The United States Navy unveiled their futuristic weapon system in the nation’s capital this week. The weapon is called the Electromagnetic Railgun and seems like it is straight out of a science-fiction film. The railgun was developed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) with the help and guidance of British defense conglomerate BAE systems. A Navy spokesmen claimed that the railgun has the potential to “revolutionize naval warfare.” The railgun was put on display for the first time at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology EXPO at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The event is designed to showcase the Navy’s latest advances in military technology.

The Electromagnetic Railgun was designed to function as a long-range weapon utilizing electromagnetic energy to fire projectiles. The weapon gets its name from its use of rails in which high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor between two rails creating a magnetic field that can launch projectiles at insane speeds. The field is so strong that projectile can reach speeds of up to Mach 6 (six times the speed of sound). The projectiles are capable of accurately reaching and engaging targets that are more than 100 miles away. To put that in perspective, the fastest manned airplane ever made, the SR-71 Blackbird, could only reach Mach 3. Unlike conventional warheads that contain explosives and use chemical propellants, the railgun’s projectile is propelled only by electromagnetic energy. Conventional warheads rely on their explosive payloads to destroy targets, while the railgun relies solely on the pure kinetic force of the projectile striking a target. Again, to put this into perspective, the Navy’s current weapon that shares the railgun’s same role, the Mark 45 naval gun, only has a range of about 13 miles with conventional ammunition.

The railgun fires rounds known as HVPs, or hyper velocity projectiles. The HVP has advanced onboard electronics that guide the projectile in flight. The projectile will be 24 inches long and will weigh 28 pounds. The railgun can 10 of these rounds per minute.

FSA Connection Questions

1. In the article, the author compares the speed of the railgun’s projectile to what?
2. In the piece, the word “kinetic” means what?
3. The author seems to offer what main idea?
4. Select the two best sentences from the story that support the idea of the railgun being superior to conventional weapon.
5. What is the connotation of the word “Mach” in the story?