2018 - Railgun for US Navy.

[The Conservative]

Couldn't they go on carriers too? They are already upgrading reactors for mag catapults it seems logical to stick one on a carrier for lulz.

What's another few billion? It makes a cool whooshing sound.

The railgun would take up less space than current guns. It would also allow the weight of a ship to be lighter, allowing for better armor usage and possibly also less potential of explosive ordinance being on board.

Also, the video I showed in the OP was a rapid fire live test.

[heydaralon]

That thing is pretty cool. I was hoping it looked more lasery though. The smoke coming from the barrel just looked like standard artillery. How much would it cost to make the rounds red and light them up like a laser? I don't even care if it tactically sound to do that, it would make this big fucker about 10 times cooler. Maybe they could put some kind prism on the barrel. Let the engineers figure this one out.

[SuburbanFarmer]

That thing is pretty cool. I was hoping it looked more lasery though. The smoke coming from the barrel just looked like standard artillery. How much would it cost to make the rounds red and light them up like a laser? I don't even care if it tactically sound to do that, it would make this big fucker about 10 times cooler. Maybe they could put some kind prism on the barrel. Let the engineers figure this one out.

Needs a big red line that moves down the barrel while charging.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

That thing is pretty cool. I was hoping it looked more lasery though. The smoke coming from the barrel just looked like standard artillery. How much would it cost to make the rounds red and light them up like a laser? I don't even care if it tactically sound to do that, it would make this big fucker about 10 times cooler. Maybe they could put some kind prism on the barrel. Let the engineers figure this one out.

Needs a big red line that moves down the barrel while charging.

40-50% more klaxons plez.

[The Conservative]

That thing is pretty cool. I was hoping it looked more lasery though. The smoke coming from the barrel just looked like standard artillery. How much would it cost to make the rounds red and light them up like a laser? I don't even care if it tactically sound to do that, it would make this big fucker about 10 times cooler. Maybe they could put some kind prism on the barrel. Let the engineers figure this one out.

It's not smoke from the ammo, it's the railgun itself, the electrical power, and the current going through the metal causes a very extremely thin piece of the metal that is the rail to vaporize into a plasma of sorts. The vapor you see if that plasma getting pushed out of the way of the projectile.

[Montegriffo]

Money would be better spent on these...

[SuburbanFarmer]

That thing is pretty cool. I was hoping it looked more lasery though. The smoke coming from the barrel just looked like standard artillery. How much would it cost to make the rounds red and light them up like a laser? I don't even care if it tactically sound to do that, it would make this big fucker about 10 times cooler. Maybe they could put some kind prism on the barrel. Let the engineers figure this one out.

It's not smoke from the ammo, it's the railgun itself, the electrical power, and the current going through the metal causes a very extremely thin piece of the metal that is the rail to vaporize into a plasma of sorts. The vapor you see if that plasma getting pushed out of the way of the projectile.

Wait, we get to constantly replace the barrels??? This thing is awesome!!!

[Montegriffo]

In theory, rail guns are the perfect solution for short- and long-range firepower. In reality, they present several serious problems:

Power supply:Generating the power necessary to accelerate rail gun projectiles is a real challenge. Capacitors must store electric charge until a sufficiently large current can be accumulated. While capacitors can be small for some applications, the capacitors found in rail guns are many cubic meters in size.
Resistive heating: When an electric current passes through a conductor, it meets resistence in the conductive material -- in this case, the rails. The current excites the rail's molecules, causing them to heat. In rail guns, this effect results in intense heat.
Melting: The high velocity of the armature and the heat caused by resistive heating damages the surface of the rails.
Repulsion: The current in each rail of a rail gun runs in opposite directions. This creates a repulsive force, proportional to the current, that attempts to push the rails apart. Because the currents in a rail gun are so large, the repulsion between the two rails is significant. Wear and tear on rail guns is a serious problem. Many break after a few uses, and sometimes they can only be used once.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/rail-gun2.htm

[SuburbanFarmer]

Single-use weaponry. The ultimate dream of the MIC jobs program.

[Okeefenokee]

In theory, rail guns are the perfect solution for short- and long-range firepower. In reality, they present several serious problems:

Power supply:Generating the power necessary to accelerate rail gun projectiles is a real challenge. Capacitors must store electric charge until a sufficiently large current can be accumulated. While capacitors can be small for some applications, the capacitors found in rail guns are many cubic meters in size.
Resistive heating: When an electric current passes through a conductor, it meets resistence in the conductive material -- in this case, the rails. The current excites the rail's molecules, causing them to heat. In rail guns, this effect results in intense heat.
Melting: The high velocity of the armature and the heat caused by resistive heating damages the surface of the rails.
Repulsion: The current in each rail of a rail gun runs in opposite directions. This creates a repulsive force, proportional to the current, that attempts to push the rails apart. Because the currents in a rail gun are so large, the repulsion between the two rails is significant. Wear and tear on rail guns is a serious problem. Many break after a few uses, and sometimes they can only be used once.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/rail-gun2.htm

Not to go ad hominem, but how stuff works is a shit source. They don't even have a railgun.