Navy Railguns Are Coming (And Could Shoot Massive Slugs At Mach 10)

[TR_123456]

The kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile.


Here's What You Need To Remember: While the rate of fire is slower than many cannons on the warships the railgun could be more accurate and far more devastating, which is why the research into once might have been an ideal that seemed almost fantastical continues today.



While the concept of “directed-energy weapons” originated on the pages of pulp novels in the late nineteenth century, another weapon technology that seems straight out of science fiction was first theorized by a French inventor during World War I.



The concept of the railgun, a technology that could utilize a large circuit to launch a projectile far further than one launched via the use of a chemical reaction, was developed by Andre Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplee. He created a simple electric cannon, which caught the attention of the French military—who were seeking a weapon that could rival such long-range cannons as Germany’s so-called “Paris Gun.”


Under the direction of the Director of Inventions at the French Ministry of Armaments in 1918, Fauchon-Villeplee was charged with developing a thirty to fifty millimeter electricannon based on his simple design. While it might seem revolutionary today for the French military to be so forward-thinking, it should be remembered that at the start of the war its uniforms and tactics were little changed from that of a generation earlier.



But France also saw the need to modernize and underwent a number of wartime reforms. This included the use of the first infantry combat helmet, but France soon follow its British ally’s lead to develop tanks. Likewise, Germany developed zeppelins to bomb England and later developed some of the earliest heavy bombers. Therefore it is almost surprising that one of the countries didn’t somehow develop a successful railgun, but the simple fact is that the war ended before Fauchon-Villeplee’s experiments were able to progress very far.


Moreover, he was simply ahead of his time.


During World War II, Joachim Hänsler of Nazi Germany’s Ordnance Office also developed a concept for a railgun that that was supposed to launch projectiles at a speed of two thousand meters per second. When plans for the weapon were discovered after the war, U.S. researchers found that the downside of this concept was that it required enough power to illuminate half of Chicago at the time.



Railgun Basics


Because of the appearance of railguns in various computer/video games such as Quake II and Metal Gear Solid, there is a misconception that it is a type of heavy “laser cannon.” Most of the video games also suggest that a railgun could be a sort of small arm like a large rifle or machine gun—or even a cyber attachment like a robotic arm! Video game designers clearly didn’t get the memo about the amount of energy required to power such a weapon.


Only the shooter game Battlefield: 2142 envisioned a stationary, anti-vehicle emplacement as being a railgun, but even that probably misses the mark in terms of the scale for such a heavy armament.


In truth, a railgun is basically a large electric circuit that consists of three parts including a power source (a big power source), a pair of parallel rails and a moving armature. This is actually a fairly simple concept—but the trick is getting enough power. The current used in medium to large-caliber railguns would need to be in the millions of amps.



Likewise the rails, which need to be of a conductive metal such as copper, would need to be four to thirty feet long or longer. Already it is easy to see why it would be terribly difficult to have a railgun the size of a rifle or machine gun. Then there is the operation.


An armature bridges the gap between the rails, and this is a solid piece of conductive metal or a conductive “sabot.” The current runs from the positive terminal of the power supply, up the positive rail, over the sabot/armature and down the negative rail back to the power supply.


Simply put, this creates an electromagnetic force that can launch high velocity projectiles.


Railgun Pros



There are several significant advantages over traditional explosive projectile weapons. The first is that much higher velocities can be reached—potentially Mach 10 at sea level, or more than three times the muzzle speed of an M16 rifle. The range could be upwards of ten times that of traditional explosive projectile weapons. Because of the high speed, mass and kinetic energy the projectile doesn’t need to contain explosives to inflict damage.


In fact, the kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile. Moreover, the high speeds could be far more accurate as these are less affected by factors such


Railgun Cons


Given the fact that the weapons are so accurate and deadly but not widely adopted must mean there are issues—and there are actually plenty. The first is the aforementioned power supply. Even today the amount of energy to power the weapons is simply not feasible, which is why railguns would likely be confined to a warship or other platform that could in fact supply that demand for power.



