Rail gun is meant to be the futuristic next-generation weapon by the United States Navy. It maximizes the potential of electrical, mechanical, and material concepts to create a destructive force without using an explosive. Discover more about technology, applications, advancements, and the current state of rail guns in this ultimate guide.
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What is a rail gun?
A rail gun, also spelled as a railgun, is a weapon that maximizes the power of electromagnetic force to provide firepower at incredible speeds over long distances. Compared to traditional weapons that use chemical combustion to trigger the explosive, the weapon relies on magnetic fields’ potential and kinetic energy properties to damage and destroy its targets.
How does electromagnetic rail gun technology work?
Rail gun comprises three components: (1) power supply, (2) rails, and (3) armature. Here’s how each component functions in powering the railgun weapon.
- The power supply is the source of the electricity of the railgun. It sends millions of voltages to the rails to trigger electromagnetism properties.
- Rails are made of a highly conductive material, usually with large magnets, which the electricity runs through. A rail gun is composed of two rails: one is positive, while the other one is negative.
- Armature is the bridge between the rails, carrying electricity from the positive to the negative rail. It’s also where the rail gun projectile is usually stored.
How is the rail gun projectile fired?
Rail gun kickstarts when the power supply sends an electrical current to the positive rail. This electric current runs through the armature and into the negative rail. The flow of electrical current through the rails creates strong electromagnetic fields, which launch projectiles in the armature to propel forward at speeds as fast as seven times the speed of sound.
The key to firing rail guns is the millions of electrical voltages sent to the magnetic rails. Stronger electric current creates stronger electromagnetic field which stores high levels of potential energy. Once energy is exerted into the projectile, it is converted into massive amounts of kinetic energy, which inflicts damage on targets.
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Who developed the rail gun?
Rail guns aren’t new to the military arsenal of global superpowers. The initial concept dates back to World War I, with the introduction of an electromagnetic railgun by French engineer André Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplée. When it was first conceived in 1879, it was only a small-scale project with a prototype of an electric canon that could fire projectiles.
As revolutionary as it is, railguns were never fully developed, even after various attempts by Nazi Germany, the U.S. Army, Russia, and China during World War II. The U.S. Navy initiated small developments in the 1960s but was only partially realized to completion due to various reasons related to costs, operational requirements, and more.
What are the applications of a rail gun?
Although rail gun technology is over a hundred years old, a range of contemporary applications can still provide the military a massive leg up against their competitors. By upgrading their design and functionalities to fit modern requirements, rail guns have the potential to be a revolutionary weapon of today and the future.
Modernized naval warfare
Having a robust naval warfare arsenal has become increasingly important as evolving global conflicts occur in the key maritime interests of the United States. Rail guns can provide the U.S. Navy with a formidable missile defense system, allowing for superior firepower, speed, range, and accuracy.
Railgun features for naval warfare:
- Speed (Up to Mach 7 or 5,320 miles per hour)
- Range (Up to 126 miles or 110 nautical miles)
- Firing (Up to six rounds per minute)
Launch land-based remote defense systems
Aside from naval warfare, rail guns can be used in land-based defense, too. Alongside the military’s advanced electronic warfare systems, they can remotely intercept and destroy high-speed targets, incoming missiles, and other airborne threats from strategic military installations.
Intercept celestial bodies before landing
Rail guns can intercept more than military munitions; they can also be used against rogue asteroids and other celestial bodies that may impact Earth. Firing a high-velocity projectile into orbit can destroy or change its trajectory before it lands or reaches Earth’s atmosphere.
Launch rockets into space
The sheer amount of energy released from a railgun can launch an object as massive as a rocket into space. It can propel satellites into the upper atmosphere before booting their auxiliary rockets. Furthermore, railguns can be used in space or celestial bodies without an atmosphere as they don’t require air to thrust, unlike most chemical propellants.
Does the U.S. have a rail gun?
The United States Navy initiated the railgun development in 2005. The agency allocated over $500 million to spur developments for the futuristic weapon capable of firing supersonic projectiles. Railguns are supposed to be next-generation equipment, but they never became a reality.
After more than 15 years, the Navy paused the program development for Electromagnetic Railgun in 2021. The Navy cited financial constraints in technology maturation, systems integration, and other developmental challenges to halt the project. Moreover, the Navy had not seen railguns deliver their range on paper in real-life application.
Currently, the United States doesn’t have a rail gun, although the Office of Naval Research keeps the project development data in file in case it wants to continue where it left off in the future.
What happened to the U.S. railgun program?
Prior to discontinuing the railgun project, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems and BAE Systems were contracted to develop the rail gun ready for mission-critical challenges of the United States Navy. The government contractors made developments, performances, and other tests at the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.
Throughout the 15 years of railgun research, the contractors were able to retrofit on-board electronics for the railgun. Consequently, the research also presented numerous challenges in durability and projectile guidance. The rails could easily experience wear and tear from firing multiple projectiles, resulting in a very high surface temperature, which can magnify durability issues even more.
Resolving these issues proved to be too costly for the Navy. Instead, the agency shifted its focus and resources to developing hypersonic missiles on traditional coil guns rivaling those owned by China and Russia. The railgun project is among the costly discontinued projects of the Navy, joining Future Combat Systems, Comanche helicopter, and Next Generation Cruise programs.
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What are the advancements of railguns in other nations?
Although the development of U.S. rail guns has been paused indefinitely, other countries continue to leverage the electromagnetic force in their armaments. China has initiated projects to address the durability and performance issues the U.S. has encountered. According to reports, the recent Chinese railgun prototype has sorted out known limitations and even improved it further from the U.S. design.
On the other hand, Japan is looking to work with government contractors, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems and BAE Systems, who led the U.S. railgun project. The creation of a Japanese railgun comes amid rising threats from China and North Korea. The contractors have confirmed that the Japanese Ministry of Defense contacted them but have not finalized a contract just yet.
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