Electromagnetic Railgun

Looking like something out of Minecraft, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has released a new image of its latest electromagnetic railgun being developed by the Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics Agency (ATLA) to counter hypersonic missiles.

Giving artillery a speed boost, General Atomics test fired a hypersonic projectile using a three megajoule Blitzer railgun. Subjected to over 30,000 Gs and reaching a velocity in excess of Mach 5 (3,800 mph, 6,125 km/h), the supershell was equipped with a new Guidance Electronics Unit.

BAE Systems has delivered the first industry railgun prototype launcher to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren, with testing scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

February 18, 2009 Think of the electromagnetic railgun as an electric cannon which uses electrical energy instead of chemical propellant to launch projectiles a