US Navy test-firing their railgun - General

[video=youtube;EagXC7HDnns]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EagXC7HDnns&feature=youtu.be[/video] The first demonstration actually penetrated several souls that were in the line of fire. why are media tags broken???

you can't use shorten link

While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.

[QUOTE=Bonde;47750090]While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.[/QUOTE] Well, right now, ships are the only vehicles on this planet that can [b]properly power it[/b] and mount it at sea. Not to mention that the retarded range that these weapons would have, it would offer incredible indirect fire capabilities even at sea. It could also shoot missiles out of the air.

[QUOTE=Bonde;47750090]While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.[/QUOTE] It will be used to shoot down planes, attack hardened bunkers on land, shoot down incoming missiles and vaporize somalian pirate dinghys.

[QUOTE=Bonde;47750090]While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.[/QUOTE] long range artillery [editline]18th May 2015[/editline] ships are basically giant artillery platforms

What's with that projectile shape? Doesn't look too aerodynamic.

[QUOTE=Ninja Gnome;47750125]long range artillery [editline]18th May 2015[/editline] ships are basically giant artillery platforms[/QUOTE] This. A rail-gun can hit it's target faster than a missile and is a lot cheaper in the long run. Cruise missiles usually cost $1 million+ per missile which can only be used once while a rail-gun can be reused and only needs ammo that costs way less than a missile.

[QUOTE=Zakkin;47750158]What's with that projectile shape? Doesn't look too aerodynamic.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure it's a sabot, though if that's the case it is beyond me as to why it isn't splitting after leaving the barrel in the first couple shots.

[QUOTE=Saber15;47750190]I'm pretty sure it's a sabot, though if that's the case it is beyond me as to why it isn't splitting after leaving the barrel in the first couple shots.[/QUOTE] could just be a test slug to see if it fires at full performance, they may not have made the molds for what will be the real slugs since it is still in development

[QUOTE=Saber15;47750190]I'm pretty sure it's a sabot, though if that's the case it is beyond me as to why it isn't splitting after leaving the barrel in the first couple shots.[/QUOTE] It has a sabot, what you see at the start splitting off. The projectile its self is a solid lump of metal in the shape of a brick. Basically they wanted the projectile to hit and create a massive surface impact for that demo, not penetrate, but as it's got so much force behind it it does both things at once. Most kinetic rounds are either a brick shape or just a pointy spike with some fins, to save both money and materials they likely use a brick shaped ram style as it can be easily recovered, melted down and reused.

[QUOTE=CabooseRvB;47750101]It could also shoot missiles out of the air.[/QUOTE] Which I think is the most excellent application for a railgun. If it can shoot a missile out of the air, constructing a ton of them could make for a nuclear defence system that could prevent the vast majority of nuclear missiles from getting anywhere near the coastline, so they'd plop into the ocean instead even if they were wired to prime the warhead if the missile suffered a plating breach. Still wouldn't prevent suitcase bombs, but it'd dampen the threat of a nuclear holocaust if we can no longer express mail nukes by strapping them to the front of a rocket. Even if they were dropped from on high like Little Boy from the Enola Gay (assuming the bomber doesn't get shot to pieces by the defence grid), an accurate shot could probably break the damn thing, or worst case scenario detonate it high up and turn a potential nuclear inferno into a mere EMP. (still crippling, but not city-levelling and presumably less toxic) So yeah, railguns could help us stop worrying and laugh at the bomb.

[QUOTE=ironman17;47750321]Which I think is the most excellent application for a railgun. If it can shoot a missile out of the air, constructing a ton of them could make for a nuclear defence system that could prevent the vast majority of nuclear missiles from getting anywhere near the coastline, so they'd plop into the ocean instead even if they were wired to prime the warhead if the missile suffered a plating breach. Still wouldn't prevent suitcase bombs, but it'd dampen the threat of a nuclear holocaust if we can no longer express mail nukes by strapping them to the front of a rocket. Even if they were dropped from on high like Little Boy from the Enola Gay (assuming the bomber doesn't get shot to pieces by the defence grid), an accurate shot could probably break the damn thing, or worst case scenario detonate it high up and turn a potential nuclear inferno into a mere EMP. (still crippling, but not city-levelling and presumably less toxic) So yeah, railguns could help us stop worrying and laugh at the bomb.[/QUOTE] And then MAD becomes irrelevant And then conventional warfare becomes a thing again

[QUOTE=Mallow234;47750890]And then MAD becomes irrelevant And then conventional warfare becomes a thing again[/QUOTE] A double edged sword, yes, but it's still bound to be better than the threat of everything being wiped out or blasted back to the Stone Age, right?

