US Navy Laser CIWS and Rail Gun Technology and Development News

With the progress in naval weapons systems and the power to drive the more exotic forms of them, I thought it would be good to have a seperate thread to post and talk about the latest developments the US Navy is having in the area of Laser CIWS and Railgun Technology.

So here are a couple of the latest reports:

Originally Posted by US Navy NAVSEA

Navy Laser Phalynx CIWS destroys two Airborne UAV in Maritime Environment

During the test, the Navy’s Laser Weapon System (LaWS), guided by Raytheon’s Phalanx Close-In Weapon System sensors, engaged and destroyed four UAV targets flying over water near the Navy’s weapons and training facility. It is expected that a powerful enough system to engage the full spectrum of threats can be developed and initially deployed by 2016.

Here's a US Congress Brief from 2011 on US Navy Laser Considerations:

2011 Report to US Congress on US Navy LAser Weapon Considerations[/b]

A couple of pics:





And a video of the 2011 maritime test:

Originally Posted by FoxNews

US Navy fires 1000th round through Rail Gun

Navy scientists with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) hit a new milestone, successfully firing their electromagnetic railgun for the 1,000th time as the state-of-the-art weapon edges closer to real world deployment.

A theoretical dream for decades, the railgun is unlike any other weapon used in warfare. And though still in testing, it's quite real, as the U.S. Navy proved in a record-setting test Monday, Oct. 31, in Dahlgren, Va.

Here's a picture of a test:



And here's a video:

Hmm I thought the railgun was cancelled by the senate last year

Power Down: Senate Zaps Navy's Superlaser, Rail Gun | Danger Room | Wired.com

But good to see it apparently isn't. Good thing too, cause we can be sure other countries, namely china and Russia are looking into this technology too

Originally Posted by Bltizo

Hmm I thought the railgun was cancelled by the senate last year

Power Down: Senate Zaps Navy's Superlaser, Rail Gun | Danger Room | Wired.com

But good to see it apparently isn't. Good thing too, cause we can be sure other countries, namely china and Russia are looking into this technology too

Well, as of November 2011, they had continued testing and fired the 1000th round. So unless it had been cancelled since, she's still going.

Here's a link on Fox News:

U.S. Navy's Incredible, Sci-Fi Railgun Fires 1,000th Bullet | Fox News

Interesting & inspiring stuff Jeff, thanks for posting.
As to railgun development, in April last year the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to end the programm, but in the new defense bill authorization act signed by the US President a month ago, he demanded a feasability update, so it still has a chance to go forward. (see FoxNews article below)
These guns obviously transfer a lot of energy to the projectile, I wonder how much of a problem recoil will present. There's hardly been any big guns installed on ships in the last decades. And even the Zunwalt has "only" two 155mm guns. So will they require a mounting so heavy that only really big vessels can carry those, or do you think they'll fit onto "regular" future destroyers as well?

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/...oward-reality/

Incredible, sci-fi railgun takes step toward reality

Published January 30, 2012 | FoxNews.com

A theoretical dream for decades, the futuristic railgun -- which uses magnets to shoot bullets for hundreds of miles at speeds of up to Mach 7 -- just took another step toward reality.
Military supply company Raytheon announced Monday that it had been awarded a $10 million naval contract to develop a way to supply enough juice to power the whopping gun -- which could someday reshape naval warfare.

"This new system will dramatically change how our Navy defends itself and engages enemies while at sea," said Joe Biondi, vice president of advanced technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business.
Rather than relying on a explosion to fire a projectile, the railgun uses an electomagnetic current to accelerate a non-explosive bullet at several times the speed of sound. The conductive projectile zips along a set of electrically charged parallel rails and out of the barrel at speeds up to Mach 7.
But it takes a heck of a lot of electricity to achieve such a velocity.
To supply it, Raytheon’s building a “Pulse Forming Network” or PFN. That's a large power system that stores up electrical power and then converts it to a pulse that is directed into the gun's barrel, John Cochran, the railgun program manager in Raytheon's Advanced Technology Group, told CNET’s News.com.
Navy scientists with the Office of Naval Research (ONR) have been hard at work on the railgun itself for years, even as the agency admits it could take a decade or more to become practical. The ONR hit a new milestone last fall, successfully firing the railgun for the 1,000th time on Mon., Oct. 31, in Dahlgren, Va., -- edging the state-of-the-art weapon toward real-world deployment.
The next step: turning the test versions of the railgun into an actual gun. Current firings have been limited to Naval test facilities on dry land.

The future of the railgun looked in doubt last summer. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted in April of 2011 to eliminate funding for two of the Navy’s most futuristic (and by the same token least concrete) weapons: the free electron laser, essentially a super-powered death ray, and the railgun.
That changed on Dec. 31, 2011, when President Obama finally signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, or H.R. 1540. A section in that bill demands an update on the feasibility of the electromagnetic railgun, but doesn't kill the weapon outright.
Instead it delays the end, requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit a report this summer on the feasibility of developing and deploying the electromagnetic rail gun system to be used for either land- or ship-based force protection.

