The US Navy has taken another step closer to swapping powder for electrons with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) announcing that its electromagnetic railgun has moved out of the laboratory. At the 2017 Naval Future Force Science and Technology Expo in Washington DC, an ONR spokesman revealed that the weapon is ready for field demonstrations at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division's new railgun Rep-Rate Test Site at Terminal Range.
The ElectroMagnetic RailGun (EMRG) is one of a new generation of hypersonic weapons being developed by the major powers. With muzzle velocities of over Mach 6 (3,970 kts, 4,570 mph, 7,350 km/h) and a range of over 100 nm (115 mi, 185 km), the projectiles fired out of the gun barrel by a massive electromagnetic pulse carry so much kinetic energy that they can destroy their targets without the need for high explosives.
Because the EMRG doesn't require either propellants or as many explosive charges, Navy ships will be able to carry many more, less expensive shells with no need for a large, bulky armored magazine to protect against enemy actions or accidental detonations.
According to ONR, the High-Velocity Projectile (HVP) used by the EMRG is a next-generation, low-drag, guided projectile that is compatible with other gun systems and can be used for surface fire support, anti-aircraft, and anti-ship warfare. Also, the power system needed to run the gun is small enough to be installed in present and future US warships.
So far, the EMRG has performed test firings of multi-shot salvos, though these have been at a relatively low muzzle energy. Salvo size, firing rates and launch energy will be increased in stages, reaching 20 megajoules by September and 32 megajoules by 2018 – to give an idea of just how much punch the projectiles pack, a megajoule is equivalent to the energy of a one-ton vehicle traveling at 160 mph (257 km/h). Since the gun will need to fire many rounds per minute, the developers are also working on a barrel with a suitably long service life.
"The railgun will be an effective deterrent against growing and increasingly complex threats," says Dr. Thomas Beutner, head of ONR's Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department. "Its power level surpasses traditional gun technology, and it reduces explosive shipboard risks to Sailors and Marines at sea."
The video below shows the railgun firing multi-shot salvos.
Source: ONR
On the up side more 'environmentally' friendly, safer to own side, and potentially less collateral damage.
Guess if deployed the enemy will redesign potential targets to reduce the effect of high kinetic weapons. i.e. reduce the kinetic energy transfer to a rate which can be dissipated safely- crumple zones, or high tech Jell-O!
Best application would be space weapons - no air resistance.
If you have even used a bore scope on a rifle barrel you see the erosion near the chamber is from the powder burning but the wear near the nearer to the muzzle is just plain old friction wear. The article mentions barrel wear.
As to what it will hit and how hard the projectile will be precision guided much like a missile. We are not looking at an old fashion artillery round that is aimed and goes where it will. These will adjust targeting in flight. While there may be some defense while in flight (something like the USN Phalanx system) it will be very hard to come up with portable armor systems (on a ship for instance) that will stand up to the energy the rail gun delivers.
And the smoke? Yes, a lot of it is air friction!
For the vast majority of these ships' missions, the railgun, assuming they fix the barrel issues, is a solid alternative to the 155mm main gun they replace (Zumwalts currently have 2, one will be replaced by the railgun).