After successfully testing a laser weapon aboard a ship, the U.S. Navy continues to develop new advanced weapons, the latest of which is the electromagnetic railgun. The weapon, which has been in development and testing for some years, was shown to the public this past week at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology EXPO in Washington, D.C.

Developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and BAE Systems, the EM railgun could revolutionize the Navy's tactical and strategic capabilities, as it is potentially a safer weapon, reports to Fox News.

The EM railgun can fire a hypervelocity projectile (HVP) at a speed of Mach 6 and can hit targets more than 100 miles away. The projectile uses high speed and kinetic energy to pierce its target.

For comparison purposes, the fastest aircraft built by the U.S. was Lockheed Martin's SR-71 Blackbird and it reached Mach 3. The Navy's current main gun, the Mk 45 naval gun, has a range of 13 nautical miles or almost 15 miles when firing conventional ammunition. When the Mk 45 fires HVP, it has a range of 50 nautical miles.

What makes the weapon revolutionary is the EM railgun use of electrical power generated by the ship to create high electrical currents that "accelerate a sliding metal conductor between two rails, and this creates magnetic fields to launch projectiles." The projectiles are nonexplosive. This combination means the weapon will not need volatile chemical propellants or high-explosive rounds.

As the weapon continues its Phase II testing stage, the Navy is considering testing the EM railgun aboard one of the Zumwalt-class destroyers currently under construction, according to USNI News.

Vice Adm. William Hilarides told USNI News one of the ship's two 155mm BAE Advanced Gun Systems (AGS) would be replaced for the experimental weapon. He explained the third Zumwalt-class destroyer, the USS Lyndon B. Johnson, would be the ship to carry the EM railgun as her two other sisters are further ahead in development.

The Navy already plans to test the weapon aboard the USNS Millinocke, a joint high-speed ship, next year.

However, there are still some details to work out before the Navy integrates the weapon with active vessels. According to Navy Times, Adm. Hilarides said there are three obstacles in the EM railgun's way: space, power and control.

He explained the weapon needs to fit aboard the limited space of a destroyer. The weapon also requires 34 mega joules of electricity to fire, and while the Zumwalts can generate around 78 mega joules, their reserve power is a mere third of this amount.

During the testing aboard the Millinocke, the Navy will use extra power generators, but this cannot be done aboard an active vessel.

The last issue concerns the Aegis integrated fire control system the Navy uses. The railgun's software cannot communicate with Aegis, meaning engineers will need to fix this before it joins the fleet.

Nonetheless, the EM railgun joins the laser weapons system as part of a new generation of weapons.

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