Then there is the issue of resistive heat, which can damage the surface of the rails. Heat has been a problem with machine guns since their invention and an early solution was to water cool the barrel, while later the best option was to swap out the barrel and maintain fire discipline. Cooling options are being explored, but a weapon that can’t be repeatedly fired without damaging the system isn’t something any military is likely to adopt.


The final problem is that because the currents can also create serious wear and tear—meaning many prototypes will break after just a few uses.


The problems aren’t so great that railgun research has been abandoned. Far from it in fact, and the Chinese are getting closer to fielding a true railgun, while the United States Navy has continued to see the potential for such a weapon on its stealth warships—even if the expected rate of fire would be just ten rounds per minute.


While that is slower than many cannons on the warships the railgun could be more accurate and far more devastating, which is why the research into once might have been an ideal that seemed almost fantastical continues today.


Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. This article first appeared earlier this year.

Navy Railguns Are Coming (And Could Shoot Massive Slugs At Mach 10)

The kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile.

nationalinterest.org

 

[guest12]

Indeed they are coming and they will be ultimate sea denial weapons.Imagine a railgun battery placed on Cyprus capable of hitting naval targets passing through Gibraltar with mach 5+ speed shells , there is no answer to this with current technology.

 

[Ryder]

Indeed they are coming and they eill be ultimate sea denial weapons.Imagine a railgun battery placed on Cryprus capable of hitting naval targets passing through Gibraltar with mach 5+ speed shells , there is no answer to this with current technology.

Railguns could perhaps see the return of battleships.

 

[guest12]

Railguns could perhaps see the return of battleships.

It would be only be possible with nuclear reactors i believe.

 

[Philip the Arab]

Indeed they are coming and they will be ultimate sea denial weapons.Imagine a railgun battery placed on Cyprus capable of hitting naval targets passing through Gibraltar with mach 5+ speed shells , there is no answer to this with current technology.

It would lose velocity too fast I think, I don't think you will be able to hit that far. 100 miles is the max range of naval guns I think, and that is a stationary target in most cases.

 

[Oublious]

It would lose velocity too fast I think, I don't think you will be able to hit that far. 100 miles is the max range of naval guns I think, and that is a stationary target in most cases.

And missiles don't lose ther velocity? Do you think they burn all the way to the target?

 

[Philip the Arab]

And missiles don't lose ther velocity? Do you think they burn all the way to the target?

Cruise missiles have a lot more energy because they are jet powered.

 

[Cabatli_TR]

Railguns will create the new era of naval gun technology and the nations that is going to be dependent on other states will lack behind of them in effectiveness of their naval assets so Turkey is working hard to reveal a competitive product in paralel to most ambitious rivals.

 

[TR_123456]

Railguns will create the new era of naval gun technology and the nations that is going to be dependent on other states will lack behind of them in effectiveness of their naval assets so Turkey is working hard to reveal a competitive product in paralel to most ambitious rivals.

I believe the Chinese also have a project.

 

[Waz]

I believe the Chinese also have a project.

Yes they have such a project and it will be pretty much operational soon according to US experts. The below link also has info about the US program;

China's supergun worries Pentagon watchers - Asia Times

While the United States spent years dithering over the future of its much-hyped electromagnetic railgun project, China appears to be moving

asiatimes.com

While the United States spent years dithering over the future of its much-hyped electromagnetic railgun project, China appears to be moving closer to hitting its operational target, sources say.

The Chinese navy plans to field its own secretive version of the electromagnetic railgun on naval vessels as early as 2025, possibly sooner, according to a US intelligence assessment first reported by CNBC.

China’s interpretation of the long-theoretical supergun, which utilizes a massive amount of power to create electromagnetic fields to accelerate projectiles to hypersonic velocities, is reportedly capable of “striking a target 124 miles away at speeds of up to 1.6 miles per second,” according to CNBC — fast enough to strike Philadelphia from New York in just under a minute.

If the US intelligence assessment is accurate, this is a major strategic coup for the Chinese, The National Interest reported.

