U.S. Navy tests mysterious railgun

The U.S. Navy is believed to be testing an experimental weapon called a “railgun” on the Potomac River in Virginia, closing miles of the waterway to boats and warning people to expect loud noises


U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)

Potomac River Test Range Complex – areas prone to closure during firing

U.S.
NSWCDD
White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

MARYLAND
Leonardtown
VIRGINIA
Hague
Chesapeake Bay
Potomac River
10km 6 miles

Railgun: Uses electromagnetic field to fire projectile at velocity of around 7,200km per hour or 2km per second


U.S. has two railgun prototypes – one in Virginia and another at White Sands Missile Range

SCIENCE OF RAILGUNS

Positive rail
Armature
Negative rail
Projectile

1 Projectile placed between two conductive rails. Armature placed behind projectile, bridging gap between rails

Electric current

2 Electrical pulse passes through rails, creating opposing magnetic fields 

Third magnetic field created in armature, which is repulsed by fields in rails and forced out of barrel with projectile

Magnetic field along axis of rail


Sources: Popular Mechanics, Defence Blog, The BayNet, HowStuffWorks
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