The United States military will use hypervelocity projectiles (HVPs) designed originally for its electromagnetic railgun as missile-killing ammunition for its conventional naval guns and ground artillery systems.

Studies by the Department of Defense have revealed that HVPs fired from 5 inch (127 mm) Mk-45 guns aboard U.S. Navy warships such as the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and the 155 mm guns aboard the Zumwalt-class destroyers can neutralize anti-ship missile (ASM) salvoes that will be the chosen mode of attack by China and Russia against Navy warships, especially aircraft carriers, in any future conflict.

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DoD noted that "if we can close the fire support with a controlled solution," HVPs will be able to shoot down most of the anti-ship missiles in a 100 ASM attack.

When fired from conventional 5 inch guns, HVPs achieve a speed of Mach 3 (3,700 km/h), half the speed it achieves when fired from a railgun, but more than twice the speed of a conventional high-explosive round.

A project of the Office of Naval Research (ONR), HVP is a next-generation, common, low drag, guided projectile for gun systems such as the Navy 5 inch, 155 mm and future railguns.

HVP's low drag aerodynamic design enables high-velocity, maneuverability and decreased time-to-target. The high-velocity compact design relieves the need for a rocket motor to extend gun range.

Firing smaller more accurate rounds improves danger close/collateral damage requirements and provides potential for deeper magazines and improved shipboard safety. The modular design will allow HVP to be configured for multiple gun systems and to address different missions.

HVP is being designed to provide lethality and performance enhancements to current and future gun systems.

In 2015, Naval Sea Systems Command said it was interested in taking the HVP being developed for the railgun and using it as ammunition for the Mk-45 deck guns on the Navy's Ticonderoga-class guided missiles cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

HVPs can theoretically be fired from the Mk 45 at Mach 3, which is faster than the speed of conventional unguided rounds but slower than one from a railgun. The U.S. Army plans similar testing with its 155 mm M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers with the HVP.

BAE Systems, which is developing a naval EM railgun, said the range of an HVP fired from the Mk-45 is over 74 km (40 nautical miles). That distance increases to 130 km (70 nautical miles) when the HVP is fired from the 155 mm gun of a Zumwalt-class destroyer.

A railgun can fire an HVP to 185 km (100 nautical miles).

BAE says the maximum rate of fire for HVP is 20 rounds per minute from a Mk-45 gun; 10 rounds per minute from the 155mm gun on the Zumwalt and six rounds per minute from an EM railgun. 

Tagshypervelocity projectile, HVP, U.S. Navy, anti-ship missiles, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, Zumwalt-class destroyers