Back in February 2018, photos circulating on social media appeared to show a railgun-esque deck gun mounted on the bow of the Type 072III-class landing ship Haiyang Shan. The next month, a People’s Liberation Army-run news outlet confirmed that the Chinese navy had achieved a “breakthrough” during sea trials for the new railgun.



The Chinese railgun was first developed in 2011 and then tested in 2014. Over the next three years, the supergun was calibrated for extended operational ranges.

Indeed, the US intelligence assessment confirms that the Chinese supergun was first mounted on a naval vessel for at-sea trials even earlier than the PLA said.

Those sea trials resulted in some serious egg on the face of the Pentagon. As Task & Purpose reported at the time, the ONR electromagnetic railgun has been stuck in a research and development “valley of death” after more than a decade of development that cost US$500 million.

The reason? Shifting priorities within the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office towards other directed energy projects — namely the hypervelocity projectile and solid-state lasers that offer more cost-effective alternatives to the pricey supergun.

Meanwhile, plans to perform at-sea weapon testing appear to have been delayed in favor of further research. So, while development will probably continue, there are still two major problems holding the railgun back. The first is meeting the weapon’s massive power requirements at sea. The second is demonstrating that it’ll be “better” than existing weapons.

The railgun launches rounds using electromagnetic force rather than explosive propellant. The USN prototype has 100MJ of pulse-power capacitors and a 25MW powerplant for recharging. The capacitors release their stored charge into the railgun barrel in a hundredth of a second, accelerating the projectile to about Mach 6. The USN’s goal is to fire ten rounds per minute, so the capacitors need to be recharged to fire every 6 seconds.


Few warships have the spare electrical capacity the weapon requires. The strongest candidate is the USN’s Zumwalt-class destroyer, whose 78MW integrated power system can dynamically distribute power between propulsion and on-board systems. It should have about 58MW of reserve power while steaming at 20 knots. By comparison, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer has only 7.5MW for on-board systems.

But before the USN commits the kind of money required, it has to prove that the weapon is worth the investment. Some experts believe the railgun’s prohibitive power requirements and stiff capability competition from missiles (The USN has surface-to-air missiles capable of intercepting both anti-ship cruise missiles and ballistic missiles) make it difficult to justify integrating it onto existing warships.

Meanwhile, according to Military Watch Magazine, Indian defense scientists successfully developed electromagnetic railguns able to fire projectiles at 4,600 miles per hour.

The country’s Defense Research and Development Organization reported that a 12 mm square bore EMRG was successfully tested in November, 2017, and preparations are underway for testing of a more powerful 30mm type.

The military aims to accelerate a one kilogram projectile to a velocity of more than 2,000 metres/second. Such a weapon would give the country’s naval forces a significant advantage — allowing it to launch devastating strikes on both land targets and surface naval vessels.

With India’s Mach 3 Brahmos cruise missile already capable of cutting a warship in half upon impact due to its sheer speed, the impact of a Mach 6 railgun will be truly formidable. One shot kills against enemy surface vessels at extreme ranges will become the norm.

While both China and India make apparent headway in developing the supergun, its very existence is a shot across the bow to the United States when it comes to engineering next-generation weapons.

The War Zone’s Joseph Trevithick sums it up perfectly in his analysis of the US intel assessment.

“If the PLAN’s fleets actually include any significant number of railgun-equipped ships by 2025,” he writes. “It is even more likely that the era of near total United States naval supremacy in any prospective conflict, especially in Pacific Region, will have come to a close.”

 

[Waz]

View attachment 2725

The kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile.


Here's What You Need To Remember: While the rate of fire is slower than many cannons on the warships the railgun could be more accurate and far more devastating, which is why the research into once might have been an ideal that seemed almost fantastical continues today.



While the concept of “directed-energy weapons” originated on the pages of pulp novels in the late nineteenth century, another weapon technology that seems straight out of science fiction was first theorized by a French inventor during World War I.



The concept of the railgun, a technology that could utilize a large circuit to launch a projectile far further than one launched via the use of a chemical reaction, was developed by Andre Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplee. He created a simple electric cannon, which caught the attention of the French military—who were seeking a weapon that could rival such long-range cannons as Germany’s so-called “Paris Gun.”