And another one, same topic ...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-...er-to-reality/

Navy railgun with 220 mile range closer to reality
January 30, 2012 10:02 AM - By Daniel Terdiman

Imagine a Naval gun so powerful it can shoot a 5-inch projectile up to 220 miles, yet requires no explosives to fire.
That's the Navy's futuristic electromagnetic railgun, a project that could be deployed on the service's ships by 2025, and which is now a little bit closer to reality with the signing of a deal with Raytheon for the development of what's known as the pulse-forming network.
Rather than using explosives to fire projectiles as do conventional naval weapons, the railgun depends on an electromagnetic system that uses the ship's onboard electrical power grid to fire the gun. The pulse-forming network is a system that stores up electrical power and then converts it to a pulse that is directed into the gun's barrel, explained John Cochran, the railgun program manager in Raytheon's Advanced Technology Group.
Essentially, Cochran continued, the process is akin to that of a car's starter, and how turning the ignition sends a jolt of electricity into the solonoid, which then creates a magnetic field in the solonoid/starter system. With the railgun, he said, current is sent into the barrel, forming a magnetic field, and that, in combination with the current, exerts force on a projectile, firing it out of the barrel. At Mach 0.75.
While Raytheon has scored the $10 million project to develop the pulse-forming network, it isn't the only contractor working on such a system. According to Roger Ellis, the program manager for the Railgun program at the Office of Naval Research, the Navy has awarded similar contracts to BAE Systems and General Atomics in a risk-reduction strategy that counts on having multiple contractors attacking a problem in order to arrive at the best possible technology.

One of the main reasons behind the Navy's railgun program is that being able to power the gun electromagnetically is seen as much safer than having to use conventional explosives.
At the same time, because the power for the railgun will come from ships' standard battery banks, the Navy shouldn't have to maintain large amounts of space on board for storage of the explosives traditionally used to fire big guns. Still, that's an issue that hasn't entirely been solved yet, Cochran said. "The main challenge is to get large amounts of energy being stored into smaller and smaller packages," Cochran said, "such that they can be used in a modular and versatile way for multiple platforms."
At the same time, Raytheon and its competitors have to convince the Navy that they've solved all the potential safety problems that can come from having high voltage and high current in close proximity.

The Navy began pursuing the railgun in 2005, and for now, there are only lab prototypes of the weapon. But already the Navy has set a world record (see video below) for muzzle energy used in a weapon--33 megajoules. According to Defense Market, a shot of that magnitude could potentially reach "extended ranges with Mach 5 velocity."
However, Ellis said, the Navy has awarded contracts to BAE and General Atomics to build prototypes that "are more tactical in nature."
And when the railgun is finally deployed, it is likely to be used--or at least be ready for action--in several different kinds of missions. First, Ellis explained, it could be used from a ship to fire inland in support of marines as they come ashore.
At the same time, because the weapon's range is so long, it could allow a Naval ship that features the railgun to defend itself from sea-borne threats long before it can itself be attacked, or from missiles fired from land or sea.
Now it's on to the next phase of the project. According to Ellis, that phase includes demonstrating that it's possible to fire a railgun at a rate of 10 rounds per minute, as well as doing new kinds of thermal and cooling tests. Ellis also said that while the Office of Naval Research has said that the railgun could be ready by 2025, that timing is when the work on the science and technology side of things could be done. Actual deployment could take longer owing to financial and political considerations.

Awww sweet! Thank you Jeff!

Originally Posted by Scratch

Interesting & inspiring stuff Jeff, thanks for posting.
As to railgun development, in April last year the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to end the programm, but in the new defense bill authorization act signed by the US President a month ago, he demanded a feasability update, so it still has a chance to go forward. (see FoxNews article below)

Both House and Senate will have to vote on and approve the suspension of the program before it can go forward...and the Senate hasn't passed an official budget in over 1000 days.

In the mean time, late last year, the Navy fired off its 1000th round through the test gun.

I believe it will go forward. We're looking at 10-12 more years thouygh before it is initially implemented.

The Laser system on the other hand could be in intial implementation by 2016, and probably aboard the Ford.

Originally Posted by Equation

Awww sweet! Thank you Jeff!

You are welcome my friend. This will prove a very ineresting thread over the years.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 6, 2012
By Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Office of Naval Research (ONR)’s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility in Dahlgren, Va., officials said Feb. 6.

“This is the next step toward a future tactical system that will be placed on board a ship some day,” said Roger Ellis, program manager of EM Railgun.

