gun target line. This is an advantage over current naval surface support systems, which have relatively flat fire trajectories and consequently have a very limited capability to engage targets on reverse slopes in defilade.
(Electromagnetic railgun firing)
Railguns use electrical energy to accelerate projectiles; this makes a railgun the perfect match for the Electric Warship currently under development by the Navy.
Via the Navy and lots of other sites (I'm running a bit late on this story).
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 2/3/2008)
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