US is postponing the work on Rail-Gun project indefinitely, because:
1. Only 2 ships available (Zumwalt Destroyers) to provide enough power.
2. No new ships until 2028-2030 that can accommodate a Rail Gun.
3. High cost of maintenance and initial investment, for the maximum range attainable; Doesn’t make economic sense.
4. Technical advances attained in HVP (Hyper Velocity Projectiles), makes more sense in investing in. This technology developed by BAE Systems, rely on the aerodynamic structure of the rounds used and are fired from 127mm or 155mm conventional guns. HVP provides 90+ Km range with guidance when fired from 155mm guns. They have also been fired from 127mm main gun of sea platforms, reaching muzzle velocities in excess of 7mach. US was able to hit a cruise missile with these rounds. Their vice defence minister iterated along the lines of , “Tanks being able to hit cruise missiles is going to be awesome”.
Last summer USS Dewey (DDG-105) fired 20 hyper velocity projectiles (HVP) from a standard Mk 45 5-inch deck gun in a quiet experiment that’s set to add new utility to the weapon found on almost every U.S. warship, officials familiar with the test have told USNI News. The test, conducted by the...
news.usni.org
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The HVP is a next-generation, common, low drag, guided projectile capable of executing multiple missions for a number of gun systems.
www.baesystems.com
A version of the Zumwalt's beleaguered Advanced Gun System shot down a cruise missile with a Hyper Velocity Projectile during a major land-based test.
www.thedrive.com
Therefore I don’t see the point in carrying on with this technology. If US is throwing the towel, why are we still going on?
Aselsan’s Tufan is the only one that shows a little bit of promise. Sahi EMT has not been fired at full power. All tests they show is the gun hitting a hillside 500m away with less kinetic energy than an artillery round. They say they are aiming for 50km range. That is a “Joke” with the test pictures they publish. At least with Aselsan the whole thing is realistic. They managed to attain 9+Mach muzzle velocity for the projectile.