Electromagnetic Pulse Attack: Could Navy Railguns Make a Comeback?

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) U.S. Navy electromagnetic-pulse firing Railgun weapons technology had reached a substantial measure of technological maturity and been demonstrated in promising ways before the Navy decided to abandon the effort in 2021.

Instead, The service is focused on other key weapons systems such as hypersonics, electronic warfare (EW), and lasers for warships.

Nonetheless, it seems conceivable that railgun technology could once again re-emerge as testing and demonstrations showed promise over a period of many years.

Reigniting Railgun Development

Railgun weapons bring such force, power, and range that they are the kind of weapon that could hold enemies at risk from greater distances and attack targets with the firepower and kinetic energy force equivalent to a multi-ton vehicle moving at 160 miles per hour, developers have said.

Over a period of many years, the Office of Naval Research conducted a wide sphere of experiments and had on several occasions intended to arm its destroyers with railgun attack technology.

The energy or power of railguns is measured in units of electromagnetic power or force called megajoules, with one megajoule being the equivalent of a one-ton vehicle moving at 160 miles an hour. The service tested railgun force up to high numbers of megajoules ranging from 21 up to 32 or more megajoules. Railgun applications unleash a massive amount of force upon a target.