Under the direction of the Director of Inventions at the French Ministry of Armaments in 1918, Fauchon-Villeplee was charged with developing a thirty to fifty millimeter electricannon based on his simple design. While it might seem revolutionary today for the French military to be so forward-thinking, it should be remembered that at the start of the war its uniforms and tactics were little changed from that of a generation earlier.



But France also saw the need to modernize and underwent a number of wartime reforms. This included the use of the first infantry combat helmet, but France soon follow its British ally’s lead to develop tanks. Likewise, Germany developed zeppelins to bomb England and later developed some of the earliest heavy bombers. Therefore it is almost surprising that one of the countries didn’t somehow develop a successful railgun, but the simple fact is that the war ended before Fauchon-Villeplee’s experiments were able to progress very far.


Moreover, he was simply ahead of his time.


During World War II, Joachim Hänsler of Nazi Germany’s Ordnance Office also developed a concept for a railgun that that was supposed to launch projectiles at a speed of two thousand meters per second. When plans for the weapon were discovered after the war, U.S. researchers found that the downside of this concept was that it required enough power to illuminate half of Chicago at the time.



Railgun Basics


Because of the appearance of railguns in various computer/video games such as Quake II and Metal Gear Solid, there is a misconception that it is a type of heavy “laser cannon.” Most of the video games also suggest that a railgun could be a sort of small arm like a large rifle or machine gun—or even a cyber attachment like a robotic arm! Video game designers clearly didn’t get the memo about the amount of energy required to power such a weapon.


Only the shooter game Battlefield: 2142 envisioned a stationary, anti-vehicle emplacement as being a railgun, but even that probably misses the mark in terms of the scale for such a heavy armament.


In truth, a railgun is basically a large electric circuit that consists of three parts including a power source (a big power source), a pair of parallel rails and a moving armature. This is actually a fairly simple concept—but the trick is getting enough power. The current used in medium to large-caliber railguns would need to be in the millions of amps.



Likewise the rails, which need to be of a conductive metal such as copper, would need to be four to thirty feet long or longer. Already it is easy to see why it would be terribly difficult to have a railgun the size of a rifle or machine gun. Then there is the operation.


An armature bridges the gap between the rails, and this is a solid piece of conductive metal or a conductive “sabot.” The current runs from the positive terminal of the power supply, up the positive rail, over the sabot/armature and down the negative rail back to the power supply.


Simply put, this creates an electromagnetic force that can launch high velocity projectiles.


Railgun Pros



There are several significant advantages over traditional explosive projectile weapons. The first is that much higher velocities can be reached—potentially Mach 10 at sea level, or more than three times the muzzle speed of an M16 rifle. The range could be upwards of ten times that of traditional explosive projectile weapons. Because of the high speed, mass and kinetic energy the projectile doesn’t need to contain explosives to inflict damage.


In fact, the kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile. Moreover, the high speeds could be far more accurate as these are less affected by factors such


Railgun Cons


Given the fact that the weapons are so accurate and deadly but not widely adopted must mean there are issues—and there are actually plenty. The first is the aforementioned power supply. Even today the amount of energy to power the weapons is simply not feasible, which is why railguns would likely be confined to a warship or other platform that could in fact supply that demand for power.



Then there is the issue of resistive heat, which can damage the surface of the rails. Heat has been a problem with machine guns since their invention and an early solution was to water cool the barrel, while later the best option was to swap out the barrel and maintain fire discipline. Cooling options are being explored, but a weapon that can’t be repeatedly fired without damaging the system isn’t something any military is likely to adopt.


The final problem is that because the currents can also create serious wear and tear—meaning many prototypes will break after just a few uses.


The problems aren’t so great that railgun research has been abandoned. Far from it in fact, and the Chinese are getting closer to fielding a true railgun, while the United States Navy has continued to see the potential for such a weapon on its stealth warships—even if the expected rate of fire would be just ten rounds per minute.


