Railgun lives!

[Oberon]

We all thought she was dead...but it looks like she still lives. :rock:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/02/rail-gun/

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-railgun-survives-budget-ax-could-help-win-225700227.html

[Rockstar]

Railgun, never heard of it before. Do you think they'll have them in stores by Xmas? Do they make an iPad app for them? I want one.

[Torplexed]

Get sharks with frickin' railguns mounted on their heads and then we're talking. :yep:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_t_2zENoWjRg/TDD7ON9r3DI/AAAAAAAAAWo/0lmcNQhxfEU/s1600/fricken+shark.jpg

[Platapus]

That's almost 9,000 feet per second :o

[billrowena]

i want one for my birthday:yeah:

[CaptainMattJ.]

i wonder when i can buy one for myself so i can hook it up to fire beer cans
:()1:

[TLAM Strike]

Defense Tech posted this video of it being fired.

http://defensetech.org/2012/02/28/video-baes-new-railgun-firing-for-first-time/#more-16468

Is it me or does the sound the gun make at 0:22 sound strangely like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34FsrucOOBY&feature=related

[Task Force]

How long till I can buy one?!?!?!?!:D

[darius359au]

2.5 Km/second at 32MJ:o ,no wonder there's a big ball of plasma coming out the front ,you Really don't want to be standing anywhere near one when it goes off!
it'll make life really interesting for anything coming over the horizon if and when they go operational..

[TLAM Strike]

you Really don't want to be standing anywhere near one when it goes off!
I don't want to be standing far way from one either! This thing could really reach out and touch someone. :03:

[CaptainHaplo]

4 Miles a second - 25 seconds to hit a target 100 miles away....

How far can something move in 25 seconds?

[Catfish]

4 Miles a second - 25 seconds to hit a target 100 miles away....
How far can something move in 25 seconds?

Running away WILL be difficult :O:

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

4 Miles a second - 25 seconds to hit a target 100 miles away....

How far can something move in 25 seconds?That brought three questions to my mind:
1. How accurate it is? Currently there is no guided ammo available.
2. How you can steer molten steel?
3. What kind of weapon can counter to this? Could it be laser and how powerful it should be to intercept and destroy incoming threath?

[Osmium Steele]

3. What kind of weapon can counter to this? Could it be laser and how powerful it should be to intercept and destroy incoming threath?

Counter battery fire from multiple artillery positions.

Air/space dropped munitions.

Tactical nuke.

Teenager with a hammer.

I've never been convinced of the railgun's viability as a weapon. Now, as a lower earth orbit launch facility? That is another matter.

[Oberon]

AFAIK

1) I'd say that it was pretty accurate in terms of the speed that it's moving at then I'd wager that local winds would only have a very negligible effect on it. Furthermore, with a dumb warhead, even with no explosives, the energy of the impact would be a bit like a small meteor hitting the ground.

*Wiki has accuracy as being able to hit a five meter target at range of 200 miles with a firing range of ten shells per minute.

2) I don't think there is any way.
3) I'm not sure that there is a counter, I don't think a laser would have any effect on it. Possibly a counter-fire railgun shot at the incoming railgun shot...but the calculations involved would be rather large and have to be done very quick.


I think the biggest problem facing the railgun right now is two-fold...first is funding. It's good that the project is continuing but they will need to design a platform to use it, be it a new Battleship or an artillery platform.
Secondly there's the problem of wearing out the electromagnetic 'rails' which I'm not sure the project has been able to address...a rate of ten shells per minute seems quite high, which is good, but unless they've fixed the problem of wearing out the rails then they'd have to stop to load a new 'rail'.

Oh, and permit me a small amount of national pride when I take note of who made the railgun. BAE systems. :rock: We still have it...thank God the Yanks have the money for it.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

3) I'm not sure that there is a counter, I don't think a laser would have any effect on it. Possibly a counter-fire railgun shot at the incoming railgun shot...but the calculations involved would be rather large and have to be done very quick.Problem I see here is that this weapon development (if successful) will inevitably trigger new arms race. What will Americans do when Chinese (or worst case scenario, Iran) develop big brother for Americans' nice little railgun?

EDIT: ...and what will they do when some nutjob develops enriched uranium loaded version?

[Karle94]

Problem I see here is that this weapon development (if successful) will inevitably trigger new arms race. What will Americans do when Chinese (or worst case scenario, Iran) develop big brother for Americans' nice little railgun?

EDIT: ...and what will they do when some nutjob develops enriched uranium loaded version?

How long until that happens? So far, the US Navy is the only institution that has managed to build a reasonable railgun.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

How long until that happens? So far, the US Navy is the only institution that has managed to build a reasonable railgun.In our knowledge. I'm quite sure that if Chinese are developing something similar they won't disclose it until its ready for operation.

[TLAM Strike]

EDIT: ...and what will they do when some nutjob develops enriched uranium loaded version?
first: hope it not in orbit
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/3677/nel2449heinleinmoonisah.jpg

Second: start diging a bomb shelter...

[Oberon]

first: hope it not in orbit
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/3677/nel2449heinleinmoonisah.jpg

Second: start diging a bomb shelter...

Better make it a deep one...