U.S. Navy successfully tests Rail Gun

[mctesla]

This story is interesting--- does this mean that we're approaching the next TL in Striker warfare?

 

[Rover]

Cool stuff. I didn't realize rail guns would fire balistically. I thought they were line of sight.

R

 

[Enoff]

Yes interesting story. Interesting that the project started under the Star Wars program and now ends up to provide Naval armament. I am all for it though!

 

[mbrinkhues]

Basically every projectile thrower fires ballistically. It is just that with some of them it is not obvious due to their "flat" trajectory. Basically if you can elevate the muzzle high enough (> 45 degree from horizontal) you get a howitzer trajectory

One of the reasons the TerHer kept the M48 was that it could elevate the gun higher than the Leo I, allowing the gun to be used as a pocket howitzer when combined with a ramp.

 

[Anthony]

Technically, that appears to have been a demo, not a test. 8-9 MJ just means the USN has reached the same performance level of other railgun test projects.

 

[atpollard]

With respect to the 8-9 MJ figure, what are the chances that a press report will contain accurate technical data on a Navy weapon research project test? (or demo)

 

[sgbrown]

Originally posted by atpollard:
With respect to the 8-9 MJ figure, what are the chances that a press report will contain accurate technical data on a Navy weapon research project test? (or demo)

Roughly 50-50 for the navy providing accurate data. But by the time you figure in the likely hood of the press actually getting the data right - much lower.

 

[Retrocooly]

Heh yea thats in dahlgren weapon testing lab, im currently stationed out here, roundabout five commands on this base. Can't count the times i'v woken up to a 5 inch gun going off, ..the rail gun literally rocks the base. Yea, they even still have functional 15 inch guns off on base that the techs occasionally shoot just for kicks .

 

[Renaissance Man]

The one year of development to a working scale prototype is pretty fast as these things go.

I particularly appreciated a poster in the comments section after the article (terrybrookman):

The real firing platform will be in orbit and with the speeds you get in a vacuum plus firing into a gravity well you can hit anything on the planet or flying above it. The projectiles could be of any configuration solid with an ablative coating that could reach ground level as iron plasma traveling at two hundred thousand feet per second ro something like a shotgun shell that would burst into a cloud if iron plasma pellets traveling at the same speeds. You could hit a missile in first stage lift,

I expect that this isn't being developed purely for the "wet" navy, especially considering its origins with Star Wars.

[Sigh] I gotta say. I'm not looking forward to weapons in space. Just another thing I have to worry about, on top of nuclear war and environmental disaster. But lets not put this whole thing into the pit...