While that is slower than many cannons on the warships the railgun could be more accurate and far more devastating, which is why the research into once might have been an ideal that seemed almost fantastical continues today.


Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com. This article first appeared earlier this year.

Navy Railguns Are Coming (And Could Shoot Massive Slugs At Mach 10)

The kinetic energy could be so great that a non-explosive projectile could do as much damage to a warship as a Tomahawk missile.

nationalinterest.org

Turkey has a program as well I believe. Post up some information bro.

 

[TR_123456]

Turkey has a program as well I believe. Post up some information bro.

Turkish Indigenous Rail Gun “Şahi-209” to be Integrated to Naval Assets​

The Turkish defence industry is growing day by day. As we shared before, they have been producing key equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces (UAVs, Naval Assets, Guns etc.). With the confidence of the success in recent years, Turkish engineers are very close to a game-changer technology, Electromagnetic Rail Gun (EMRG).


According to the sources in Turkey, Turkish indigenous Rail Gun (launches ammunition with electromagnetic power), Şahi-209, will be integrated to a naval vessel in order to make the sea trials of the Block-II version of the gun. Turkey will be the third country, using the railgun at sea.



In Turkey, works in this field started with pulse power supply production activities in 1972 and continued with the development of the first electronically controlled switching high current control systems in 1985, the first conceptual model has been under development from 2008 until today. A Turkish defence company, YETEKNOLOJI Co., who has started to find national solutions and original designs Electromagnetic Rail Gun Technology, has been working on Şahi-209 since July 2018.


The company, Yeteknoloji, which provides sophisticated weaponry to governments, and in particular military and intelligence agencies in the Middle East and Asia has demonstrated its latest creation, it’s Electromagnetic Railgun (EMRG), known as Sahi-209 Blok 2, to a delegation of defence experts, the company confirmed on 9th October.

Defense Industries, the Turkish Armed Forces, the General Directorate of Security and Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company, were among those to witness the capabilities of the railgun, Fazil Hizal, the head of Yeteknoloji told the Turkish State Agency.


‘Sahi-209 provides ease of logistics, use, operation and storage security by using electricity instead of explosive propellants and shooting barrels with the hypersonic velocity (six times the speed of sound)’ Fazil Hilal said.


“The EMRG can be made operational for land-based platforms within one year upon request,” he added. The contractor’s chief said the defense industries’ paradigm is changing, and if Turkey adapts to these changes it can become one of the top countries in the world.


What’s Şahi-209?


Şahi-209 took the name from “ŞAHİ” which was the most futuristic effective weapon used to demolish the walls of Istanbul by the emperor “Fatih” Mehmed the II, and the date of the establishment of Turkish Land Forces BC 209. Şahi-209 is the only 100% domestic and 95% national electromagnetic rail gun in Turkey.

Using of electricity instead of an explosive propellant for launch provides ease of logistics, ease of use, operation – storage security. It can shoot at hypersonic velocities at and above MACH6 with a very low cost compared to conventional gunpowder systems. RAIL GUN, which has a very low radar cross-sectional area which is faster at hit to the target, which is very difficult to detect. It has a much higher and more destructive power.


ŞAHİ-209 Block1, 1 megajoule pulsed power supply, with 300 gram weight ammunition has a range of 10 kilometers. It can be effective in 50 km range with maximum 10 megajoule pulse power supply which is a new version of ŞAHİ-209 Block2. ŞAHİ 209 Block 2, which has a hypersonic muzzle velocity has a barrel length of 7 meters, started field tests and successfully performed the first shots.


The system will be able to be used in land-based and naval usage or at mobile tactical platforms. In future progress, long-range ballistic ammunition, even the potential for satellite launch can be shown among the advantages of classical systems.


The system, rather than replacing existing systems, as a support element for them; It has the ability to perform operations with maximum security, be very advantageous in terms of logistics, and to execute operations with cheaper and faster hits on the target than other systems.

