The footage was released by General Atomics, a defence contractor headquartered in San Diego, California. It shows the enormous gun fire projectiles into the side of a military-standard vehicle. The projectiles are filmed travelling through the air in slow motion. Upon impact, the truck explodes and appears to break into thousands of tiny pieces. Described by researchers as 'Star Wars technology', these powerful missiles don't rely on chemical propellants and are fuelled by electricity alone.
Footage is from General Atomic, a US government contractor based in San Diego
Railgun exceeds accelerations of Mach 6, which is six times the speed of sound
It uses electromagnetic energy to propel a metal projectile at huge speeds
Powerful missiles are fuelled by a 'pulse power system' and ship electricity
HOW DOES THE RAILGUN REACH SUCH SPEEDS?
Railguns use electricity instead of gunpowder to accelerate a projectile at six or seven times the speed of sound.
Using an electromagnetic force known as the Lorenz Force, the gun accelerates a projectile between two rails that conduct electricity, before launching it at ferocious speed.
This means the railgun can fire further than conventional guns and maintain enough kinetic energy to inflict tremendous damage.
Tests have shown that the weapons can fire a shell weighing 10kg at up to 5,400mph over 100 miles - with such force and accuracy it penetrates three concrete walls or six half-inch thick steel plates.
The video below shows tests of BAE's model.
No comments:
Post a Comment