The U.S. Army Wants To Deploy Railguns

Photo: General Atomics

National Defense: Army’s Pursuit of Electromagnetic Railguns Heats Up

General Atomics has been awarded a contract to develop electromagnetic railgun technology for the Army as the service pursues cutting-edge weapons to take on advanced adversaries.

The Army’s growing interest in this capability comes after years of research by the Navy, which has yet to field one of the weapons.

Railguns utilize magnetic fields generated by electrical currents to slide a projectile between two rails inside the barrel. The technology enables the projectiles to travel at hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 (3,800 miles per hour) or faster. When the systems are mature, they are expected to have far greater range and lethality than standard artillery or naval guns.

The Defense Department has identified hypervelocity weapons as a top research-and-development priority.

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Update: The U.S. Army Is Pushing for Battlefield Railguns (Popular Mechanics)

WNU Editor: It is going to take a few years (maybe) before such a system is deployed.

Does Russia Have A “Mystery Weapon” That Threatens The Entire U.S. Navy?

VOA: Russian Mystery Weapon Claim Seen as Sign of Military Weakness

WASHINGTON — Does Russia have a “mystery weapon” capable of threatening the entire U.S. Navy?

Russian media have claimed that the Russian military has developed technology capable of neutralizing an adversary’s aircraft, ships and missiles within a 5,000-kilometer radius. The claim, first reported by Vesti News on April 14, said a Russian warplane had successfully tested the electronic jamming device on a U.S. warship, the destroyer Donald Cook in the Black Sea.

The report, which used a mock-up simulation to demonstrate the exercise, also quoted anonymous Russian sources claiming the technology could wipe out the entire U.S. Navy.

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WNU editor: This story has been making the rounds for a long time .... Russia Claims To Have An 'Electronic Bomb' That Can Disable The US Navy's Electronics (April 19, 2017).

Russia Claims To Have An 'Electronic Bomb' That Can Disable The US Navy's Electronics

FOX News/The SUN: Russia claims it can wipe out US Navy with single 'electronic bomb'

Russia has claimed it can disable the entire US Navy in one fell swoop using powerful electronic signal jamming.

A news report from the country – where the media is essentially controlled by the state – said the technology could render planes, ships and missiles useless.

The newsreader says: “Today, our Russian Electronic Warfare (REW) troops can detect and neutralise any target from a ship’s system and a radar, to a satellite.”

The news report claims a single Russian war plane flew several times around American destroyer the USS Donald Cook in the Black Sea several years ago, disabling its systems and leaving it helpless.

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Update: What is an ‘electronic bomb’ and could Russia really use one to destroy the US navy? All you need to know (The SUN).

WNU Editor: The above video is interesting to watch, and there appears to be some truth to the story .... Did A Russian Fighter Jet Buzz A U.S. Destroyer And Successfully Disabled Its Radar And Defense Systems? (The Saker). I checked my archives, and I found out that War News Updates covered this story 3 years ago .... Did A Russian Fighter Jet Buzz A U.S. Destroyer And Successfully Disabled Its Radar And Defense Systems? (November 15, 2014).