Railgun successfully tested by Navy

[Vaevictis]

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/012007/01172007/251373

Expected to develop into a shipboard ballistic weapon that has a range of 200 miles, be able to level a building, and have a per-shot cost of only a couple thousand dollars. (Compared to the current weapon filling that role, the Tomahawk missile at $1 mill per shot)

And no explosives too. Just electrical energy. No more ships blowing up cause their ammo gets hit.

Oh, and the projectile gets launched into space en route.

Now that's cool.

[Widescreen]

Big deal. I've been using a railgun in FPS for years now.

;)

[Ike]

beat me to it.

dammit.

[Vaevictis]

Incessant slashdot fanboy reloading for teh w1nz0r!@%!@#

[NormanPride]

I, for one, welcome our new railgun overlords.

[silverwheels]

Awww, man! I want a railgun! :(

[Vaevictis]

I, for one, welcome our new railgun overlords.

Let's not, lest we attract some GNAA or Petrified Naked Natalie Portman Grits trolls.

[Partial Qualifier]

more quakers? sweet! :D


a 32-megajoule lab gun

so they save $$ on projectiles but you could power Las Vegas for a day with the electricity used?? ;)

[NormanPride]

So how would they put this on ships with the power needs?

[Mongo]

Garnett compared that force to hitting a target with a Ford Taurus at 380 mph. "It will take out a building," he said. Warheads aren't needed because of the massive force of impact.

Best part of the story.

Why dont they just launch all the broke down old ford tauruses, heck, they made like 20 million of them, and you could probably get them less than a $1000.

[sooneron]

Awww, man! I want a railgun! :(
You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

[sooneron]

Best part of the story.

Why dont they just launch all the broke down old ford tauruses, heck, they made like 20 million of them, and you could probably get them less than a $1000.
That's quite a visual I have in my head.

[Vaevictis]

So how would they put this on ships with the power needs?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=32+megajoule+to+kilowatt+hours&btnG=Google+Search

32 megajoule = 8.88888889 kilowatt hours

That's really not that much energy for a generator to produce, I imagine it's a drop in the bucket for a nuclear powered ship.

(I mean, yeah, it's a lot if you were expecting to fire these things like a machine gun, but they're only talking 10 shots per weapon per day, probably due to the risk of warping the barrel from heat...)

EDIT: For example, apparently, our nuclear powered destroyers use two D1G nuclear reactors that produce 150 megawatts each. 8.9kWh is no big deal for a ship that can output 300 megawatts.

[Partial Qualifier]

so my 'lighting las vegas' comment was pretty dumb.

damn electricity ****** *******s :mad:

[BigRedJed]

I think initial power plans call for them to connect a lightning rod directly to the flux capacitor, but research is underway to power the railguns with common Mr. Fusion devices. Problem solved.

[Vaevictis]

damn electricity ****** *******s :mad:

Yeah, mfing google gets me into all kinds of trouble. :D

[RedStripe]

Green peace will be ****ed

[NormanPride]

What kind of shells are these, now? Depleted uranium or something?

[Widescreen]

I think they'll be paper bags filled with dog turds.

[NormanPride]

I think having your house leveled by a flaming poobag from 200 miles away would be the worst evar.

[Widescreen]

I wonder if we could be accurate enough to have them land on the terrorist's front porch. Then we could have undercover CIA agents knock on the door and run.

No mercy for terrorists.

[OklahomaTuba]

I'd take that sumbitch hunting.

[Harry Beanbag]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=32+megajoule+to+kilowatt+hours&btnG=Google+Search

32 megajoule = 8.88888889 kilowatt hours

That's really not that much energy for a generator to produce, I imagine it's a drop in the bucket for a nuclear powered ship.

(I mean, yeah, it's a lot if you were expecting to fire these things like a machine gun, but they're only talking 10 shots per weapon per day, probably due to the risk of warping the barrel from heat...)

EDIT: For example, apparently, our nuclear powered destroyers use two D1G nuclear reactors that produce 150 megawatts each. 8.9kWh is no big deal for a ship that can output 300 megawatts.


NEWSFLASH: All of our nuclear powered cruisers, not destroyers, were decommissioned during Clinton's term in office. I'm guessing these will not be placed on carriers and will not work underwater if mounted on a submarine, so nuclear power will not be used to generate the electricity for them.

[soonerboomer93]

I think having your house leveled by a flaming poobag from 200 miles away would be the worst evar.

but they have to train monkeys to hit the "fire" button

[olevetonahill]

The dayum swabbies are so far behind the times , Hell Ive used nailguns for 40 years :eek:

[BudSooner]

Best part of the story.

Why dont they just launch all the broke down old ford tauruses, heck, they made like 20 million of them, and you could probably get them less than a $1000.

Just think of all the submerged cars from Katrina...WOW!

What about the image of a "white Ford Bronco" sailing thru the air towards a building full of insurgents-

"RUNNNNN, IT'S O.J!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Penguin]

We shouldn't be wasting money on this thing.

What we really need to do is to build a giant space station with a large laser cannon that is capable of destroying planets.

It will be called the U.S.S. Death Star of Peace.

[bluedogok]

How about a spinning mirror laser cannon thing like in Real Genius.....

[Mongo]

thats only good for making popcorn

[OUinFLA]

so.............is my tin foil hat......still an effective defense?

[Mongo]

so.............is my tin foil hat......still an effective defense?

your old and your mind is already slipping, save your testicles:D

[Penguin]

so.............is my tin foil hat......still an effective defense?


Of course, you idiot.


There is nothing known to mankind that can defeat a tin foil hat. Except cooties. Nothing can ward off cooties.

[royalfan5]

We shouldn't be wasting money on this thing.

What we really need to do is to build a giant space station with a large laser cannon that is capable of destroying planets.

It will be called the U.S.S. Death Star of Peace.
with some sort of preventive cover on the exhaust vent.

[def_lazer_fc]

thats only good for making popcorn
and jumpstarting val kilmer's career

[Penguin]

with some sort of preventive cover on the exhaust vent.

Well, Of course.

Because if we didn't do that, any ole terrorist with a proton torpedo could blow up the mother****er.

[olevetonahill]

your old and your mind is already slipping, save your testicles:D
So what Kinda REAL man hasnt had a tinfoil Jock since the russians were after us . Sheesh Mongo you need to catch up with times !:eek:

[Mongo]

So what Kinda REAL man hasnt had a tinfoil Jock since the russians were after us . Sheesh Mongo you need to catch up with times !:eek:


The Wall dropped before I hit puberty, so no need to cover. In fact, I still havent hit puberty, still waiting on my mustache to grow in.

[olevetonahill]

The Wall dropped before I hit puberty, so no need to cover. In fact, I still havent hit puberty, still waiting on my mustache to grow in.
You are such a punk asz kid / The Wall went UP as I hit Puberty , the wall came down as I was coming :eek:
But at least YOU have Ethics and some Morals !;)

[soonerboomer93]

We shouldn't be wasting money on this thing.

What we really need to do is to build a giant space station with a large laser cannon that is capable of destroying planets.

It will be called the U.S.S. Death Star of Peace.

Dude, I'm sorry but the Death Star of Peace is pwned by

Monkey's flinging burning bags of poo at 200 mile distances