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United States Navy has a railgun

2007-01-17, 2:10 PM #1

Jon`C

Admiral of Awesome

Posts: 18,626

It's just a little baby right now (8 MJ), but by 2020 the United States Navy plans on deploying its big brother (64 MJ).

The working theory is this:

Tomahawk Missiles are big, heavy and really expensive, right? A railgun fires a 3.2 kg slug with enough kinetic energy to do the same amount of damage.

Not only that, but they have a really really really long range. Here is a graph to help you picture it.

Attachment: 15134/comparison.GIF (5,002 bytes)

2007-01-17, 2:21 PM #2

kyle90

Laser Lover

Posts: 8,450

Wow, this kind of came out of nowhere. Last I heard, the most advanged railguns in the world were still the rails-erode-and-have-to-be-replaced-after-every-shot type. I guess they figured out a way around that; cool.

Of course now I'm going to have to build one of my own. Finally I'll have a use for that huge-*** 4.1 Farad, 300 volt capacitor I bought last year.

Stuff

2007-01-17, 2:31 PM #3

Baconfish

ALL GLORY TO THE CONTEST WINNER

Posts: 18,004

I demand you make it from lego, and make an MSPaint drawing about it after you pop an eyeball on a piece of danish plastic.

nope.

2007-01-17, 2:48 PM #4

- Tony -

Not satisfied.

Posts: 4,773

I didn't know the US Navy used ISDs.

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2007-01-17, 2:51 PM #5

Tibby

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Read closer!
It's a Rape-Every-Other-Ship-Ever Class
Not an ISD!

2007-01-17, 3:02 PM #6

JudgeDredd

Believed in Green Men

Posts: 1,370

If you read the article, it would take about 6 minutes for the projectile to get to the target, not really useful for firing at moving ships that far away. Maybe if their course was steady, but even then it would be a long shot (lol pun).

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2007-01-17, 3:13 PM #7

Emon

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Posts: 19,022

But if the target were stationary, they'd be ****ed.

Also, you could have several guns on several ships firing vollies along possible paths of the moving target. Even indirect hits could cause massive damage with that much kinetic energy.

Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

2007-01-17, 3:15 PM #8

Darkjedibob

From Accounting

Posts: 4,280

Originally posted by - Tony -:

I didn't know the US Navy used ISDs.

'bout ****ing time

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try: command not found
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2007-01-17, 3:17 PM #9

The MAZZTer

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¬_¬

Posts: 6,095

Originally posted by JudgeDredd:

Why would a ship be moving along an unsteady course? Don't forget the horizon is about 5 miles away before the curvature starts to hide things. Our friend the USS R.E.O.S.E. is more than far enough away to get off a shot without being detected before it's too late.

In addition, the article seems to imply it would be used against land-based targets.

2007-01-17, 3:39 PM #10

Cool Matty

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Posts: 15,246

"Garnett compared that force to hitting a target with a Ford Taurus at 380 mph."

Hahaha, I can imagine the military actually firing cars. That'd be awesome.

For a heavy payload, they'd load up a Hummer

2007-01-17, 3:46 PM #11

Duo Maxwell

Grave Robber, Thread Killer

Posts: 686

more like the USS Rape Everything

2007-01-17, 4:29 PM #12

Commander 598

Better than Commander 599

Posts: 1,612

280 miles? That's a long way. I don't think the Gulf of Mexico is even that far away from my house...

Quote:

At the peak of its ballistic trajectory, the projectile will reach an altitude of 500,000 feet, or about 95 miles, actually exiting the Earth's atmosphere.

...wow...

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2007-01-17, 4:29 PM #13

Tibby

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Watch out China!

2007-01-17, 5:04 PM #14

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

I wonder if a "rods from god" system would be against the SALT/START treaties...

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 6:18 PM #15

dalf

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Posts: 8,683

I will not be completely satisfied until battleships have phasers.

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2007-01-17, 6:26 PM #16

Glyde Bane

Dances like a hippopotamus

Posts: 6,075

Originally posted by JediGandalf:

I will not be completely satisfied until battleships have phasers.

There's a plasma leak in the reactor coils!

*blub blub blub*

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"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."

2007-01-17, 6:33 PM #17

Roach

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YAL-1A, MTHEL, and HELLADS are paving the way.

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 6:47 PM #18

mscbuck

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2007-01-17, 6:52 PM #19

Tibby

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The Chinese would think different.
ALL HAIL OUR NEW ASIAN OVERLORDS!

2007-01-17, 6:56 PM #20

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

Please, Tiberium, tell us how the Chinese are about to become our overlords.

