Fox News reported the Navy put a developmental working model of its railgun technology on display at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology EXPO in DC last week.  The technology demonstrator is capable of firing a 28 pound projectile 100 miles at Mach 6 relying on the speed of the projectile rather than explosives to deliver its destructive power.

The weapons system is designed to be mounted on ships that can carry the bulk and generate the massive amounts of electric power needed to propel the round down the rails of the gun from which its name is derived.  Cost of ammunition could drop by 90% or even 99% compared to the cost of missiles.  Storage of ammunition will also decrease tremendously, as well as the danger of having to store large amounts of explosive aboard ship.  Development is also ongoing of a second round compatible with Mk45 naval guns and 155mm artillery with a range of 50 miles.

The next step is to push technology to the point of raising the rate of fire to 10 times a minute.  If the 10 year old program stays on track it could conduct at sea testing next year.