The Navy's Experimental Railgun Fires At 4,500 MPH

The U.S. Navy is ramping up its experimental railgun system to make it fire faster, more powerful shots.

According to Tom Beutner, head of Naval Air Warfare and Weapons for the Office of Naval Research, the Navy is hoping to evolve the prototype railgun from a science experiment into a useful weapon. The goal is to have a railgun that can fire ten shots per minute at 32 mega joules. It works by using high-voltage electrical currents to launch projectiles at more than 4,500 mph, which can hit targets up to 100 miles away.

The railgun is being tested in Virginia it’s unclear when or how it will be used in battle.

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