Good Old American Ingenuity

[RJF]

Navy Tests High-Powered Electromagnetic Railgun
Thursday , January 31, 2008

DAHLGREN, Va. —

A futuristic weapon getting a trial run by the Navy demonstrated its destructive power at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren.

http://www.foxnews.com/images/341194/1_61_railgun_test_1.jpg

In the demonstration Thursday, engineers fired the electromagnetic railgun at what they said was a record power level: 10 megajoules.

The previous railgun power-use record was about 9 megajoules of muzzle energy.

• Click here to watch video of a railgun being fired.
http://www.onrglobal.navy.mil/railgun/railgunSM.wmv

Railguns use electromagnetic energy to launch projectiles long distances — more than 200 nautical miles.

Because the railgun uses electricity and not gunpowder to fire projectiles, it eliminates the possibility of explosions on ships.

The Navy hopes the railgun will eventually replace the standard 5-inch gun on its ships. The weapon isn't expected to be deployed until at least 2020.

[A joule is defined as the energy needed to produce one watt of electricity for one second.

The railgun tested Thursday actually has a capacity of 32 megajoules, but the Navy is slowly building up the energy level in a series of tests.

That's a lot of power, but with a new series of electrically-powered ships coming on line, the Navy figures generating capacity will not be a problem.

According to the Navy, the railgun, when fully developed, will be able to launch solid projectiles at Mach 5, or about 3,700 mph.]

[eastcoastS14]

can the military please stop spending our tax dollars on random shit? lol

[murda-c]

look we need to be able to put really big holes in shit from really far away.

and i guess a tungsten slug is cheaper than shooting a million dollar missile.

[Yuri]

can the military please stop spending our tax dollars on random shit? lol

This happens to be random awesome.

[Xandy Boosts]

Sweeter if they can make a smaller one like in video games. Nonetheless, still awesome.

[kingkilburn]

d e l e t e d

[SimpleSexy180]

rail gun?? quake?

[lflkajfj12123]

we made mini railguns in my physics class

not quite as cool as that but good enough to do the job

[lflkajfj12123]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ9Afg64Uis

similar to the one we made

[theronin]

http://images.enterthegame.com/q4site/weapons/railgun.jpg

when is it going to look like this?

[fliprayzin240sx]

Dont knock on the F-117s, they did what they had to do...imagine how much planes would have gotten shutdown during the gulf war if it wasnt for them taking out the radar and sam sites.

Anyways, saw this on a show couple of months ago. The best part if i remember correctly is cheap ammo, basically a a giant bullet. Destroys its target with pure kinetic energy since its moving at 5x the speed of sound...

[muddafakka]

All they need to do now is make something just like (or similar) to the Metal Gear REX.
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/rr_s13/800px-Metal_Gear_Rex_line_art.png

[azndoc]

Go Navy.

Beat everything, anything, and anywhere.

[cdlong]

A rail gun is actually usable unlike some of the air force's wasted tax dollars. The Comanche, B1, and F117 were all huge wastes of money. The Comanche was never even put into production and its program cost was close to the B1's.

All that money and there are still soldiers and marines without socks and vests, let alone metal doors on their Hummers

please stop, your ignorance is painful.

the comanche is an army program. when all the apaches start falling apart they'll probably wish they kept it going.

the F-117 is a really old program and is going to be retired. it's a bit pricey for what it is (a single seat plane that carries 2 bombs and with no air-to-air or mach capability) but without it we wouldn't have the B-2, F-22, or F35. and we'd be sitting ducks.

i think you meant the B-2, yes, it's pricey. but also one of the most capable aircraft ever built.

i was in the desert a year and a half ago. every soldier, marine, airmen and sailor had socks and a flak vest. some even have sleeves and shorts (yes, flak shorts). there were plenty of up armored HMMWVs and MRAPs. the ones with no doors and no armor are for running around base.

if you really want to complain, complain about how congress makes us spend money on stuff we don't want anymore. check the 2005 BRAC list. none of the major bases were closed. we have planes that are older than your parents that we want to retire but we aren't allowed. as much as i love the extra .5% pay raise, congress dictates 3.5% instead of the mandated 3% but won't give us any more money, it has to come out of our operational budget, so airmen get more money to spend on booze, but less money to spend on fuel and new facilities.

yes the government blows a lot of money, welcome to 50 years ago. i only get offended when you single out the Air Force with wrong information.

[drift freaq]

fucking A awesome environmentally correct projectile weapons that can travel at the speed of sound? Thats just fucking off the hook. I see no problem spending money on that.

[Matej]

can the military please stop spending our tax dollars on random shit? lolHaha word.


PAIN BOX!!!

http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/09_03/zappedDM1809_468x762.jpg

Read about this thing, sounds crazy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=482560&in_page_id=1965

[mrmephistopheles]

The smaller version of this was on a base I was on years ago.

Railguns are pretty badass things.

[kingkilburn]

d e l e t e d

[kingkilburn]

When I lived on Ft. Irwin two years ago they were sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq with out required gear. The only people that were well taken care of were the flight and artillery guys.

