For true sci-fi fans, any mention of a real-world rail gun will draw an instant, slightly audible gasp.
{slightly audible gasp}
That's the news that Miltary.com is reporting in this article from earlier this month.
The Marines, in particular, are interested in the potential for rail guns to deliver supporting fire from up to 220 miles away -- around 10 times further than standard ship-mounted cannons -- with rounds landing more quickly and with less advance warning than a volley of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Looks like it's time to get on the horn to the Naval Warfare Center and see about getting one of these babies for the base. Talk about a serious "anti-aircraft" weapon!!!!!!
...but providing 3 million amps of power per shot has been a limitation. At 32 megajoules, this new system appears to be the most powerful rail gun ever built...
THREE MILLION AMPS PER ROUND???
Looks like the Science Department guys are gonna need to build a bigger matter/anti-matter converter sooner than they originally thoguht. That or else we're going to have to "acquire" a certain little "Mr. Fusion" unit off of a certain DeLorean. Since that gem can provide the 1.21 jiggawatts of power for a time-machine, then three million amps should be a piece of cake.
More info DEFINITELY to come.
