The U.S. Navy is moving ahead in developing the next iteration of its electromagnetic railgun that can destroy supersonic targets such as cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.

Currently configured as a short bombardment weapon to ease the path for an invading force of U.S. Marines assaulting an enemy coast, the railgun can deliver a hypervelocity projectile (HVP) to a distance of over 185 km in this role.

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The navy is also testing the ability of a railgun firing HVPs to hit surface warships beyond the horizon. Because they streak towards a target at speeds of up to Mach 6 (7,400 km/h), railgun-fired HVPs can destroy targets much faster than existing long-range weapons.

This advantage also makes HVPs ideal for intercepting incoming cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Using GPS technology will make it possible for the railgun to destroy moving targets with guided HVP rounds.

A railgun generates 1,200 volts in a 10 millisecond timeframe, enough to accelerate a mass of 20 kg from zero to 8,000 km/h in one one-hundredth of a second, said the navy.

HVPs tear towards a target at speeds up to 2,000 meters per second, which is about three times that of most existing weapons. The rate of fire from a railgun is 10 rounds per minute. HVPs destroys a target with massive hammer blows of kinetic energy.

HVP rounds can also be stored in large numbers on navy warships. HVPs cost only $25,000 per round.

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.

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 guided missile destroyers.

Tagselectromagnetic railgun, U.S. Navy, hypervelocity projectile, HVP