I will admit that I am biased towards soldiers and marines but the navy and air force get way to much money, in comparison, for experimental programs[in my opinion.] For the importance of the mission the way they ration out the money is flawed to me. DOD/Congress spends money like we are still in the cold war. I honestly don't think we need 9 1/2 billion dollar planes flying around when E-1s and 2s barely make minimum wage.

[cdlong]

It's pretty ridiculous to get reped for stating an educated opinion.

see my post above.

Just because you don't like what I said about your branch of the service doesn't mean I was talking trash on you.

yes you were.

No I don't like the F117, I think it was frivolous spending on a cool toy. If the B2 didn't cost so much I would like it more too.

really? if BMWs didn't cost so much would you buy one of those too? if BMWs didn't cost so much, it would be a Ford, a mediocre car that doesn't do much. you think revolutionary technology, high tech materials, and massive computer and electronics systems are free?

i didn't rep you before, but i will now. everyone seems to have to learn this lesson first hand, complaining about getting repped will only bring more.

[cdlong]

When I lived on Ft. Irwin two years ago they were sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq with out required gear. The only people that were well taken care of were the flight and artillery guys.

I will admit that I am biased towards soldiers and marines but the navy and air force get way to much money, in comparison, for experimental programs[in my opinion.] For the importance of the mission the way they ration out the money is flawed to me. DOD/Congress spends money like we are still in the cold war. I honestly don't think we need 9 1/2 billion dollar planes flying around when E-1s and 2s barely make minimum wage.

i shipped out without any gear too. i got it when i got to the AOR just like everyone else. everyone has the necessary gear now. it's not 2003.

i usually laugh when see an E-1 because they're so rare. most people make it out of basic with some sort of stripe (e-1s in the AF are called slicksleeves because they have no rank).

E-2s working 40 hours a week make $8.70 an hour. keep in mind that that doesn't include housing, food, full medical/dental coverage, 30 days paid vacation per year, clothing. and that's just walking around money. compared to normal civilian pay it's more like $12/hour. find me an 18 year old kid with no skills making that.

once again, just stop talking about stuff you know nothing about.

[kingkilburn]

Oh thank you master of rep learn me some more.

The only difference between the B2 and the F117 is 15 years of computer tech. It is an awesome plane but rather expensive, so much so that congress wont fund any more for the time being.

I don't see what BMWs have to do with B2s and F117s. Cost and quality are not directly linked, over head and cost are. If you want I can show you how the new GT-R out performs cars that literally cost twice as much. The difference with the air force is that no one competes with us in the area of large bombers let alone ones with stealth tech. I'm sure if there was any competition involved in the development of stealth technologies they would cost much less. You can look to the FA18 and F35 as proof that competition can lower the cost of aircraft while also increasing performance.

And I will say again. Just because I said something about the air force as an organization(read suits at the top) doesn't mean I said any thing against you or your fellow airmen. I have much respect for those in the armed services.



Back on topic for now. I can't wait to see how they will implement these rail guns. Will this mean a return of the battle ship or just more fire power for smaller vessels? I also wonder about the size of projectile they plan for? I read that they plan to replace their five inch guns with these. I wish we could see what the scale of the gun in the video is.

[kingkilburn]

i shipped out without any gear too. i got it when i got to the AOR just like everyone else. everyone has the necessary gear now. it's not 2003.

I'm talking late 05 early 06. These were guys returning to the middle east, begging for proper equipment. These were guys on rotation at the NTC.

[inertiaticism]

I want one of those pain boxes so bad.
Put it on the sidewalk with a $20.00 glued to the top and videotape people trying to take it.

[kingkilburn]

I want one of those pain boxes so bad.
Put it on the sidewalk with a $20.00 glued to the top and videotape people trying to take it.

You could make a dollar menu commercial like that. Put a dollar on it with a group of people all trying to get it one after the other even though they see that it hurts. Then a money shot of the last guy to try getting the dollar eating a quarter pounder. The voice over says "Is it worth it? I think so."

That would be sweet :)

[kandyflip445]

Rail guns are the shit. They can store more ammo, at less cost, and not have to worry about shit blowing up if they take a hit. They're working on solutions to be able to fire full powered guns while still moving in a ship. They're supposed to be on the next gen. destroyers!! ^^

FC FTW!!!! lol

[kingkilburn]

Firing on the move is something I hadn't thought of. Thats pretty cool.

[supad0rk]

i rememeber hearing about them having a fully functional rail gun a few years back but it was about half the size of a ship... so it was fail. If they make it big enough you could just fire the kitchen sink at the enemy when you run out of rounds.

Oooooh also firing stuff in space.... no oxygen to burn so you just use the kinetic force to push through any objects. Always gotta be thinking ahead.

[EDacIouSX]

dude weapon R&D and stuff is important. if we have no R&D then we'd be throwing rocks while china is throwing nukes. anyway this is pretty dope.

