![]() This view shows the Notional Rail Gun occupying the same volume as used by AGS. Notional Hypersonic Projectile and Gun Barrel Cross Section. The energy requirements of a Rail Gun are very high, requiring an Integrated Power System (IPS) approach whereby the ship's power plant is used in place of the conventional propellant. The railgun program was seen as being useful for conventional naval gunsīut this program was also cancelled in June 2021. The Hypervelocity Projectile (HVP) originally developed as part of Future R&Dįunding will now go to other weapon systems such as anti-missile lasers. The Navy had spent about $500 million to develop the weapon. In July 2021, the USN cancelled the Railgunĭevelopment program, citing unresolved problems with barrel life and a low rate ofįire. Weapon" ultimately proved to be unsuccessful. Like the Medieval search for the Holy Grail, the USN's search for a "Super Level of funding may move the railgun into the "promising, but not recommendedįor further development" category in the near future. Requested in fiscal year 2020 and roughly $28 million in fiscal year 2019. This weapon has fallen out of favor in the USN, with funding reduced forįiscal year 2021 budget request to $9.5 million, down from around $15 million Under construction that will allow multiple shots and energies approaching (3.2 kg) test slug projectile attainedĪ muzzle velocity of 8,268 fps (2,520 mps). The railgun was firedĪt 10.64MJ (megajoules) and the 7 lbs. On 31 JanuaryĢ008, test firing began with this launcher. Surface Warfare Center's Dahlgren Division Laboratory. (ONR) Electromagnetic Launch Facility, located in Virginia at the Naval Large kinetic energies, long range, and short flight times.Ī 32 megajoule lab launcher in June 2007 to the Office of Naval Research The hypersonic velocities generated give the projectiles This reduces the vulnerability of the ship to damage, as thereĪre no magazines, only shell rooms, and the shells themselves may not containĪ burster. Without the hazards of chemical explosive charges used in conventional Generating a propulsive force which slides it down the rails.Ībility to produce great accelerations and thus high muzzle velocities, This current flow creates a magnetic field around the armature, Current from the power source is sent down one rail,Īcross the armature, and then down through the other rail back to the power Of two parallel rails electrically connected via an armature which holds The Lorentz force created on a moving armature. Smaller footprints, inherent graceful degradation should one or more alternators The latter approach appears to have the advantages of Pulsed alternators capable of delivering a momentary high spike of energy Of propellants, the output of the ship's power plant may be shunted intoĪ large capacitive device, storing high levels of energy, which are released Launch velocities without the use of conventional propellants. Her comment is in line with the Navy's latest budget request, which notes that "railgun technology and knowledge attained will be documented and preserved" and "railgun hardware will be realigned to maximize its sustainability to facilitate potential future use.Electromagnetic Rail Gun ProposalRail guns have long been seen asĪ "Holy Grail" of naval weapons, as the technology promises hypersonic Courtney Callaghan said in a statement, adding that research would be preserved should the Navy decide to restart the program. The Navy move "to pause the program is consistent with department-wide reform initiatives to free up resources in support of other Navy priorities, to include improving offensive and defensive capabilities such as directed energy, hypersonic missiles, and electronic warfare systems," Lt. The Navy has been working on a railgun, a cannon that uses electricity rather than gunpowder to fire high-speed rounds out to distances beyond current naval guns, since 2005 and has invested over $500 million in the project, but the service's proposed fiscal year 2022 budget cut all funding for the railgun, The Drive first reported in June. The US Navy has decided to shelve the research and development of an electromagnetic railgun to build other weapons, such as hypersonic missiles and lasers, the Associated Press reported, citing a Navy spokesperson. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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