- US navy’s first ever Electromagnetic Railgun is capable of firing projectiles without explosives over distances of 160 km, at 7 times the speed of sound, with an impact that will sufficiently punch the hull of a ship.
- These futuristic Railguns use an electromagnetic force (Lorenz Force) to rapidly accelerate projectiles between a pair of conductive rails, firing them with a velocity greater than can be achieved by traditional guns and artillery.
- Since they rely on the speed on the impact of a solid lump of metal to transfer massive amounts of heat and kinetic energy to the target, they don’t require explosive shells thereby drastically reducing the costs associated to about 1/100th the cost of a conventional missile.
- US navy is set to test this Star Wars-like prototype by 2016.
Exams Perspective:
- Projectile
- Electromagnetic Railgun
- Electromagnetic Force
- Kinetic Energy