The US Strategic Long Range Cannon (SLRC) will have a range of up to 1,150 miles.
The Strategic Long Range Cannon could be a follow-up to supergun work that Gerard Bull started for Iraq from 1988-1990. It could be a long barrel using high-performance propellant powder.
The SLRC could also be a scaled up railgun.
The Army’s M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and the M777 towed howitzer are 155-millimeter guns with a maximum range of 18.6 miles. The Long Range Land Attack Projectile (canceled) for the Zumwalt destroyers were going to have a range of about 85 miles. The 16-inch guns of the Iowa-class battleships had a range of only 23 miles.
In 1967, Canadian artillery engineer Gerald Bull built the High Altitude Research Project which had a range of 111 miles. The HARP gun was 118 feet long.
The Harp launch guns could reach 2000 meters per second. If you used gas to power the projectiles, you could go much faster. They really replace the first 1.5 stages of a conventional launch vehicle.
In 1988, the Iraqi government paid Bull $25 million to begin Project Babylon. Project Babylon began life as three superguns; two full-sized Big Babylon 1000mm calibre guns and a prototype 350mm calibre gun called Baby Babylon. The full-size Big Babylon barrel would have been 156m in length with a one metre bore.
Gerard was building the Baby Babylon gun for Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. It had a bore diameter of 330-millimeters and was one hundred feet long. It would have had a range of 400 miles.
Big Babylon would have had a bore diameter of 914 millimeters and could launch a 1,322 pound projectile up to 528 miles.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
I’ve always wanted to see how far cannon with secondary charges could be taken. This concept allows any length barrel to be used, and allows much lower peak acceleration to the payload, as all the propellant is not detonated at once. The theoretical limit of the muzzle velocity is the speed of the propellant gases. The final “stages” might be methane-O2, or light gas gun mechanisms. Something along these lines might be the cheapest way to get water, and other raw materials into earth orbit, other than extraterrestrial mining operations. The containers holding the acceleration insensitive materials would be designed to be useful as well, for instance canisters for compressed gasses, or easily converted into construction materials.
I’ve always wanted to see how far cannon with secondary charges could be taken. This concept allows any length barrel to be used and allows much lower peak acceleration to the payload as all the propellant is not detonated at once.The theoretical limit of the muzzle velocity is the speed of the propellant gases. The final stages”” might be methane-O2″” or light gas gun mechanisms. Something along these lines might be the cheapest way to get water and other raw materials into earth orbit other than extraterrestrial mining operations. The containers holding the acceleration insensitive materials would be designed to be useful as well for instance canisters for compressed gasses”” or easily converted into construction materials.”””
Unless most of the barrel is hidden underground it would be easy to destroy. Even if it was buried it could be destroyed with bunker busters. Why have such an obvious target for a weapon? Even “Rods from God” is a better idea.
Unless most of the barrel is hidden underground it would be easy to destroy. Even if it was buried it could be destroyed with bunker busters. Why have such an obvious target for a weapon? Even Rods from God”” is a better idea.”””
I have no doubt that if enough money is thrown at it it will yield to engineering. It may cost a crap load more than they think though. Of course, once you have a system that can place large payloads in orbit you also have an orbital bombardment system.
I have no doubt that if enough money is thrown at it it will yield to engineering. It may cost a crap load more than they think though. Of course once you have a system that can place large payloads in orbit you also have an orbital bombardment system.
Yes, reference this comment and the earlier Improbus Liber, the war time of super cannons is probably done. As with dirigibles, they would be big fat targets. However, like dirigibles, they could do useful work. Their chief advantage might be that they could launch much more often than rockets and space planes. Thus, they could deliver high-priority cargoes such as replacement parts, sentimental letters, as well as the packing ice and/or additive manufacturing powders that would eventually add up to a sizeable construction and/or life-support resource.
