The Navy has awarded BAE Systems a contract to develop a next-generation launcher with higher rates of fire for its now-in-development Electromagnetic Railgun, service and industry officials explained.
The Office of Navy Research is currently developing an EM Railgun which uses massive “pulses” of electricity to propel a projectile or an explosive at distances greater than 100 nautical miles.
“You get much higher velocity by creating an electromagnetic force behind the projectile,” said Amir Chaboki, program manager for advanced systems, BAE.
The pulses from the weapon can achieve incredible speeds of Mach 6, Mach 7 or faster, thus striking long distances in a short period of time, he added.
An EM Railgun launcher is described as a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants, according to statements from the ONR.
“Magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph,” the ONR website states.
ONR Launched the EM Railgun program in 2005. The program began with Phase I wherein the technology was demonstrated as a “proof-of-concept.” The program is now moving well into Phase 2, an effort to refine and improve the technology and be able to sustain more rapid rates of fire.
The Navy has already demonstrated the ability to fire a single shot or “pulse” from the weapon at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. The ONR’s current Phase II launcher contract is aimed at developing the ability fire 6 –to-10 pulses per minute, Chaboki explained.
BAE plans to have its first prototype versions of the launcher weapon ready by as early as next year, Chaboki said.
A Railgun works by creating a magnetic force between two power rails conducting large amounts of electricity, Chaboki explained.
“Schematically you have two power rails that conduct electricity. We send a pulse onto one rail then connect the two rails. Magnetic force then pushes the projectile,” he explained.
The EM Railgun needs large amounts of electrical power, some of which could be stored in batteries if the weapon were transported on a ship, he said.