[QUOTE=Bonde;47750090]While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.[/QUOTE] Space battles

One of the main things they said near the very start is that it eliminates the need for propellant charges for traditional cannons. Even if traditional cannons and artillery haven't been as relevant in ship-to-ship combat with the advent of anti-ship missiles and aircraft. That is [B]huge[/B] because you're effectively removing one of the biggest things that "make ship go boom" when struck, aside from other ammunition and fuel.

[QUOTE=Doom14;47751080]One of the main things they said near the very start is that it eliminates the need for propellant charges for traditional cannons. Even if traditional cannons and artillery haven't been as relevant in ship-to-ship combat with the advent of anti-ship missiles and aircraft. That is [B]huge[/B] because you're effectively removing one of the biggest things that "make ship go boom" when struck, aside from other ammunition and fuel.[/QUOTE] Discover a way to allow ships to convert salt water into hydrogen fuel on the fly and that's the "fuel goes bang" risk gone as there will be no need for large fuel tanks. On something like a frigate, remove the need for explosive ammunition by turning all its main cannons into railguns and you're left with something that has minimal risk of exploding when shot. Only thing that could set it off is rounds for AA systems like the Phalanx or missiles if the frigate happens to be carrying some. Plus the overall weight of the ships can be reduced massively by utilising railguns over traditional cannons.

I love how the round is moving so fast, it's on fire from shock-heating the atmosphere. Something you normally only see on re-entering spacecraft.

[QUOTE=Mallow234;47750890]And then MAD becomes irrelevant And then conventional warfare becomes a thing again[/QUOTE] You really think every nuclear-armed state on the planet is going to let that destroy their massive political asset For every counter measure they'll just develop a counter-counter measure or a new method of delivering payloads

I read the title as "US Navy test-firing their religion" for some reason.

[QUOTE=Bonde;47750090]While this is extremely cool, in what situations would a rail-gun be of effective use on a naval vessel? It is clear that it has amazing penetration abilities, but what else could it be useful for? It will surely be harder to intercept than regular rocket motor powered missiles, so in ship to ship actions it might have potential, but I thought that those days were over after the invention of the aircraft carrier. Perhaps it can be used to shoot down planes. That would give it a niche to operate in.[/QUOTE] This thing is expected to have an operation range of 160km, and the speed and accuracy to shoot anything you need to within that range.

[QUOTE=Dr.Critic;47752677]You really think every nuclear-armed state on the planet is going to let that destroy their massive political asset For every counter measure they'll just develop a counter-counter measure or a new method of delivering payloads[/QUOTE] I can't see a nuclear delivery system that would work when you have batteries of guns that can intercept even MIRV decoys and destroy all of them that isn't a nuclear landmine Having railguns in space on the other hand

[QUOTE=Mallow234;47754675]I can't see a nuclear delivery system that would work when you have batteries of guns that can intercept even MIRV decoys and destroy all of them that isn't a nuclear landmine Having railguns in space on the other hand[/QUOTE] oooh, how quickly can you get objects accelerating in space?

bae caught me railin' But seriously this stuff is so much more advanced than anything any other nation has. Guess its good to know all that military spending is paying off, in a way.

To think there will be a C school for me to get an NEC to maintain and fire these things. I can't wait. Hyper Velocity Projectile being developed for it, and other existing gun systems. [IMG]http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/1256484632610042983.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Mallow234;47754675]Having railguns in space on the other hand[/QUOTE] A pointless waste of resources sadly.

We're all forgetting the most important purpose a Railgun could be used for. [sp]Shooting down meteors and pesky Aces.[/sp]

[QUOTE=kobalt;47755663]We're all forgetting the most important purpose a Railgun could be used for. [sp]Shooting down meteors and pesky Aces.[/sp][/QUOTE] Megalomaniacal superpowers aside, I have to wonder how effective a railgun array would actually be for breaking meteors into pieces small enough to burn up. Or even just flinging things out of the atmosphere in general.

[QUOTE=Pilotguy97;47755694]Megalomaniacal superpowers aside, I have to wonder how effective a railgun array would actually be for breaking meteors into pieces small enough to burn up. Or even just flinging things out of the atmosphere in general.[/QUOTE] The problem being that larger chunks of meteorite will still fall, although it will be in a more scattered area, I'd imagine. A small crater is better than a big one, sure. But that still kinda sucks. Maybe said Railgun array would need to have to have Lasers for back up to burn the larger chunks quicker like a CIWS system?

For all of you that are wondering why there is an explosion when the show rail-gun is fired: As the projectile starts accelerating beyond supersonic speeds, heat generated from drag gets significant and compression of air around the projectile compresses the air. This causes an explosion to take place as an expansion of heat.