Posted on May 13, 2019
This stunning video shows how fast a railgun can shoot
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The Navy has been testing a railgun that could see deployment on the guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt and her sister ships. The goal is to get the railgun to not only be able to fire its projectiles to a range of 110 nautical miles, but to increase the rate of fire to as many as ten rounds a minute.
The long range is only one of the many advantages. Another is improved safety. Gunpowder can be very volatile, as a number of British battlecruisers found out at Jutland and at the Denmark Straits. The battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) also found out about how bad a gunpowder explosion in the wrong place at the wrong time can be.
The approach also saves money, and provides for more ammo capacity. The gunpowder is expensive to safely store, has to be purchased, and it takes up spaces in the ship. All of those factors end up making the ship design more expensive.
The railgun testing is slated to take place over the summer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia. One of the big issues will be to quantify how much electrical power will be needed to send the rounds downrange.
Forget what you saw in 2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" when an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer took out the Decepticon Devastator. Only the Zumwalt-class destroyers have the electrical power capacity to use a railgun.
The long range is only one of the many advantages. Another is improved safety. Gunpowder can be very volatile, as a number of British battlecruisers found out at Jutland and at the Denmark Straits. The battleship USS Arizona (BB 39) also found out about how bad a gunpowder explosion in the wrong place at the wrong time can be.
The approach also saves money, and provides for more ammo capacity. The gunpowder is expensive to safely store, has to be purchased, and it takes up spaces in the ship. All of those factors end up making the ship design more expensive.
The railgun testing is slated to take place over the summer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division in Virginia. One of the big issues will be to quantify how much electrical power will be needed to send the rounds downrange.
Forget what you saw in 2009's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" when an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer took out the Decepticon Devastator. Only the Zumwalt-class destroyers have the electrical power capacity to use a railgun.
This stunning video shows how fast a railgun can shoot
Posted from wearethemighty.comPosted in these groups: 
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We Are The Mighty
Posted >1 y ago
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MAJ Ken Landgren
Dallas Mcmillan - What kind of inputs would be put into the ballistic computer? For example we will shoot from a moving ship at a moving ship. What about barometric pressure, wind velocity and direction, temperature, clouds, and other inputs into the ballistic computer?
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1) I'm highly suspicious that other existing ship platforms can in fact provide the electrical output needed. Ahem...since they are nuclear powered.
2) still sounds like we are a bit behind the curve. If we are still "talking" about field testing.
3) imagine the projectile options. DPU(bricks), drone caskets, shaped ignitors (a pinpoint MOAB), EMP casket.
4) technology is wonderful, when it works...imagine a refitted fleet with 80% railgun systems...that gets hit by an EMP.
5) i suggest we keep SOME gunpowder handy...if only for the victory fireworks...
2) still sounds like we are a bit behind the curve. If we are still "talking" about field testing.
3) imagine the projectile options. DPU(bricks), drone caskets, shaped ignitors (a pinpoint MOAB), EMP casket.
4) technology is wonderful, when it works...imagine a refitted fleet with 80% railgun systems...that gets hit by an EMP.
5) i suggest we keep SOME gunpowder handy...if only for the victory fireworks...
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