Impressive!

dfacto · on 02-04-2008 09:50 AM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/2008...4dD5Hg.OvYDW7oF
vid: http://www.livescience.com/php/video...080201-railgun

I really kicks ass to see iconic sci-fi stuff getting closer and closer to reality. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Tumerboy · on 02-04-2008 10:08 AM

LOL ya they've been working on it for a while now. Not exactly man portable. . . but still very cool.

Why is there so much fire in the slow mo video!?

dejawolf · on 02-04-2008 10:11 AM

here's another one, active protection called trophy:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N1LOmm85cZ0

Toomas · on 02-04-2008 10:26 AM

AFAIK you have to recharge the capacitors after each shot and it can take a while.
Hand versions are pretty much out of question because of the energy requierments.

dfacto · on 02-04-2008 10:26 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Why is there so much fire in the slow mo video!?

[/ QUOTE ]

If I had to guess I'd say it's friction causing the insulation and some of the rail to shoot out with the projectile.

Valandar · on 02-04-2008 10:28 AM

So THAT'S what a real railgun sounds like - pretty much like a regular cannon but with a slight whine behind it...

cochtl · on 02-04-2008 11:10 AM

from wikipedia: "Full-scale models have been built and fired, including a very successful 90 mm bore, 9 megajoules (6.6 million foot-pounds) kinetic energy gun developed by DARPA, but they all suffer from extreme rail damage and need to be serviced after every shot. Rail and insulator ablation issues still need to be addressed before railguns can start to replace conventional weapons."

Explains all of the fire coming out of the barrel.

more railgun news

Saidin311 · on 02-04-2008 12:27 PM

I laughed a LOT when they panned down the barrel of the gun. Reminded me of the scene in spaceballs with the ridiculously large ship. It just seems excessive and unnecessary.

rebb · on 02-04-2008 02:15 PM

Humanity is getting really good at wiping itself out.
:P

Sectaurs · on 02-04-2008 02:18 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Humanity is getting really good at wiping itself out.
:P

[/ QUOTE ]

pfaw!

we haven't even done it once yet

Illusions · on 02-04-2008 02:27 PM

[ QUOTE ]

pfaw!

we haven't even done it once yet

[/ QUOTE ]

We made that virus thats 99.9% lethal to the human population, and its quite possibly easily transmissable. So I think we've got that angle covered if we ever wanted to...

KeyserSoze · on 02-04-2008 02:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
So THAT'S what a real railgun sounds like - pretty much like a regular cannon but with a slight whine behind it...

[/ QUOTE ]

With a conventional gun/cannon, most the noise you hear is from the projectile breaking the sound barrier, so a railgun that fires a supersonic projectile should sound pretty similar.

Sectaurs · on 02-04-2008 02:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]

We made that virus thats 99.9% lethal to the human population, and its quite possibly easily transmissable. So I think we've got that angle covered if we ever wanted to...

[/ QUOTE ]

Granted, but I'll stand by my opinion until we've wiped out humanity at least once.

notman · on 02-04-2008 02:52 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Humanity is getting really good at wiping itself out.
:P

[/ QUOTE ]

Practice makes perfect :P

TomDunne · on 02-04-2008 04:49 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

pfaw!

we haven't even done it once yet

[/ QUOTE ]

We made that virus thats 99.9% lethal to the human population, and its quite possibly easily transmissable. So I think we've got that angle covered if we ever wanted to...

[/ QUOTE ]

I Am Legend was a documentary?!

MoP · on 02-04-2008 04:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I Am Legend was a documentary?!

[/ QUOTE ]
And it was filmed in real-time!

Ferg · on 02-04-2008 05:21 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I Am Legend was a documentary?!

[/ QUOTE ]
And it was filmed in real-time!

[/ QUOTE ]

if that's a shake quote, mop wins this thread

Illusions · on 02-04-2008 06:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

pfaw!

we haven't even done it once yet

[/ QUOTE ]

We made that virus thats 99.9% lethal to the human population, and its quite possibly easily transmissable. So I think we've got that angle covered if we ever wanted to...

[/ QUOTE ]

I Am Legend was a documentary?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously. The only reasons I haven't posted any art on here in a while is because I'm too damned busy fighting monster zombie vampires and hunting for food on the plains of Manhattan, all the while experimenting for a cure...

...send food.

ElysiumGX · on 02-04-2008 06:01 PM

*waits for someone to miss this thread, and post another with a more descriptive title*

TomDunne · on 02-04-2008 06:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

pfaw!

we haven't even done it once yet

[/ QUOTE ]

We made that virus thats 99.9% lethal to the human population, and its quite possibly easily transmissable. So I think we've got that angle covered if we ever wanted to...

[/ QUOTE ]

I Am Legend was a documentary?!

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously. The only reasons I haven't posted any art on here in a while is because I'm too damned busy fighting monster zombie vampires and hunting for food on the plains of Manhattan, all the while experimenting for a cure...

...send food.

[/ QUOTE ]

I will send you cake!

(that's a lie.)

Ott · on 02-05-2008 02:30 AM

This is still not really that impressive when you really think about it. Atomic weaponry is still the most available and devastating stuff out there, (aside from obvious chemical/biological disasters) and it is also perfected. It is, unfortunately, a mythical power that will only be used by the mad and insane. No country with any sort of ethical premise will ever fire a Nuclear weapon.

It's about as effective as E-Peen - It only really matters as long as the guy you are standing up to doesn't knock on your door.

Railguns and whatnot seems pretty interesting, but high projectile lasers, long range sound "pain beams" and other forms of "sci-fi" stuff is more likely to be seen than this stuff as far as "on the field" goes.

P.S. - Did you see any equipment, personnel, or location that even remotely resembled the Navy? Looked like a bunch of rednecks shooting stacks of wood with a long rusty potato gun.

KeyserSoze · on 02-05-2008 02:58 AM

[ QUOTE ]
P.S. - Did you see any equipment, personnel, or location that even remotely resembled the Navy? Looked like a bunch of rednecks shooting stacks of wood with a long rusty potato gun.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I think weapons systems are usually developed by contractors, and not within the military apparatus itself. That would explain why you don't see guys dressed in pressed uniforms and spit-polished boots.

MoP · on 02-05-2008 03:37 AM

[ QUOTE ]
if that's a shake quote, mop wins this thread

[/ QUOTE ]

Well spotted, sir! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Mark Dygert · on 02-05-2008 08:34 AM

Thats great and all, but how well does it deliver explosive rounds to the target? Firing solid projectiles is neat at pretty close ranges, but you have to be really accurate and hope it has enough energy left to actually do damage. When your projectile has a blast radius you don't have to worry about being as accurate or maintaining speed.

Joseph Silverman · on 02-05-2008 09:08 AM

The very point of a railgun is that you shouldn't need explosive munitions. Even beyond the range of conventional explosive weaponry, it should still deliver more force, more accurately.

Edit: according to wikipedia, the weapon in question is expected to deliver more force than a bgm-109 tomahawk by firing a seven pound slug. Seems a lot more cost effective.