Navy Railgun Tests, Projectiles Reach 7x Speed of Sound
The Navy has been developing and testing a futuristic rail-gun weapon that will be able to hit a target over 100 miles away.
The new weapon uses electromagnetism to propel the projectile rather than relying on more conventional combustion to propel the projectile.
The technology incorporates an electromagnetic current to accelerate a non-explosive projectile to several times the speed of sound.
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The projectile can reach velocities of up to seven times the speed of sound which will allow it to hit a target 100 miles or more away within minutes.
"It's an over-used term, but it really changes several games," Rear Admiral Nevin P. Carr, Jr., the chief of Naval Research, told FoxNews.com prior to the test.
"It bursts radically, but it's hard to quantify," said Roger Ellis, electromagnetic rail-gun program manager with the Office of Naval Research.
Guns on the deck of a warship are measured by their muzzle energy in megajoules, explained Ellis. A single megajoule is roughly equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 mph.
He states that if you multiply that amount by 33 that is the approximate amount of energy that is created, Ellis told Fox News.
Ellis says the Navy has invested about $211 million in the program since 2005, and points out that it offers several advantages that conventional weapons do not.
A rail-gun produces two to three times the velocity of a conventional big gun allowing to projectile to hit targets within minutes. The ammunition is non-explosive so it is safer to handle and store.
"We're also eliminating explosives from the ship, which brings significant safety benefits and logistical benefits," Ellis said.
It also could be less expensive. A single Tomahawk cruise missile costs roughly $600,000. A non-explosive guided rail-gun projectile could cost considerably less.
The Navy expects a functional rail-gun on a ship within 10 years.
