US Navy Tests Electromagnetic Railgun

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

The latest scientific inventions often come from the military - it seems they can't have enough ways to kill people and blow things up. The latest "advance" is a weapon straight out of science fiction: an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG).

The railgun has appeared in many science fictions novels, movies and TV shows. It essentially replaces old-fashioned gunpowder with a powerful electromagnetic pulse to fire a projectile slug with great power. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) says:

"Because of its design, EMRG uses electrical energy to deliver a time-critical strike rather than the chemical agents in warheads and propellants that can place crews and ships in jeopardy. EMRG represents significant advances in Navy and Marine Corps capabilities, extends the range of Marine Corps combat capability and distributed operations, and improves safety aboard sea vessels."

Last week's test firing took place in Dahlgren, Va. and a slug weighing just over 7 pounds was fired at Mach 7 – seven times the speed of sound. The "hypercannon" could one day hit targets more than 200 miles away. The pellets would hit with such force that they would destroy the target.

Strange and - unfortunately - true.

Labels: emrg, inventions, military, onr, railgun, weapon