Electro-Magnetic Gun
The U.S. Army, Navy, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have ongoing EMG or rail gun programs. The Fiscal Year 2004 defense authorization required that the Secretary of Defense establish a collaborative program among those organizations for the evaluation and demonstration of EMG technologies and concepts.
The Navy’s program is currently oriented toward providing a long-range EMG as a fire support weapon. It will be possible to install the weapon in the planned DD(X) and CG(X) programs due to these ships are planned to have electric-drive propulsion.
The propelling charge of the EMG has an electrical energy output from 60 to 300 megajoules (MJ), and the projectile acceleration rate is 30,000-45,000Gs. In contrast, the current 5in/54-caliber gun has a muzzle energy of 10MJ and with a rocket-assisted projectile increases this to about 18MJ; the planned 6.1in AGS will have a muzzle velocity in access of 33MJ. The EMG would require a power supply of 15-30 megawatts, and approximately 6 gallons (22.7 liters) of the ship’s fuel would be required to fire each round.
In operational use, the EMG would fire in bursts of ten rounds, using command-guided projectiles or conventional ammunition.
The EMG would fire an inert round, which would use kinetic energy to damage its target. A multiple warhead is possible. The round would have no propellant, as it will be propelled entirely by the electromagnetic process. GPS guidance is projected.
The EMG is also being considered for a shipboard terminal self-defense system against attacking cruise missiles.
There is little publicly available, but these are accepted estimates:
Muzzle Velocity: Mach 6+ Rate of fire: 6-12 rounds per minute Maximum Range: 200+nm
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