Yes reference this comment and the earlier Improbus Liber the war time of super cannons is probably done. As with dirigibles they would be big fat targets. However like dirigibles they could do useful work. Their chief advantage might be that they could launch much more often than rockets and space planes. Thus they could deliver high-priority cargoes such as replacement parts sentimental letters as well as the packing ice and/or additive manufacturing powders that would eventually add up to a sizeable construction and/or life-support resource.
Once you have ANY system that can place large payloads in space you also have an orbital bombardment system. Doesn’t matter what the launch tech is. As the famous saying goes “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a really big gun.” Google the saying for more details.
And we know this is true because the Germans built a set of superguns in WWII, the V3. And it was destroyed by the British with bunker busters. So this is a proven result. HOWEVER, that assumes you are using it to bombard people who can drop bombs on your site. If you are using it to a) Get cheap bulk transport to space b) Do high velocity research c) Bombard people who do NOT have the ability to bomb you back (c.f. the American battleships used to bombard Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq…)
Once you have ANY system that can place large payloads in space you also have an orbital bombardment system.Doesn’t matter what the launch tech is.As the famous saying goes Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a really big gun.””Google the saying for more details.”””
And we know this is true because the Germans built a set of superguns in WWII the V3. And it was destroyed by the British with bunker busters. So this is a proven result.HOWEVER that assumes you are using it to bombard people who can drop bombs on your site.If you are using it toa) Get cheap bulk transport to spaceb) Do high velocity researchc) Bombard people who do NOT have the ability to bomb you back (c.f. the American battleships used to bombard Japan North Korea Vietnam Lebanon Iraq…)
Put vertical missile tubes to either side of the tube running along the length of the ship, say. Something the size of JMOB
Put vertical missile tubes to either side of the tube running along the length of the ship say. Something the size of JMOB
Put vertical missile tubes to either side of the tube running along the length of the ship, say. Something the size of JMOB
Put vertical missile tubes to either side of the tube running along the length of the ship say. Something the size of JMOB
Put vertical missile tubes to either side of the tube running along the length of the ship, say. Something the size of JMOB
Once you have ANY system that can place large payloads in space you also have an orbital bombardment system. Doesn’t matter what the launch tech is. As the famous saying goes “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a really big gun.” Google the saying for more details.
Once you have ANY system that can place large payloads in space you also have an orbital bombardment system.Doesn’t matter what the launch tech is.As the famous saying goes Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a really big gun.””Google the saying for more details.”””
And we know this is true because the Germans built a set of superguns in WWII, the V3. And it was destroyed by the British with bunker busters. So this is a proven result. HOWEVER, that assumes you are using it to bombard people who can drop bombs on your site. If you are using it to a) Get cheap bulk transport to space b) Do high velocity research c) Bombard people who do NOT have the ability to bomb you back (c.f. the American battleships used to bombard Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq…)
And we know this is true because the Germans built a set of superguns in WWII the V3. And it was destroyed by the British with bunker busters. So this is a proven result.HOWEVER that assumes you are using it to bombard people who can drop bombs on your site.If you are using it toa) Get cheap bulk transport to spaceb) Do high velocity researchc) Bombard people who do NOT have the ability to bomb you back (c.f. the American battleships used to bombard Japan North Korea Vietnam Lebanon Iraq…)
Once you have ANY system that can place large payloads in space you also have an orbital bombardment system.
Doesn’t matter what the launch tech is.
As the famous saying goes “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a really big gun.”
Google the saying for more details.
And we know this is true because the Germans built a set of superguns in WWII, the V3. And it was destroyed by the British with bunker busters.
So this is a proven result.
HOWEVER, that assumes you are using it to bombard people who can drop bombs on your site.
If you are using it to
a) Get cheap bulk transport to space
b) Do high velocity research
c) Bombard people who do NOT have the ability to bomb you back (c.f. the American battleships used to bombard Japan, North Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iraq…)
Yes, reference this comment and the earlier Improbus Liber, the war time of super cannons is probably done. As with dirigibles, they would be big fat targets. However, like dirigibles, they could do useful work. Their chief advantage might be that they could launch much more often than rockets and space planes. Thus, they could deliver high-priority cargoes such as replacement parts, sentimental letters, as well as the packing ice and/or additive manufacturing powders that would eventually add up to a sizeable construction and/or life-support resource.
