Navy Experimental Rail Gun to Fire GPS-Guided Projectiles - Polidicks

[QUOTE]The U.S. military has been looking for ways to smarten up its dumb projectiles for years--look no further than this GPS guided mortar round recently fielded by the army--hoping to increase lethality while reducing collateral damage. The Navy is no exception to this trend, and the seaborne branch is looking for precision beyond its current arsenal. The Office of Naval Research wants a guided munition for its experimental electromagnetic rail gun that can alter the course of a 5,600 mile per hour projectile in flight. Electromagnetic rail guns use powerful magnets lined up in series along the length of a cannon to accelerate projectiles to thousands of miles per hour in an extremely short span, giving them ranges in the hundreds of miles. Next to the Navy’s current capabilities--officers claim the newest surface gun systems, which aren’t even online yet, will be able to reach targets up to 72 miles away--that’s a vast improvement. But thus far, the Navy’s rail gun program has cost $240 million over seven years, and the technology is still very much restricted to the lab. Part of that’s a power issue. Rail guns require a massive amount of electricity that current naval ships cannot spare if they can generate it at all. The Navy hopes its rail gun will debut on the next-generation of high-powered ships, like the Zumwalt class destroyer (currently slated to enter service in 2015) by early in the next decade. But what’s the point of hurling a projectile hundreds of miles if you can’t hit your target? To that end, the Hyper Velocity Projectile program aims to develop naval rounds that work with both conventional ship-based artillery and proposed future combat systems like the electromagnetic rail gun. These rounds would be GPS-guided and navigable in flight, more like cruise missiles. In fact, the idea is to eventually make naval surface gun rounds more like rockets, a Navy source recently told PopSci, increasing their accuracy and lethality many times over and ending such strong reliance on the missile for pinpoint strikes. According to the proposal as described by Danger Room, these new rounds would be 24-inches long, weigh between 20 and 30 pounds, and have an effective range (in standard naval artillery format) of more than 30 miles. For rail guns, that range could reach out to 200 miles, or perhaps beyond. Live fire demonstrations of the new round are on the schedule for 2017. We’ll have to wait and see if rail gun capability and guided munitions technology both mature enough in that interval to create something devastatingly unique for the U.S. Navy’s arsenal. [img]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/navy-railgun.jpeg[/img]The Office of Naval Research Wants Advanced Guided Munitions for its Electromagnetic Rail Gun[/quote] Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-08/its-experimental-rail-gun-navy-wants-gps-guided-hypersonic-projectiles[/url]

I thought the navies railgun had its funding cut? Good to see its still shooting

That's cool as hell

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;37056728]I thought the navies railgun had its funding cut? Good to see its still shooting[/QUOTE] Naw man I saw it being used in Transformers 2.

I want to know what kind of electronics can stand all that heat. You know from the PLASMA thats formed around the round as it moves so fast it literally sets the air on fire.

Dat dopler shift

[QUOTE] [IMG]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/navy-railgun.jpeg[/IMG] [/QUOTE] [B][I]"Just lemme' pull out my wrench here..."[/I][/B]

"Arriving at target, on left"

Now seeking: Railgun round drivers

[QUOTE=IKTM;37060449]"Arriving at target, on left"[/QUOTE] "In 14 miles, your destination is obliterated"

Rail-firing a CLGP? Who designed this, Yosemite Sam?

Is that Drew Carey?

"Electromagnetic rail guns use powerful magnets lined up in series along the length of a cannon to accelerate projectiles to thousands of miles per hour in an extremely short span" Um, no. They don't use any magnets at all. Yes, they create a magnetic field, but no actual magnets are used

Sir Isaac Newton is one deadly son of a bitch...

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;37056728]I thought the navies railgun had its funding cut? Good to see its still shooting[/QUOTE] That was the free electron laser I believe.

[QUOTE=camacazie638;37060327][B][I]"Just lemme' pull out my wrench here..."[/I][/B][/QUOTE] That's actually the projectile that was shot by the railgun :D I forgive you :))

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;37056728]I thought the navies railgun had its funding cut? Good to see its still shooting[/QUOTE] There's multiple railgun projects, only one of them got cut.

I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE] I think when people on here are against military funding they're against the money going to the "War on Terror" where they praise this sort of military funding as it can lead to breakthroughs in science once it's perfected. Also this shit contains science. Facepunch gets a hard on for science.

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]...someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE] [I]Sir, an asteroid is entering the solar system destined to collide with Earth![/I] [IMG]http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/7879/scrn009.jpg[/IMG] [I]Scratch that, sir.[/I] [/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE] This is different. This is a railgun :v:

[QUOTE=irukandji;37064116]That's actually the projectile that was shot by the railgun :D I forgive you :))[/QUOTE] He made a funny joke. I don't forgive you for trying to be a smartass. >:)

>railgun >description is of a coilgun *sigh*

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE]Can't argue with railguns for space travel. "Please keep all limbs inside of the craft at all times"

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE] Because if you turn this 90 degrees it launches satellites and supplies quite nicely. Oh man, everyone's leaping down your throat. Don't worry, we still love you.

[QUOTE=Phaselancer;37059727]I want to know what kind of electronics can stand all that heat. You know from the PLASMA thats formed around the round as it moves so fast it literally sets the air on fire.[/QUOTE] I would be more worried about those few thousand g's that's produced upon acceleration. I wonder how they will make so the electronics wont tear themselves apart upon acceleration.

here's a video of it firing [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1q_rRicAwI[/media]

[QUOTE=Chernarus;37064339]I like how everyone is all anti-funding US military in political threads then once someone shows a image of some big ass gun everyone is suddenly far right pro-military spending.[/QUOTE] Cognitive dissonance guns are cool and fun so it's hard to pick a side

[QUOTE=apurplerock;37070205]here's a video of it firing [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1q_rRicAwI[/media][/QUOTE] The poster just... Evaporated.

[QUOTE=S31-Syntax;37062667]"In 14 miles, your destination is obliterated"[/QUOTE]"Calculating....calculating..."