General
Atomics Delivers Advanced Containment Launcher (ACL) Railgun to U.S. Navy
General
Atomics Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) announces the delivery
to the U.S. Navy and successful initial firing of a new railgun prototype.
The Advanced Containment Launcher (ACL) delivered to the Naval Surface
Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. is designed to deliver significantly higher
muzzle energies than ever demonstrated in a tactically relevant configuration.
The full-scale electromagnetic (EM) Railgun is now undergoing a series
of full energy tests and evaluation by the Navy.
General Atomics Advanced Containment Launcher Under Construction (Picture:
General Atomics)
Under a contract with the Office of Naval Research
(ONR), GA-EMS has developed a first generation launcher prototype on
the path towards a future long-range weapon system to fire projectiles
using high power electromagnetic energy instead of chemical propellants
at muzzle energies up to 32 megajoules (equivalent energy to approximately
35 tons traveling 100 mph). This system is capable of launching projectiles
almost eight times farther (100+ nautical miles) and more than twice
the speed of conventional guns (up to 5,600 mph).
(Video:
General Atomics)
The high velocity and great range of an EM railgun
will provide dramatically increased multi-mission capabilities, including
ship defense, anti-surface warfare, and naval surface fire support,
all from a single weapon system mounted on U.S. Navy vessels.
The EM railgun is set to undergo the first phase of a two-phase program
to develop a new weapon that will revolutionize the Navy. The second
phase will be to develop thermal management systems for both the launcher
and pulsed power systems to facilitate repetitive firing rates. To this
end, GA-EMS has been contracted by the Navy to provide pulsed power
for repetitive fire demonstrations and to further develop an effective
thermally managed launcher.
“GA is pleased to be a member of the Navy Railgun team and provide
our demonstrated ability of delivering innovative electromagnetic launcher
and high power technologies to the Fleet,” states Scott Forney,
GA-EMS Group Senior Vice President.
