Impressive figures on American super weapons

The electromagnetic power cannon with a capacity of 25 MW is enough to supply 18,750 households. The warhead fired from the cannon could penetrate 7 thick steel plates without explosives.

The siren sounded through the concrete tunnels at Dahlgren - a secret base of the US Navy, where engineers and US military officials were preparing to test a new super weapon. Officials staring at the video screen to take a first look at the super weapon could fire 11.3kg bullets through 7 steel plates and leave holes with a diameter of 127mm.

The US Navy developed electric rail artillery from about a decade ago.

This weapon is called an electromagnetic rail cannon , it does not need a propellant to propel the warhead like a conventional cannon. The cannon was equipped with two rails paralleled and applied the principle of magnetic field reversal to propel the warhead to the speed of a meteor that was plunging to Earth.

With a conventional cannon, the warhead took several seconds to accelerate after the propellant was burned in the bullet chamber. Electromagnetic artillery accelerates faster when the warhead slides along 2 tracks of 9.7m in length with the velocity of the bore head up to 7,242km / h.

development of electric artillery from about a decade ago and has spent more than 500 million USD on the project. Strategic Defense Division, the Pentagon is investing an additional $ 800 million to develop missile defense capabilities as well as integrate existing artillery into super high technology.

Need extra power

Electromagnetic artillery operates on the principle of magnetic field reversal to create electromagnetic repulsion pushing the warhead at breakneck speed. The warhead destroys the target thanks to the kinetic energy of the collision at supersonic speed without the need for explosives. However, in order to generate strong repulsive electromagnetic repulsive power, a power source of up to 25 MW is required. This power is enough to supply 18,750 households.

Diagram of components constituting the electromagnetic rail cannon.(Graphic photo: Naval Research Department).

Power source becomes a technical barrier in the development of electromagnetic rail cannon. Most electromagnetic artillery tests take place in the laboratory, which is connected to the national grid. The deployment of electromagnetic artillery is difficult due to the lack of sufficient power supply.

Currently, only Zumwalt frigates have a strong enough power source to install electric artillery from the future. Recently, Raytheon Group has successfully built a high-powered electrical pulse (PPC) module in mobile container.

Containers containing capacitors can act as a giant battery. Each module can discharge an electric current with a capacity of 18 kW for each shot. It can provide energy for 10 shots. The advantage of PPC is that it can be recharged very fast to maintain the energy of electromagnetic cannon for continuous operation.

Another challenge is the durability of the operation, each shot, the electromagnetic rail cannon that produces very large amounts of heat that can distort the rail. The Star Wars Initiative (Star Wars) using electromagnetic cannon to shoot down nuclear missiles in the 1980s must cancel because of technological barriers.

Currently, naval engineers believe that advances in materials will help them soon build electromagnetic rail can fire 10 shots / minute, durability 1,000 times.

Weapons change the game

'This will change the way we fight' , Rear Admiral Mat Winter, director of the Naval Research Department told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The US Navy wants to develop electric artillery cannon as a powerful offensive weapon to destroy warships, tanks, and camps of terrorist organizations. The Pentagon is also interested in this weapon to intercept ballistic missiles at low cost.

"In the face of declining defense budgets making it difficult for the United States to maintain the strategic deterrent, it is hard to imagine a future where we will recreate Cold War-like forces. In Europe, I believe, the electromagnetic rail cannon will be low cost, but has a great deterrent value , 'said Defense Vice Minister Robert Work, one of the project supporters.

Illustrating the mechanism of action of electromagnetic rail cannon.(Graphics: WJS).

Currently, the artillery pieces on US warships have a range of about 24km. 406mm guns in World War II had a range of about 39km and were able to penetrate 9.1m thick concrete. Meanwhile, electromagnetic artillery has a range of about 200km with 5 times the penetrating power.

In addition to the advantages of speed, electromagnetic rail cannons also have a great advantage in combat capability. Each typical American destroyer can carry 96 missiles. While each ship equipped with electromagnetic artillery can carry thousands of bullets, allowing for long-term combat.

Military planners believe that electromagnetic rail artillery will be useful to protect US interests in the Baltic Sea, or to support allies against the Chinese threat in the South China Sea. Besides normal combat, the Pentagon wants to apply electromagnetic cannon fire to missile defense missions.

The Pentagon is planning to develop intelligent warheads for electromagnetic rail cannon to intercept enemy ballistic missiles. Electromagnetic artillery missile defense needs at least another decade to complete technical solutions, but Pentagon officials believe the interceptor could be used sooner.

The warhead of the electromagnetic rail cannon is made from tungsten at a cost of 25,000-50,000 USD.'It's a bargain compared to a $ 10 million interceptor missile , ' a US defense official said. Proponents of the electromagnetic art project emphasize that new weapons are strategic cards that can change the game and keep the US ahead of Russia and China.

'The US Navy is about to complete its next-generation tactical system or offensive weapon. It can change the game, ' said William Roper, director of the Pentagon's Strategic Competency Department.