The EM Railgun launcher is a long-range weapon that fires projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants. Magnetic fields created by high electrical currents accelerate a sliding metal conductor, or armature, between two rails to launch projectiles at 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph.

With its increased velocity and extended range, the EM Railgun will give Sailors a multi-mission capability, allowing them to conduct precise naval surface fire support, or land strikes; cruise missile and ballistic missile defense; and surface warfare to deter enemy vessels. Navy planners are targeting a 50- to 100-nautical mile initial capability with expansion up to 220 nautical miles.

The EM Railgun program, part of ONR’s Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department, previously relied upon government laboratory-based launchers for testing and advancing railgun technology. The first industry-built launcher, a 32-megajoule prototype demonstrator made by BAE Systems, arrived at Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Dahlgren Jan. 30. One megajoule of energy is equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 miles per hour.

“This industry prototype represents a step beyond our previous successful demonstrations of the laboratory launcher,” Ellis said.

The prototype demonstrator incorporates advanced composites and improved barrel life performance resulting from development efforts on the laboratory systems located at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and NSWC-Dahlgren. The EM Railgun laboratory demonstrator based at NSWC-Dahlgren fired a world record setting 33-megajoule shot in December 2010.

The industry demonstrator will begin test firing this month as the EM Railgun program prepares for delivery of a second prototype launcher built by General Atomics.

In the meantime, the Navy is pushing ahead with the next phase of the EM Railgun program to develop automatic projectile loading systems and thermal management systems to facilitate increased firing rates of the weapon.

“The next phase of the development effort is to demonstrate the ability to operate at a firing rate of significant military utility,” Ellis said.

ONR recently awarded $10 million contracts through Naval Sea Systems Command to Raytheon Corp., BAE Systems and General Atomics to develop a pulsed power system for launching projectiles in rapid succession. These new contracts kick off a five-year effort to achieve a firing rate of six to 10 rounds per minute.

BAE Systems and General Atomics also are commencing concept development work on the next-generation prototype EM Railgun capable of the desired firing rate.

Originally Posted by kwaigonegin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Feb. 6, 2012
By Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research

ARLINGTON, Va.—The Office of Naval Research (ONR)’s Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun program will take an important step forward in the coming weeks when the first industry railgun prototype launcher is tested at a facility in Dahlgren, Va., officials said Feb. 6...

Great article and great news.

Would be a really neat, neat project to be working on if I was 20 years younger and had the chance.

It will be neat to see how they do with the initial protype shots.

Getting to 10 shots per minute will also be good...that's one shot every six seconds and if a vessel had two such launchers, they would be firing off land support missions one every three seconds, or surface strike shots at the same rate...or even air defense shots when tied to the AEGIS system for defense.

Will be amazing technology and will revolutionize naval capabilities and warfare.

The Laser Phalynx CIWS could be America's response to China's DF-21D 'Carrier Killer Missile'. It is possibly why Vice Admiral Scott van Buskirk, Commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, was so confident dismissing the DF-21D, as any threat to the U.S Navy's Aircraft Carrier fleet.

China's new 'carrier killer' missile won't stop us doing our job, says U.S. navy commander

A new much-feared missile that has become a symbol of China's growing military power will not change the way the U.S. Navy operates in the Pacific, a senior navy commander has warned. The 'carrier killer' Dong Feng 21D missile has the potential to change the balance of power in Asia, where U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups have been in charge since the Second World War.

But Vice Admiral Scott van Buskirk, commander of the vast U.S. 7th Fleet, said that the Navy does not see the weapon as creating any insurmountable vulnerability for the American carriers. Speaking from the bridge of the USS George Washington in the western Pacific, Mr van Buskirk said: 'It's not the Achilles heel of our aircraft carriers or our Navy. It is one weapons system, one technology that is out there.'

The DF 21D is thought to be capable of striking a powerfully-defended moving target like the USS George Washington with pinpoint precision, the Associated Press reports. The missile would penetrate defences because its incredible speed from launch would not allow enough time for carriers or other large vessels to complete counter-measures.

That could seriously hurt the U.S.'s ability to intervene in any potential conflict over Taiwan or North Korea, as well as deny American ships safe access to international waters near China's 11,200-mile long coastline. The technology and cost involved in developing such a weapon is so great that the Soviets gave up on a similar project. Van Buskirk, who commands a fleet of up to 70 ships and 40,000 sailors and Marines in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, said the capabilities of the Chinese missile are as yet unproven.

'Any new capability is something that we try to monitor,' he said. 'If there wasn't this to point to as a game changer, there would be something else. 'That term has been bandied about for many things. It really depends on how you define the game, whether it really changes it or not.' The Vice Admiral spoke out a month after it was revealed that China may have started testing a new stealth aircraft putting it well ahead of Western predictions that a revamped air force would not be ready for take-off for another decade.

