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Over the last two years, truly the Navy and Marine Corps have been developing some hugely impressive, I call them Star Wars-like weapon systems, Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder, the chief of naval research, told reporters during a news briefing about the Navys Electromagnetic Railgun, which is currently under development. Unlike the guns currently mounted on Navy surface vessels, which use gun powder and magazines in their launch systems, the railgun uses batteries and a pulse forming network to launch its projectiles, according to Rear Adm. Bryant Fuller, the chief engineer at Naval Sea Systems Command. The railgun system uses an electromagnetic force known as the Lorentz Force to rapidly accelerate and launch a projectile between two conductive rails, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The weapon is more capable than similar-purpose systems in service because conventional powder projectiles cant produce as much energy, Fuller said.
The railguns projectiles have a range of 110 nautical miles 20 nautical miles greater than the maximum range of the Navys primary air defense missiles and travel at seven times the speed of sound, according to the Navy. The system can sometimes offer more bang for the buck as well. Operating the railgun against certain types of threats costs only a fraction of the cost of using existing systems, according to Klunder and Naval Sea Systems command. Klunder said each railgun shot costs about $25,000. In contrast, firing a Tomahawk cruise missile costs $1.4 million (although Tomahawks have a much longer range). The railguns projectiles weigh only 23 pounds, but derive much of their lethality from their speed. Its not a large projective, but when its going Mach 7, it doesnt have to be, Klunder said. Its pretty much like a freight train going through a wall at over 100 mph. [It has] that kind of energy.
Officials expect the railgun to fire 10 rounds per minute once the technology is fully mature. I can put hundreds of these on a ship [and your arsenal] never runs out. You just keep shooting, Klunder said. The officials identified improving the power supply and preventing the gun from overheating after firing multiple rounds in succession as key challenges that must be overcome before the weapon can be integrated into the fleet. They said theyve made huge advances when it comes to high-energy density batteries and capacitors, and parts of the railgun are made of special materials that prevent them from wearing out as quickly when exposed to high levels of energy. Theyre also working on enhancing the cooling systems. They wouldnt go into more detail about how any of those sensitive technologies work. Theres a lot of secret sauce, Klunder said.
However, despite its high tech nature, the railgun is easy to operate, according to Fuller. The handling systems will be very similar to the handling systems the Navy uses now, and the gun mount will perform the same function. Theres nothing new that the sailors will have to learn as far as that goes, Fuller said. The main purpose of the system would be to protect surface ships from enemy aircraft, low-flying cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. It gives us the ability to basically knock anything out of the air, according to Klunder. These railgun development efforts come at a time when the Pentagon has been warning about Chinas aggressive pursuit of anti-ship weapons, including a variety of missiles, which could inhibit the Navys ability to operate in contested areas in the Asia-Pacific. The railgun also has long-range strike capabilities, according to Klunder. We did lethality models on every single mission that we have in the Marine Corps and the Navy. And I will tell you that this could damage, and be lethal, in every occasion, Klunder said.
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