Gunpowder Obsolete

For those who have seen the movie Eraser with "Arnold", the plot centers around selling a high tech weapon that propels it's bullets using a railgun. What makes the weapon so special is that is does not require a platform to rest on. They have managed to shrink it to the size of a rifle. Needless to say, the terrorists are interested and a corrupt government official is more than anxious to supply them. We all know that Arnold saves the day and the world is once again safe.

Well now the Navy has test fired their first railgun. At this time it rests on a battleship but it is the step into the future. To review the article, click on the title. The lack of gunpowder makes the gun safer for the sailors that pack the powder for the Naval artillery. Another unique feature is the absence of explosive shells used in the guns. The velocity of the rounds are great enough to cause extensive damage. It also has a much greater range than conventional artillery by a factor of 10.

The Navy says that by 2018 it will have a fully capable prototype to demonstrate. If the Armed Forces survive the next several years without being fully demoralized and dramatically reduced, you may see our land and sea artillery switch from short range chemically propelled ordinance to long range, environmentally friendly ( I just threw that in) and certainly safer systems. Just think how cool it would be if they could shrink them down to Eraser size weapons. Terrorists beware.

Icool

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