US Navy Develops Game Changing Rail Gun

While our religious folks are picking their noses, figuring out how to humiliate illegitimate babies for life and while our powerful people are ripping off the country left, right and centre there is more technological development in the US.

This is the US Navy's new railgun - which can fire a 40 pound projectile using electromagnetism. No gunpowder involved. Of course this is just another new method for the Americans to kill people - most likely poor people in poor indefensible Third World countries like Afghanistan or Somalia.

You can see the video.

This is the quick info:

• Navy railgun began undergoing firing tests last week, the next big step toward putting the electromagnetic superweapon on U.S. warships by 2020. The Navy envisions using railguns to destroy enemy ships, defend against enemy missiles, or bombard land targets.
• prototype railgun using an electric-powered launcher rather than gunpowder to fire a huge hypersonic bullet.
• weapon capable of hurling 40-pound projectiles at speeds of 4,500 mph to 5,600 mph over 50 to 100 miles (7,240 to 9,010 kilometers per hour over 80 to 161 kilometers).
• $240 million test phase
• Because of its hypersonic speed produced by the railgun, a projectile shaped like a bullet could deliver devastating damage even without exploding.
• ".. invested internal funds of more than $20 million for a subscale prototype to move the technology forward,"

Well their test phase cost US240 million (RM720 million). Isnt that cheap - for a game changing weapon that can subdue oil producing Third World countries?

Over here in Malaysia RM720 million can buy you

i. slightly more than a bus station (Tasik Selatan),

ii. maybe two galvanised iron roofed LCCT terminals (the old one)

iii. three lembu farms

iv. pay off Arab land scammers in Medini or

vi. buy five kilometres of airconditioned walkway near KLCC or Jalan Bukit Bintang (built by Petronas).

Just making comparisons.