Railgun science and technology phase completing by 2019

A BAE railgun system is undergoing multi-shot rep-rate operations at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, in Virginia. Railgun firing test will continue over the next three years. The railgun system has been tested at Dahlgren’s railgun advanced research facility since November. The Navy has successfully tested a next-generation 32-megajoule railgun.

The US Navy is gradually increasing the railgun firing rate and energy level.

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on seapower and projection forces, said
* the pulsed power units, the batteries are getting smaller and are getting more efficient
* more shots are being fired without having to replace the barrel

170112-N-PO203-142 DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 12, 2017) The Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Electromagnetic Railgun (EMRG) at terminal range located at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD). The EMRG launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)