Yes reference this comment and the earlier Improbus Liber the war time of super cannons is probably done. As with dirigibles they would be big fat targets. However like dirigibles they could do useful work. Their chief advantage might be that they could launch much more often than rockets and space planes. Thus they could deliver high-priority cargoes such as replacement parts sentimental letters as well as the packing ice and/or additive manufacturing powders that would eventually add up to a sizeable construction and/or life-support resource.
I have no doubt that if enough money is thrown at it it will yield to engineering. It may cost a crap load more than they think though. Of course, once you have a system that can place large payloads in orbit you also have an orbital bombardment system.
I have no doubt that if enough money is thrown at it it will yield to engineering. It may cost a crap load more than they think though. Of course once you have a system that can place large payloads in orbit you also have an orbital bombardment system.
Unless most of the barrel is hidden underground it would be easy to destroy. Even if it was buried it could be destroyed with bunker busters. Why have such an obvious target for a weapon? Even “Rods from God” is a better idea.
Unless most of the barrel is hidden underground it would be easy to destroy. Even if it was buried it could be destroyed with bunker busters. Why have such an obvious target for a weapon? Even Rods from God”” is a better idea.”””
I’ve always wanted to see how far cannon with secondary charges could be taken. This concept allows any length barrel to be used, and allows much lower peak acceleration to the payload, as all the propellant is not detonated at once. The theoretical limit of the muzzle velocity is the speed of the propellant gases. The final “stages” might be methane-O2, or light gas gun mechanisms. Something along these lines might be the cheapest way to get water, and other raw materials into earth orbit, other than extraterrestrial mining operations. The containers holding the acceleration insensitive materials would be designed to be useful as well, for instance canisters for compressed gasses, or easily converted into construction materials.
I’ve always wanted to see how far cannon with secondary charges could be taken. This concept allows any length barrel to be used and allows much lower peak acceleration to the payload as all the propellant is not detonated at once.The theoretical limit of the muzzle velocity is the speed of the propellant gases. The final stages”” might be methane-O2″” or light gas gun mechanisms. Something along these lines might be the cheapest way to get water and other raw materials into earth orbit other than extraterrestrial mining operations. The containers holding the acceleration insensitive materials would be designed to be useful as well for instance canisters for compressed gasses”” or easily converted into construction materials.”””
Yes, reference this comment and the earlier Improbus Liber, the war time of super cannons is probably done. As with dirigibles, they would be big fat targets. However, like dirigibles, they could do useful work. Their chief advantage might be that they could launch much more often than rockets and space planes. Thus, they could deliver high-priority cargoes such as replacement parts, sentimental letters, as well as the packing ice and/or additive manufacturing powders that would eventually add up to a sizeable construction and/or life-support resource.
I have no doubt that if enough money is thrown at it it will yield to engineering. It may cost a crap load more than they think though. Of course, once you have a system that can place large payloads in orbit you also have an orbital bombardment system.
Unless most of the barrel is hidden underground it would be easy to destroy. Even if it was buried it could be destroyed with bunker busters. Why have such an obvious target for a weapon? Even “Rods from God” is a better idea.
I’ve always wanted to see how far cannon with secondary charges could be taken. This concept allows any length barrel to be used, and allows much lower peak acceleration to the payload, as all the propellant is not detonated at once.
The theoretical limit of the muzzle velocity is the speed of the propellant gases. The final “stages” might be methane-O2, or light gas gun mechanisms.
Something along these lines might be the cheapest way to get water, and other raw materials into earth orbit, other than extraterrestrial mining operations. The containers holding the acceleration insensitive materials would be designed to be useful as well, for instance canisters for compressed gasses, or easily converted into construction materials.