PRC/PLAN Laser and Rail Gun Development Thread

[Hendrik_2000]

When you move your cursor to those block it will translate into english

 

[kurutoga]

I start to realize naval railgun was the topic a few insiders mentioned around New Year Day that news is coming about a new weapon system "in the same caliber as the disclosure of J20".

The pictures here were taken and showed on weibo on Jan 7th. The ship sailed on Jan 11th. It only got picked up by some military fans 3 weeks later.

 

[latenlazy]

I start to realize naval railgun was the topic a few insiders mentioned around New Year Day that news is coming about a new weapon system "in the same caliber as the disclosure of J20".

The pictures here were taken and showed on weibo on Jan 7th. The ship sailed on Jan 11th. It only got picked up by some military fans 3 weeks later.

Wow. If that’s right that’s probably one of the bigger moments of collective fail in my decade of PLA watching.

 

[Jura The idiot]

When you move your cursor to those block it will translate into english

oops, only now noticed "Barrel Rack"

 

[Blitzo]

Wow. If that’s right that’s probably one of the bigger moments of collective fail in my decade of PLA watching.

Nah, it's fair, because I think most of us weren't thinking of a revelation of a naval system but some kind of aircraft instead given the way the prediction was phrased

 

[Jura The idiot]

I'll ask also here what has puzzled me for some time:

what extent AND type of the damage do you expect to be inflicted upon a modern (=unarmored) warship by a single hit off a 32 OR 64 MJ railgun (presumably shooting around-5"-caliber metal rods)?

I now checked the kinetic energy of a hit by Mk 7 16" at its max. range had been

0.5*1225*514^2 (don't nitpick if I didn't read out at navweaps.com the striking speed correctly, if it's incorrectly quoted there, or anything)

which is about 162 MJ; I don't try to mix apples with oranges: the main point of hitting by a 16" shell of course wasn't its kinetic energy, but the main point was to deliver several tens of pounds of an explosive under the deck of an enemy ship, and blow up said explosive there (actually if the fuze wasn't set off, the damage made by a large-caliber shells wasn't much worse than just holes in the bottom, as it had been happening in the action of the Yamato against the Gambier Bay, an unarmored escort carrier)

note it's from
Ask anything Thread Aug 26, 2017
and note I was skeptical about shipborne railguns and laser in
US Laser and Rail Gun Development News
for some time
LOL I mean I don't ask this because of that contraption recently put on the Chinese ship

 

[SinoSoldier]

...Jan 11th

Now we know why this has been compared to the J-20 unveiling back several years ago.

 

[Insignius]

Jan 31st is the new Jan 11th now!

 

[Jura The idiot]

Jan 31st is the new Jan 11th now!

pardon me, what do you mean?

 

[kurutoga]

pardon me, what do you mean?

more or less a joke. J20 flew on 1/11/2011 and since then this time each year the Chinese military fans are in festivity mood. At least that is what I think he meant.

Back to your question, yes the test railgun with 32MJ muzzle energy can not match the best of the existing naval guns. It is all very experimental in nature and this experiment can still fail. For most people the excitement came from the fact that things get done, and arguably China beat US in his own game.