Electromagnetic railgun will demo 10 rounds per minute

By the end of 2018, the Navy will test an electromagnetic railgun that can shoot 10 rounds per minute, according to a service official.

Within the year, Thomas Beutner, Naval Air Warfare and Weapons department head at the Office of Naval Research, told reporters July 20, a 32 megajoules electromagnetic railgun will be demonstrated at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dalhgren, VA, using a new composite launcher firing at 10 rounds per minute.

The service will also conduct the first-ever hypervelocity projectile flight demonstration in 2019, Beutner said.

In fiscal year 2019, the Navy will test the electromagnetic railgun with a series of different barrels to determine the best one for the fleet, Thomas Boucher, Naval Air Warfare and Weapons department program officer, said during the same presentation.

ONR will conclude its electromagnetic railgun program at the end of FY-19. Naval Sea Systems Command's program executive office for integrated weapons systems has a directed-energy program office that will then take the reins and determine the path ahead for the system.