[kingkilburn]

Can you imagine a rail gun on an A10 Thunder Bolt? That would be sick! Silent Death as close air to ground support.

[Antihero983]

so when do i get to bolt one to the hood of my 240?

[cgtdream]

Only a matter of time before tanks will be fitted with them......hmm, also wonder how things are coming along with firing "laser" weapons from aircraft.....

[TOMKAIRA93]

please stop, your ignorance is painful.

the comanche is an army program. when all the apaches start falling apart they'll probably wish they kept it going.

the F-117 is a really old program and is going to be retired. it's a bit pricey for what it is (a single seat plane that carries 2 bombs and with no air-to-air or mach capability) but without it we wouldn't have the B-2, F-22, or F35. and we'd be sitting ducks.

i think you meant the B-2, yes, it's pricey. but also one of the most capable aircraft ever built.

i was in the desert a year and a half ago. every soldier, marine, airmen and sailor had socks and a flak vest. some even have sleeves and shorts (yes, flak shorts). there were plenty of up armored HMMWVs and MRAPs. the ones with no doors and no armor are for running around base.

if you really want to complain, complain about how congress makes us spend money on stuff we don't want anymore. check the 2005 BRAC list. none of the major bases were closed. we have planes that are older than your parents that we want to retire but we aren't allowed. as much as i love the extra .5% pay raise, congress dictates 3.5% instead of the mandated 3% but won't give us any more money, it has to come out of our operational budget, so airmen get more money to spend on booze, but less money to spend on fuel and new facilities.

yes the government blows a lot of money, welcome to 50 years ago. i only get offended when you single out the Air Force with wrong information.

He speaks the truth!!!! +1

[steve shadows]

these are some of the things I will miss if some stupid shit demo gets into office.

but McCain is crazy.

so its like between a rock and a hardplace

[SHIFT_*grind*]

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/warner_brothers/eraser/arnold_schwarzenegger/eraser.jpg

[steve shadows]

more guns less welfare

[bloodangels13]

gatta love them big guns...... to think what the weapons we have can do you would think no one in the right mind would f with us..... im a Future Weapons show whore..... that guy has the best job ever!

[codyace]

I'm talking late 05 early 06. These were guys returning to the middle east, begging for proper equipment. These were guys on rotation at the NTC.

I'll concur. I went through Irwin (Engineer) without having the right stuff even for training. We went to Iraq with a bunch of old and unused equipment, got sent up north, (got flak jackets in Kuwait) and fell in on 5 AoA Humvees, and 2 AoA 5ton dumps...that was our only Armor on hand.

It wasn't until about 4 months in until we got 4 Nice 1114's and then closer to 7-8 for the 916, PLS's and 20t Dump to finally get armored. Up until that part it was a bunch of AoA shit for the Humvees, and hillbilly stuff on the Big trucks


So yes, while it may not have been 2003, there were still big supply issues in 2004/2005/2006 when I was over seas. Granted much of that may be due to the fact we were an Army Reserve Unit, but we were under command of The Active Component the entire time (even with our 'Upper' changing quite often from being tossed around)

there were plenty of up armored HMMWVs and MRAPs. the ones with no doors and no armor are for running around base.

It wasn't until late in my tour that they finalyl started making AoA and hillbilly trucks stay on post...but yes, all open skin equipment was on post or HET/LET transport only. (Speaking of which, a HET is one awesome cruiser)

more guns less welfare

...how about less social service in general? the people that need it don't use it, and the ones that use it abuse it...

[kingkilburn]

Codyace I think the army has some issues with mismanagement. When I lived at the NTC the base commander was a damn cook. No combat or training experience. He was trying to get my mom(CW3 in communications) to train people to send classified data over cell phones. Go ask Paris Hilton how secure cell phones are, or any one else who's had their cell hacked. On top of that there aren't any cell towers in Iraq(not at the time at least). Why would you train people with equipment they wont have a chance of using?

[S14DB]

Better video of a lower power test:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y54aLcC3G74

[OptionZero]

total physics and weapons layman here, but the ammunition touches the barrel? There's no, i dunno, jacket or something? Wouldn't the friction waste alot of the kinetic energy, slow the round down? I know the longer barrel improves accuracy...

[S14DB]

total physics and weapons layman here, but the ammunition touches the barrel? There's no, i dunno, jacket or something? Wouldn't the friction waste alot of the kinetic energy, slow the round down? I know the longer barrel improves accuracy...

In a rail gun there are 2 rails one is positive and one is negatively charged. The projectile completes the circuit and forms a magnetic field that propels the projectile down the rail.

You may be thinking of a Gauss Gun where there are row of coils around the barrel and the projectile is accelerated like a mag lev train.

[OptionZero]

ah that makes sense, so the magnetic field acts like a buffer around the projectile and the "barrel" as it fires..

wicked

various comics and sci fi writers have speculated how effective orbital rail guns would be

plant a giant satellite with rail gun equipped in space
load up a big fat girder or any random space junk that fits
line up target
fire

projectile heats up in atmosphere and when it lands, the world's population is reduced