Photographs of the J-20 taking high-speed taxi tests at an airfield appeared on several websites in early January, fuelling speculation that Beijing is not particularly concerned about keeping one of its latest weapons under wraps - at least unofficially.
The country's growing economic muscle and the rise in its military capability have seen the communist state's confidence grow on the world stage. But China's Foreign Ministry insists its military is one of peace, saying: 'We pose no threat to other countries.'

We don't fear China's 'carrier killer' missile says U.S. admiral | Mail Online

Reports have also been emerging, that United States is shelving the ABL (Airborne Laser) program and is now looking to fund developments of Laser Weapons on board Unmanned Air Systems. Possible candidates include the U.S Navy's X-47 UAS, that is currently being developed, perhaps as a technology demonstrator.

Indication are wide spread, that the U.S Navy has confirmed requirements for UAS, that have strike capabilities.

The news reports of ABL program being cancelled, included confirmed statements of Unmanned Air Systems which will be tested to carry Laser Weapons, possibly for defensive purposes.

Either way, this would be a game changer. For Russia and China, this could mean that their offensive/defensive weapons, such as the Chinese DF-21D 'Carrier Killer Missile' and the Russian S-400 Triumf 'Surface-to-Air Missile', would be rendered useless. And would pose quite a challenge to both countries, to be able to gain parity with the U.S.

Laser Defense Weapons would also bring about the end of the Ballistic Missile Age, which for many decades, has been the main threat capability in terms of proliferation to other countries.

The main challenges that pose the Laser Defense Weapon System, are .....

1. Engaging multiple incoming missiles, simultaneously.
2. Stability and calibration of LDW, on-board moving platforms such as Naval Ships.
3. Early detection and lock-on of incoming targets.

Laser Defense Weapons would also bring about the end of the Ballistic Missile Age, which for many decades, has been the main threat capability in terms of proliferation to other countries.

Do you see the US getting rid of their SLBMs, ICBMs and airborne nuclear systems when China and Russia develop similar laser systems? That could mean a literally valuable reduction in the Pentagon budget and a major step back towards the Westphalian system of international relations.

Originally Posted by Dizasta1

The main challenges that pose the Laser Defense Weapon System, are .....

1. Engaging multiple incoming missiles, simultaneously.
2. Stability and calibration of LDW, on-board moving platforms such as Naval Ships.
3. Early detection and lock-on of incoming targets.

For what is said, beside power generation, the main challenge is still the weather

They just have to create a new generation(a new layer of paint) of laser resistant ballistic missiles, issue solved.

I'm afraid it's still a lot of hype regarding lasers. The fact is if lasers had a long enough range to knock down ICBMs, that would be secondary to all the other things you can do with them. Yet we only hear about how they'll be used in this manner.

Originally Posted by AssassinsMace

I'm afraid it's still a lot of hype regarding lasers. The fact is if lasers had a long enough range to knock down ICBMs, that would be secondary to all the other things you can do with them. Yet we only hear about how they'll be used in this manner.

Well, maybe you have it reversed, BMD is the emphasized defensive purpose for laser weapons development so as to cover for/distract from all the other offensive purposes laser weaponry would also be capable of and used for.

Originally Posted by delft

Do you see the US getting rid of their SLBMs, ICBMs and airborne nuclear systems when China and Russia develop similar laser systems? That could mean a literally valuable reduction in the Pentagon budget and a major step back towards the Westphalian system of international relations.

No I don't see major reductions in U.S SLBMs and ICBMs. However, the SALT treaty is an indicator of things taking change. Not sure whether Russia fully understand's what it is getting itself into.

Also, there is always the argument one can make, of keeping your missile forces at strength, making it an effective cyclic-redundant Defensive-Offensive posture.

---------- Post added at 01:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 AM ----------

Originally Posted by AssassinsMace

I'm afraid it's still a lot of hype regarding lasers. The fact is if lasers had a long enough range to knock down ICBMs, that would be secondary to all the other things you can do with them. Yet we only hear about how they'll be used in this manner.

Alright, point taken ......... however, you still have to look at it from the POV, where if the U.S is successful in integrating LDW on its UCAV/UAS. The effectiveness of such a platform, which is able to defend itself against incoming SAMs. Threat reality, explodes, exponentially. For if the defending country, cannot shoot down enemy drones and sees its SAMs getting vaporized into thin air. That is something to be concerned about.

If UCAV/UAS have the ability to destroy incoming SAMs and AAMs, then it is a capability which would be employed in the opening salvos of a war.

Picture this, as the aggressor, United States sends in its first wave of F-22 Raptors, preceded by LDW capable UCAV/UAS. This would give the U.S a double advantage over the enemy. First being the Stealth fighter which is undetectable and second being the UCAV/UAS which zap incoming SAMs.

That is a very real and dangerous prospect for any defending nation, against the U.S!

China, Russia and Pakistan should be looking into this, very closely.