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Navy Gets 8-Megajoule Rail Gun Working
prototypo writes "The Free Lance-Star newspaper is reporting that the Navy Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia has successfully demonstrated an 8-megajoule electromagnetic rail gun. A 32-megajoule version is due to be tested in June. A 64-megajoule version is anticipated to extend the range of naval gunfire (currently about 15 nautical miles for a 5-inch naval gun) to more than 200 nautical miles by 2020. The projectiles are small, but go so fast that have enough kinetic punch to replace a Tomahawk missile at a fraction of the cost. In the final version, they will apex at 95 miles altitude, well into space. These systems were initially part of Reagan's SDI program ("Star Wars"). An interesting tidbit in the article is that the rail gun is only expected to fire ten times or less per day, presumably because of the amount of electricity needed. I guess we now need a warp core to power them."
I'm a member of the NRA, I didn't see this in the last catalog.
An interesting tidbit in the article is that the rail gun is only expected to fire ten times or less per day, presumably because of the amount of electricity needed.
If only we knew when lightning was due to strike some sort of a clock tower? Surely, then, we could harness the power needed.
If that doesn't work, perhaps some new technology involving trash?
by June they'll get the quad-damage powerup working?
if you can only fire 10 per day.
I'd be very careful accounting for winds over a distance of 200 miles, particularly where chinese embassies are located. Must be a hell of a job to be spotter for this kind of weapon.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
It will allow the US Navy to miss targets from much further away.
Once I was a four stone apology. Now I am two separate gorillas.
A 32-megajoule version is due to be tested in June. A 64-megajoule version is anticipated to extend the range of naval gunfire (currently about 15 nautical miles for a 5-inch naval gun) to more than 200 nautical miles by 2020.
Nobody will ever need more than a 64 Megajoules rail gun.
Come on, if you could fire a projectile 200 miles, you could just mount these on coastlines, serviced by ground-based power plants. True, it wouldn't replace navies ENTIRELY, but it would suddenly become extremely UN-economical to have one with even the slightest capability to get near a shoreline. Pushing back aircraft carriers 200 miles would severely reduce the flight time of the planes, which now have to fly a lot farther just to get to the coastline, let alone targets inside countries.
On the plus side, land-locked countries can now hunt whales for food. :)
I like to place meaningful quotes in my sig, so people will know that I know what meaningful quotes are.
Parent recap:
1. *some idea*
2. "use robots with ion drives for that stuff"
3. profit!
Yes, as soon as the moon moves to within 95 miles altitude.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
so a shot of 100 tons of titanium a day could well make a moon mining facility profitable
Even more profitable would be to make Earth pay you NOT to lob 100 tons of titanium at them per day.
TANSTAAFL
Use the rail gun to launch a big, heavy projectile into orbit.
Attach projectile to giant bungee cord.
Attach giant bungee cord to object you want in orbit.
Give object giant scissors.
Expanding on this, you could tie one object with several rubber bands to several projectiles.
paintball