So just a few days ago “In AMERICA!” they tested out a new navel lower power but much more powerful railgun. This family of technology has many useful applications such as launching planes off decks, or hurling missiles at incredible speeds and distance. Railguns have always been science fiction with some fact behind them, in short a great theory. Great theories becoming reality, there is a certain railgun that might have some envy for this big cannon. I makes for a cool video, go ahead and hit play.
More After the break
If your quick to point out that the idea of accelerating metal with electromagnetic force has been around for years, well you are correct. This idea has been used in transport like trains, and in lab equipment and motors and so much more. It has only in the last 10 years been perfected for use in war, perfected is a strong word, rather it’s been researched a bit further. This is not the first version of the navel rail gun concept, it’s probably about the 5th, with many proto types proceeding it. Not much in the ways of details are out their for us civilians, so don’t ask me about it, I know as much as you know.All I know is that this video of it firing made my nerd radar explode.
A railgun is an electrically-powered artillery gun that accelerates a conductive projectile along magnetic metal rails using the same principles as the homopolar motor. Railguns use (two) sliding or rolling contacts[1] that permit a large electric current to pass through the projectile. This current interacts with the strong magnetic fields generated by the rails and this accelerates the projectile. Particular characteristics are the lack of propellant (only the projectile and the electrical energy to launch it are required), and the ability to launch projectiles much faster than firearms-based technology allows. – Wikipedia
Leave a Reply