The railgun is a scientific concept which uses electromagnets to simultaneously pull and push an object, accelerating it to very high speeds. Here's a diagram which could explain it somewhat:
And alternative would be the Gauss or coilgun. It too uses magnetic energy to accelerate an object, in the coilgun they take the form of coils wrapped around the barrel, as seen in this animation.
Now, the military applications of these weapons are obvious. It is estimated that a working railgun could fire a slug of tungsten with a muzzle velocity of 3500 m/s, which would make it's kinetic energy equal or superior to an explosive-filled shell of equivalent mass. Once railguns or coilguns are working consistently, rather than just the tests the US Military is doing now, it could mean the return of the battleship concept as the dominating force in the navy. Now, one of the current hurdles facing military railguns is that they need to use some strong material, due to the intense rigors of magnetic energy firing a projectile, a strong material that wouldn't break everytime they fired the railgun. Also, a railgun needs no propellant, which means the reloading system would only have the accomadate the projectile. Thus, railguns could shoot far faster than conventional firearms. With such high velocities, wind drift and bullet drop have very little effect on railgun-fired shots. With projectiles fired at such high speed, such long ranges and such a high rate of fire, railguns could shoot down missiles or aircraft in flight. Perhaps, once railguns are a viable alternative to conventional firearms, then battleships will supercede aircraft carriers as the central elements of the Navy.
Thoughts? Opinions? Do you guys think the battleship concept has a future in railguns or coilguns?
And alternative would be the Gauss or coilgun. It too uses magnetic energy to accelerate an object, in the coilgun they take the form of coils wrapped around the barrel, as seen in this animation.
Now, the military applications of these weapons are obvious. It is estimated that a working railgun could fire a slug of tungsten with a muzzle velocity of 3500 m/s, which would make it's kinetic energy equal or superior to an explosive-filled shell of equivalent mass. Once railguns or coilguns are working consistently, rather than just the tests the US Military is doing now, it could mean the return of the battleship concept as the dominating force in the navy. Now, one of the current hurdles facing military railguns is that they need to use some strong material, due to the intense rigors of magnetic energy firing a projectile, a strong material that wouldn't break everytime they fired the railgun. Also, a railgun needs no propellant, which means the reloading system would only have the accomadate the projectile. Thus, railguns could shoot far faster than conventional firearms. With such high velocities, wind drift and bullet drop have very little effect on railgun-fired shots. With projectiles fired at such high speed, such long ranges and such a high rate of fire, railguns could shoot down missiles or aircraft in flight. Perhaps, once railguns are a viable alternative to conventional firearms, then battleships will supercede aircraft carriers as the central elements of the Navy.
Thoughts? Opinions? Do you guys think the battleship concept has a future in railguns or coilguns?
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