The focus of the program is to advance the technology from a single shot to a multi-shot capability.
“The railgun’s ability to defend against enemy threats from distances greater than ever before improves the capabilities of our armed forces,” Chris Hughes, vice president and general manager of Weapon Systems at BAE Systems, said. “The railgun’s ability to defend against enemy threats from distances greater than ever before improves the capabilities of our armed forces.”
Phase two is anticipated to begin immediately with prototypes to be delivered in 2014, BAE said.
BAE said the railgun is a long-range weapon that uses high-power electromagnetic energy instead of explosive chemical propellants to launch a projectile farther and faster than any gun before it, “delivering hypervelocity projectiles on target at ranges far exceeding the Navy’s current capability.”
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