Electromagnetic Railgun

mickyflinn

mickyflinn

mickyflinn

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A test shot fires from the Office of Naval Research-funded Electromagnetic Railgun prototype launcher located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. The test shots begin a month-long series of full-energy tests to evaluate the technology. This prototype, developed by BAE, is the first of two industry-built launchers that will bring the Department of the Navy a step closer to producing a new-generation, long-range, weapon for surface ships.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uV1SbEuzFU
 
pew pew. I wonder what they shot it through. I also wonder why THAT shape projectile? It looks like it self-stabilised in flight once it had gone through the target... but would a rotating one not be better? Maybe it would generate too much heat going through rifling? Or just destroy itself.

Either way, cool.
 
Jono said:
pew pew. I wonder what they shot it through. I also wonder why THAT shape projectile? It looks like it self-stabilised in flight once it had gone through the target... but would a rotating one not be better? Maybe it would generate too much heat going through rifling? Or just destroy itself.

Either way, cool.
Click to expand...

It was a rail shaped projectile because it was fired from a rail gun :p
 
Jono said:
pew pew. I wonder what they shot it through. I also wonder why THAT shape projectile? It looks like it self-stabilised in flight once it had gone through the target... but would a rotating one not be better? Maybe it would generate too much heat going through rifling? Or just destroy itself.

Either way, cool.
Click to expand...

I believe they've deliberately been using ones which are designed to pick up a lot of air resistance and travel shorter distances than the 'proper' rounds would, probably as not to hit something unintended miles and miles away.
 
I heard that they were developing this a few years ago and I think I've seen a video of a small-scale test but that is pretty awesome.

Why is there an explosion from the end of the barrel though?

As I understand the concept; electricity is released 'down' the barrel with the projectile following the 'flow' and shooting out of the end.

If that was the case, there wouldn't be any ignited gases in the barrel to create the explosion...
 
Somnambulist said:
I believe they've deliberately been using ones which are designed to pick up a lot of air resistance and travel shorter distances than the 'proper' rounds would, probably as not to hit something unintended miles and miles away.
Click to expand...

Aye, at the moment they are getting the launcher worked out so they don't really want the rounds going too far (it would be embarrasing for them if they accidently holed a Costa cruise ship).
Once they've got that done, I'd imagine it would be fairly easy for them to work on the actual projectile.
 
Panzerbjorn said:
I heard that they were developing this a few years ago and I think I've seen a video of a small-scale test but that is pretty awesome.

Why is there an explosion from the end of the barrel though?

As I understand the concept; electricity is released 'down' the barrel with the projectile following the 'flow' and shooting out of the end.

If that was the case, there wouldn't be any ignited gases in the barrel to create the explosion...
Click to expand...

The gun has 2 rails, and a massive current (supplied by discharging a capacitor bank) flows from one rail, through the conductive projectile, and returns through the other rail. This generates a huge magnetic force which tries to push the rails apart, but as they are constrained, this instead pushes the projectile out the end.

In theory this is all that happens, in practise, the resistive heating from the huge current melts some of the projectile and the rails each shot. The "explosion" is these metal fragments igniting and burning in the surrounding air. A practical railgun takes a whole lot of maintenance!
 
Panzerbjorn said:
I heard that they were developing this a few years ago and I think I've seen a video of a small-scale test but that is pretty awesome.

Why is there an explosion from the end of the barrel though?

As I understand the concept; electricity is released 'down' the barrel with the projectile following the 'flow' and shooting out of the end.

If that was the case, there wouldn't be any ignited gases in the barrel to create the explosion...
Click to expand...

Maybe just a hell of a lot of heat from friction from accelerating a projectile so fast. Think spacecraft re-entering atmosphere but not quite as badass.

Edit: or what he said ^^
 
Looks like far too much maintenance just for a gun...

Where is all the satellites around the sun that can focus the light from it into a laser beam like that bond film! That is the future! :mad:
 
Muzza1875 said:
It's crazy that all those years ago when mgs came out weapons like rail guns were just a concept who knew they would actually be a reality.
Click to expand...

Edit:

Actually I'm talking rubbish, interesting that the theory has been around for so long though. Just need someone to shrink it down and make a Quake style one :p
 
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