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The U.S. Navy’s Railgun Nightmare Has Just Begun

DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Photograph taken from a high-speed video camera during a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., on January 31, 2008, firing at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. The Office of Naval ResearchÕs EMRG program is part of the Department of the NavyÕs Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. This photograph is a frame taken from a high-speed video camera. U.S. Navy Photograph (Released)
DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Photograph taken from a high-speed video camera during a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., on January 31, 2008, firing at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. The Office of Naval ResearchÕs EMRG program is part of the Department of the NavyÕs Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. This photograph is a frame taken from a high-speed video camera. U.S. Navy Photograph (Released)

Key Points and Summary: The U.S. Navy spent over $500 million on its railgun program but failed to achieve a deployable system, citing challenges with energy requirements and barrel degradation caused by extreme heat.

-Meanwhile, Japan successfully tested a shipboard railgun in 2023, achieving projectile speeds exceeding Mach 5.

-The railgun concept, which uses electromagnetic forces to launch projectiles at high speeds, promises unmatched kinetic energy but faces engineering hurdles.

-Although the U.S. Navy canceled its railgun program, it continues developing high-velocity projectiles for conventional weapons.

-With Japan’s success, the U.S. might benefit from collaboration to overcome its railgun challenges.

The Railgun, The Secret Weapon the U.S. Military Can’t Build

The US Navy has been trying, and yet failing, to build an electric rail gun for over a decade. Railguns are nothing new; designs for electric rail guns have been around for over a century: the French tried to build one during World War I

And then, in October 2023, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced that it had accomplished, for the first time, a shipboard firing test of a railgun.

The test was conducted with the cooperation of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). Imagine the angst in the US Navy Department.

What Is A Railgun?

The railgun concept is reminiscent of Star Wars and the Empire’s Death Star. It is a weapon that uses a large circuit to launch a projectile far further and at far greater speeds than one launched by a chemical reaction, like a conventional cannon. 

As mentioned, railgun designs have existed since World War I, when Andre Louis Octave Fauchon-Villeplee designed a simple electric cannon. His design was far ahead of its time in 1918, and the French couldn’t make it work. 

More than a century later, the US still can’t get it to work. 

The US Navy Spent a Lot of Cash But To No Avail

The US Navy wanted a shipboard rail gun and was willing to invest heavily in its development. Under its electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) program, the Navy spent $500 million on the project. 

The plan was to field a railgun to fire a projectile at least 4,500 mph and with a nautical range between 50-100 miles. With a speed of that magnitude, the projectile fired wouldn’t need to pack an explosive. The kinetic energy delivered would be enormous. 

The Navy just couldn’t get it to work. Even China has been trying to build a railgun but hasn’t succeeded or stolen the Japanese plans yet. Of course, China has said it is advancing its railgun technology and “will possibly integrate” it into its naval forces.

If they had it, it wouldn’t be “possibly” integrated. 

The projectile in the Japanese 2016 railgun demonstration reached a speed of approximately 4,470 mph, or Mach 5.8. Another test showed that the Japanese fired a projectile at a reported speed of approximately Mach 6.5 in 2018.

Janes reported that critical details, such as projectile weight and muzzle velocity, are currently kept confidential.

Two Major Issues With the Railgun

The first issue is the energy required. The basic technology certainly exists, including an enormous power source, parallel rails, and a moving armature. 

The concept itself is relatively simple, but since it was first envisioned, the fundamental problem has been obtaining enough power to launch a projectile in a controlled and reliable manner. A railgun could require millions of amps to create a magnetic field to launch the projectile.

Railgun Test

DAHLGREN, Va. (Dec. 10, 2010) High-speed camera image of the Office of Naval Research Electromagnetic Railgun located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, firing a world-record setting 33 mega-joule shot, breaking the previous record established Jan. 31, 2008. The railgun is a long-range, high-energy gun launch system that uses electricity rather than gunpowder or rocket motors to launch projectiles capable of striking a target at a range of more than 200 nautical miles with Mach 7 velocity. A future tactical railgun will hit targets at ranges almost 20 times farther than conventional surface ship combat systems. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)

The rails need to be copper or another conductive metal. The rails need to be four-to-30 feet long or more; these dimensions are easily fit on a naval warship. 

An armature bridges the gap between the rails, and this is a solid piece of conductive metal. The current runs from the positive terminal of the power supply, up the positive rail, over the sabot/armature, and down the negative rail, which goes back to the power supply.

This armature creates an electromagnetic force that can launch high-velocity projectiles.

The second issue with the railgun is Resistive Heat. When an electric current passes through a conductor, it meets resistance in the conductive material, the rails. This conduction causes intense heat and can damage or even melt the rails.

The opposite directions of the current cause the rails to want to push apart. With the extremely high currents, the rails wear out quickly. Some rails can only be used once. 

The Navy Pulled the Plug On the Program, Or Did They? 

The Navy announced they were canceling the program and decided to place greater efforts in hypersonic weapons. However, an interesting development is that they’ve worked hard to broaden the appeal of the effort by separating out the projectile portion and working to develop a High-Velocity Projectile (HVP) that would work in both the railgun and conventional cannons.

This means that the project isn’t all the way dead. 

Image of a prototype railgun/artist rendition. Image credit: YouTube Screenshot.

Image of a prototype railgun. Image credit: YouTube Screenshot.

The Navy said the project failed due to significant technical challenges, primarily related to the extreme heat and wear and tear generated by the immense electrical currents required to fire projectiles. This led to rapid barrel degradation and made the system impractical for sustained use on a warship. 

It may be time to check with the Japanese and get them to share a bit of proprietary information.

About the Author: 

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in other military publications.

Written By

Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

6 Comments

6 Comments

  1. DAVID THOMAS JOHNSON

    January 17, 2025 at 3:46 pm

    Coil type with ceramic barrel rocket turbine power unit.

  2. Paul Tschiderer

    January 17, 2025 at 7:05 pm

    I hope they fire and investigate those doing this development for the navy. Total fraud! Japan always thinks outside the box. Americans always how can I make it cheap. Or bigger bonuses or make a profit. BS! To much heat think of super conductors. This project should have been finished by now

  3. Phil Cooper

    January 17, 2025 at 8:39 pm

    Seriously, everytime I see these 19fortyfive.com articles titled “THE (blank)’s (blank) NIGHTMARE HAS JUST BEGUN”, all I can think ia, it’s more lazy writing at best, or AI shit at worst….

  4. Brent Tanner

    January 17, 2025 at 10:16 pm

    The U.S., Japan and South Korea worked together on the development of the Railgun! Some reporters need to learn how to read, investigate and meander out of their parents basement!

  5. Wts

    January 18, 2025 at 11:22 am

    They test fired it once, not sustained use so how can it be called successful? The U. S. test fired these decades ago. They just can’t get the self destructive forces out of it to make it battle ready ( fire more than a few rounds)
    Japan has the same problem

  6. Greg

    January 18, 2025 at 12:46 pm

    Firing it from a ship doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve overcome the engineering hurdles. It may just mean they have a lower barrier to acceptance and are more willing to tolerate the penalties of fielding a weapon with a relatively high failure rate.

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