Photo: General Atomics
National Defense: Army’s Pursuit of Electromagnetic Railguns Heats Up
General Atomics has been awarded a contract to develop electromagnetic railgun technology for the Army as the service pursues cutting-edge weapons to take on advanced adversaries.
The Army’s growing interest in this capability comes after years of research by the Navy, which has yet to field one of the weapons.
Railguns utilize magnetic fields generated by electrical currents to slide a projectile between two rails inside the barrel. The technology enables the projectiles to travel at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 (3,800 miles per hour) or faster. When the systems are mature, they are expected to have far greater range and lethality than standard artillery or naval guns.
The Defense Department has identified hypervelocity weapons as a top research-and-development priority.
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Update: The U.S. Army Is Pushing for Battlefield Railguns (Popular Mechanics)
WNU Editor: It is going to take a few years (maybe) before such a system is deployed.
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