Rail gun which fires ballistics at Mach 7

The US Navy is on the brink of completing their testing on rail gun technology which should be ready for combat deployment in 2018. The rail gun uses an electromagnetic current to fire a kinetic energy warhead at speeds greater than Mach 7 (7 times the speed of sound) or 5,000 miles an hour. The weapon works when electrical power charges up a pulse-forming network made up of capacitors which are able to release very large amounts of energy in a very short period of time. Approximately 1,200 volts is released in a ten millisecond time-frame which is enough to accelerate a mass of approximately 45 pounds from zero to five thousand miles per hour in one one-hundredth of a second. 

The 18 inch, 23 lb projectile used by the rail gun is non-explosive and is significantly smaller than cruise missiles making them easier to transport and store in large quantities. Additionally, the projectiles are much more economic, costing US$ 25,000 compared to cruise missiles such as the Tomahawk which costs US$1.5 million, whilst both possess similar destructive capabilities. 

  The projectile destroys everything it comes into contact with, successfully penetrating several reinforced steel walls which means it can destroy or severely damage enemy vehicles such as aircrafts or ships.

 The weapon’s range is more than 100 miles and can destroy targets in a matter of seconds which makes it suitable for cruise and ballistic missile defense as well as various kinds of surface warfare applications

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