A large canon believed to be China’s first homemade railgun is seen on the bow of the Haiyang Shan landing ship. The weapon was reported to have fired a 25-kilogram projectile at a target 250 kilometers away with a projectile velocity of 2,575 meters per second. In February 2018, China conducted the first successful test-firing of a railgun at sea, using its railgun prototype on the Type 072III Haiyang Shan landing ship testbed. They also stated that their designs must be fired non-stop and at top energy levels, and that the intensity and scale of these tests would far exceed any of those conducted previously. The researchers said that their designs have unique features not found in US railgun models, such as the absence of an extra muzzle device to reduce electric flashes. Last month, Chinese researchers said that they are trying to solve railgun development problems by intensifying weapon trials and testing innovative solutions such as applying liquid metal on rails to reduce firing wear and using special coatings to reduce damage from repeated firings. Moreover, as railguns do not use any explosive propellants or projectiles, they are potentially safer to operate and allow for more ammunition to be stored. The hypersonic velocity of their projectiles can possibly penetrate the latest armor materials and would be nearly impossible to shoot down in flight compared to SRBMs or anti-ship missiles, which can be shot down, confused by chaff, or jammed by electronic warfare. If and when these problems are solved, railguns will allow combatants to strike each other at ranges currently covered by short-range tactical ballistic missiles (SRBMs) and anti-ship missiles at a fraction of their cost. However, the technology still faces significant barriers, such as high energy requirements, excessive heat generation and premature wear of electromagnetic rails, which reduce the weapon’s lifespan and accuracy.
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