General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems prepares multi-mission railgun for testing

On 31 July, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced that it had completed final assembly and factory acceptance test of its new 10 Mega Joule (MJ) medium range multi-mission railgun system in preparation for transport to Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to being testing.

“The 10 MJ railgun system has our third generation railgun launcher, and includes our fifth generation pulsed power system and a new mounting system that allows the launcher to elevate and train for better targeting,” stated Nick Bucci, Vice President for Missile Defence and Space Systems at GA-EMS.

The High Energy Pulsed Power Container (HEPPC) utilises GA-EMS next generation railgun capacitors and a new approach to packaging and distribution of the energy. With a smaller footprint than existing pulsed power solutions, the HEPPC reduces the number of pulsed power containers required to launch the guided projectiles or hybrid missiles. The multi-mission medium range railgun weapon system integrates the, 10 MJ launcher, hypersonic hybrid missile, and fire control technologies.

“This represents a leap forward in advancing railgun technologies, offering reduced size and weight for the launcher, twice the energy density in a significantly reduced pulsed power footprint, and more capable hypersonic projectiles,” concludes Mr Bucci. “ We’ll continue to develop and mature these technologies, perform risk reduction, and test under real-world conditions to ultimately deliver a more capable, effective, and cost-efficient solution to counter future threats.”

Earlier this year, GA-EMS successfully completed projectile component testing by carrying out multiple firings at launch accelerations over 30,000 Gees. The testing also demonstrated a continuous two-way data link between the in-flight projectiles and the ground station over an open range that supports the fire control solution.

Dr. Alix Valenti