Turkish Indigenous Rail Gun "Şahi-209" to be Integrated to Naval Assets - Naval Post- Naval News and Information

The Turkish defence industry is growing day by day. As we shared before, they have been producing key equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces (UAVs, Naval

navalnews.net

 

[Waz]

Turkish Indigenous Rail Gun “Şahi-209” to be Integrated to Naval Assets​

View attachment 4469

The Turkish defence industry is growing day by day. As we shared before, they have been producing key equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces (UAVs, Naval Assets, Guns etc.). With the confidence of the success in recent years, Turkish engineers are very close to a game-changer technology, Electromagnetic Rail Gun (EMRG).


According to the sources in Turkey, Turkish indigenous Rail Gun (launches ammunition with electromagnetic power), Şahi-209, will be integrated to a naval vessel in order to make the sea trials of the Block-II version of the gun. Turkey will be the third country, using the railgun at sea.



In Turkey, works in this field started with pulse power supply production activities in 1972 and continued with the development of the first electronically controlled switching high current control systems in 1985, the first conceptual model has been under development from 2008 until today. A Turkish defence company, YETEKNOLOJI Co., who has started to find national solutions and original designs Electromagnetic Rail Gun Technology, has been working on Şahi-209 since July 2018.


The company, Yeteknoloji, which provides sophisticated weaponry to governments, and in particular military and intelligence agencies in the Middle East and Asia has demonstrated its latest creation, it’s Electromagnetic Railgun (EMRG), known as Sahi-209 Blok 2, to a delegation of defence experts, the company confirmed on 9th October.

Defense Industries, the Turkish Armed Forces, the General Directorate of Security and Mechanical and Chemical Industry Company, were among those to witness the capabilities of the railgun, Fazil Hizal, the head of Yeteknoloji told the Turkish State Agency.


‘Sahi-209 provides ease of logistics, use, operation and storage security by using electricity instead of explosive propellants and shooting barrels with the hypersonic velocity (six times the speed of sound)’ Fazil Hilal said.


“The EMRG can be made operational for land-based platforms within one year upon request,” he added. The contractor’s chief said the defense industries’ paradigm is changing, and if Turkey adapts to these changes it can become one of the top countries in the world.


What’s Şahi-209?


Şahi-209 took the name from “ŞAHİ” which was the most futuristic effective weapon used to demolish the walls of Istanbul by the emperor “Fatih” Mehmed the II, and the date of the establishment of Turkish Land Forces BC 209. Şahi-209 is the only 100% domestic and 95% national electromagnetic rail gun in Turkey.

Using of electricity instead of an explosive propellant for launch provides ease of logistics, ease of use, operation – storage security. It can shoot at hypersonic velocities at and above MACH6 with a very low cost compared to conventional gunpowder systems. RAIL GUN, which has a very low radar cross-sectional area which is faster at hit to the target, which is very difficult to detect. It has a much higher and more destructive power.


ŞAHİ-209 Block1, 1 megajoule pulsed power supply, with 300 gram weight ammunition has a range of 10 kilometers. It can be effective in 50 km range with maximum 10 megajoule pulse power supply which is a new version of ŞAHİ-209 Block2. ŞAHİ 209 Block 2, which has a hypersonic muzzle velocity has a barrel length of 7 meters, started field tests and successfully performed the first shots.


The system will be able to be used in land-based and naval usage or at mobile tactical platforms. In future progress, long-range ballistic ammunition, even the potential for satellite launch can be shown among the advantages of classical systems.


The system, rather than replacing existing systems, as a support element for them; It has the ability to perform operations with maximum security, be very advantageous in terms of logistics, and to execute operations with cheaper and faster hits on the target than other systems.

Turkish Indigenous Rail Gun "Şahi-209" to be Integrated to Naval Assets - Naval Post- Naval News and Information

The Turkish defence industry is growing day by day. As we shared before, they have been producing key equipment for the Turkish Armed Forces (UAVs, Naval

navalnews.net

Excellent.

 

[Oublious]

Cruise missiles have a lot more energy because they are jet powered.

Don't go offtopic, cruise missile fly at subsonic speed and railgun at supersonic above mach5. A 30kg projectile will lose velocity at speed from mach 6 to mach 3 or 2 is considerably acceptable.