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Electromagnetic Gun Facility Operational with Successful First Test

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061023-14
Release Date: 10/23/2006 2:07:00 PM

By Lucia Sanchez, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Corporate Communications

DAHLGREN, Va. (NNS) -- A significant milestone in the advancement of naval gun technology happened with the successful test and standup of an electromagnetic (EM) railgun facility at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Division Laboratory, Oct 2.

Working for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), engineers at the laboratory fired a low energy shot, the first in a series of tests required to bring the facility online. Using a 90 mm bore launcher with a copper rail and a power plant capable of delivering 8 mega joules (MJ) of muzzle energy, a 2.4 kg projectile was fired at 830 meters per second, yielding an energy of 0.8 MJ.

“We are one step closer to the future of naval weaponry with the standup of this, the largest operational EM [Electro-Magnetic] facility in the Navy,” said Elizabeth D’Andrea, Ph.D., program manager for the Electromagnetic Railgun at ONR. “The recent advances in science and technology are what has made this technology feasible, as well as collaboration of scientists and engineers across government agencies, industry and the branches of service.”

“With the potential to deliver lethal, hypersonic projectiles at ranges in excess of 200 nautical miles within six minutes, a naval railgun offers a transformational solution for volume fires and time-critical strike,” said NSWC Dahlgren Commander, Capt. Joseph McGettigan.

All systems performed well during the initial test and full capability operations are anticipated by January 2007, according to Charles Garnett, program manager for the Electro-Magnetic Railgun Office at NSWC Dahlgren.

As part of ONR’s Electromagnetic Railgun program, the stored energy, launcher and terminal area will be increased in size to accommodate a 32 MJ muzzle energy gun by Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. This facility provides the first steps toward the envisioned tactical Navy system of 64 MJ of muzzle energy.

Railguns provide a capability for sustained, offensive power projection, complementary to missiles and tactical aircraft. They may be a cost-effective solution to the Marine Corps Naval Surface Fire Support requirements because of their unique capability to simultaneously satisfy three key warfighting objectives: extremely long ranges; short time-of-flight; and high lethality (energy-on-target).

Railgun research in the United States has been ongoing for more than two decades. In the 1980s, railgun research was conducted under the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in an effort to develop space-based intercept of intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Army began research in 1985 to develop a mobile, ground-based electromagnetic system capable of defeating future armored combat vehicles, and it is the refurbished SDI launcher that is currently installed at NSWC Dahlgren.

The Navy is awaiting delivery in 2007 of a 32 MJ railgun being built by BAE Systems.