The US Navy successfully tests an electromagnetic gun
(AFP) - 10 dec. 2010
WASHINGTON - An electromagnetic gun that fires a projectile 200 km away and five times the speed of sound, was successfully tested Friday in the United States, beating a record of power, announced the US Navy.
This is the most recent step in the US Navy's efforts to develop a futuristic gun that can launch projectiles without powder or other chemical propellant.
The barrel, in fact a kind of extending toaster, holds two rails between which is placed a projectile and allows to shoot ammunition through the passage of a very powerful electric current in the rails.
The "railgun" test took place during the day at the Navy Research Center based in Dahlgren, Virginia (east), the institute said in a statement.
The power of the shot reached 33 megajoules, three times more than a previous test made in January 2008 (10,64 megajoules). A megajoule is the energy released by a one-ton car crashing against a wall more than 160 kmh.
A projectile shot at the power of 33 megajoules can achieve mach 5, five times the speed of sound, explained the navy.
"This shot shows that the navy can fire projectiles at a distance of at least 110 nautical miles" (200 km), nearly 20 times farther than the devices currently on board at sea, said Admiral Nevin. Carr, chief of naval research.
Such a gun would make it possible to fire farther away - which protects the ship from a possible enemy response - but also to improve the safety conditions of the crews who will no longer have to handle shells or missiles stuffed with materials. explosive.
"The test of the electromagnetic gun carried out today demonstrates the tactical interest of this technology, which could one day complete the arsenal of combat systems for surface ships," added the admiral quoted in the statement.
Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... 7871bb.851
They do not say with what types of batteries it works ...
Probably nuke ... because to suppose that the shell is accelerated during 3 seconds (and it must be less) in the barrel that would have a transmission efficiency of energy to the projectile at 80% (at random because I have no idea of the performance of a railgun) so you need a power of 33 / (3 * 0.8) = 14 MW is 19 000 cv.
It's not tomorrow the day we'll see it on tanks ...