Data obtained from projectiles launched from Blitzer electromagnetic railgun
NewsJune 23, 2015
SAN DIEGO. At the U.S. Army’s Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) launched projectiles with on-board electronics from the GA-EMS Blitzer electromagnetic railgun. According to officials, the projectiles performed their intended functions during four consecutive tests.
For several kilometers, the electronics on-board the projectile measured in-bore accelerations and projectile dynamics with the data link continuing to operate after the projectiles impacted the desert floor. Projectiles were launched with an approximate acceleration of 30,000 times that of gravity and were exposed to the full electromagnetic environment of the railgun launch.
This marks a milestone for railgun weapon system where flight dynamics data have been measured and down-linked from an aerodynamic projectile fired from our railgun on an open test range, says Nick Bucci, vice president Missile Defense Systems, GA Electromagnetic Systems Group.