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 7:03 PM #21

kyle90

Laser Lover

Posts: 8,450

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Stuff

2007-01-17, 7:23 PM #22

Commander 598

Better than Commander 599

Posts: 1,612

Originally posted by JediGandalf:

I will not be completely satisfied until battleships have phasers.

Except for the part where phasers suck.

Mega Particle Cannons FTW!

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2007-01-17, 8:00 PM #23

Pagewizard_YKS

Redeemed Scoundrel

Posts: 5,971

I wonder if there's a little warning sticker on the railgun that says,

"Caution- Aim away from face"

2007-01-17, 8:01 PM #24

KOP_Snake

Snake in the Brass

Posts: 2,842

I'll just use my hyperdrive to fly away.

"Guns don't kill people, I kill people."

2007-01-17, 8:13 PM #25

Kieran Horn

Got One Anyway

Posts: 3,620

1) How big is the actual gun?
2) How big was the power generator to power it?

Democracy: rule by the stupid

2007-01-17, 8:19 PM #26

Obi_Kwiet

It's Stuart, Martha Stuart

Posts: 7,943

If the current guns produce 9 Mj, and this produces 64, wouldn't there be a problem with the thing flipping over? Especially since we don't make battleships anymore, just cruisers and destroyers.

2007-01-17, 8:23 PM #27

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

How would the resistance of a 7 lbs weight flip a ship over?

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 8:33 PM #28

Avenger

Positive!

Posts: 19,146

That friction can be a nasty *****.

Pissed Off?

2007-01-17, 8:56 PM #29

Jon`C

Admiral of Awesome

Posts: 18,626

Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:

If the current guns produce 9 Mj, and this produces 64, wouldn't there be a problem with the thing flipping over? Especially since we don't make battleships anymore, just cruisers and destroyers.

The railgun requires a nuclear reactor. Which means they'd probably need to design and build a nuclear battleship or battlecruiser to mount it on.

Also, the USS Iowa (or the USS DREOSE if you prefer), if it fired a 64 MJ railgun, would gain a velocity of 1.4 mph. It's not a huge concern.

2007-01-17, 8:58 PM #30

kyle90

Laser Lover

Posts: 8,450

But would it still flip over if F=mv??? :v:

Stuff

2007-01-17, 9:01 PM #31

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

Only if it perpetually flipped over.

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 9:05 PM #32

Rob

Bah, HUMBUG!

Posts: 13,278

And was more than 100% efficient, which as we all know is anything more than one revolution.

2007-01-17, 9:43 PM #33

Obi_Kwiet

It's Stuart, Martha Stuart

Posts: 7,943

Originally posted by Jon`C:

That's true. And you have to consider they probably won't have 12 of them all firing in the same direction like with 16inch guns.

2007-01-17, 9:51 PM #34

Nikumubeki

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Posts: 17,541

Woot, explosions!

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2007-01-17, 10:00 PM #35

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

Originally posted by Obi_Kwiet:

That's true. And you have to consider they probably won't have 12 of them all firing in the same direction like with 16inch guns.

I have a hard time believing that even 12 of them firing at once would do too much to a large ship.

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 10:16 PM #36

Emon

Imon, umon...everymon!

Posts: 19,022

The additional mass that comes with reactor shielding would be more than enough to dampen the effects.

Bassoon, n. A brazen instrument into which a fool blows out his brains.

2007-01-17, 10:22 PM #37

Roach

Registered User

Posts: 5,275

Well, just looking at the fact that the BB-61 Iowa class ship weighs more than 12000 tons, the idea of 84 lbs of resistance doing much to a ship that size is odd.

omnia mea mecum porto

2007-01-17, 11:03 PM #38

happydud

Didn't go boom.

Posts: 6,837

REMODULATE THE PHASE VARIANCE!

ENGAGE THE SUPERCOOLERS ON THE TRANS-FLUX-CAPACITOR!

THERMALIZE THE DETHERMALIZERS!

Where we're going, we don't need...

roads.

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2007-01-17, 11:13 PM #39

kyle90

Laser Lover

Posts: 8,450

Originally posted by happydud:

REMODULATE THE PHASE VARIANCE!

ENGAGE THE SUPERCOOLERS ON THE TRANS-FLUX-CAPACITOR!

THERMALIZE THE DETHERMALIZERS!

Where we're going, we don't need...

eyes to see...

Fixed

Stuff

2007-01-18, 3:11 AM #40

lassev

Tells It Like It Is

Posts: 2,827

Somehow railguns don't look like such complicated technology that others couldn't copy them after the US has used them for a while (and proved they are succesful).

Frozen in the past by ICARUS