(Video Link)
A railgun is a weapon that uses electromagnets to accelerate a projectile to very high speeds. The US Navy has been developing one for several years. Today they fired a shot at Mach 7 at a target 100 miles away:
An electromagnetic railgun offers a velocity previously unattainable in a conventional weapon, speeds that are incredibly powerful on their own. In fact, since the projectile doesn't have any explosives itself, it relies upon that kinetic energy to do damage. And at 11 a.m. today, the Navy produced a 33-megajoule firing -- more than three times the previous record set by the Navy in 2008.[...]
Ellis says the Navy has invested about $211 million in the program since 2005, since the railgun provides many significant advantages over convention weapons. For one thing, a railgun offers 2 to 3 times the velocity of a conventional big gun, so that it can hit its target within 6 minutes. By contrast, a guided cruise missile travels at subsonic speeds, meaning that the intended target could be gone by the time it reaches its destination.
Furthermore, current U.S. Navy guns can only reach targets about 13 miles away. The railgun being tested today could reach an enemy 100 miles away. And with current GPS guidance systems it could do so with pinpoint accuracy. The Navy hopes to eventually extend the range beyond 200 miles.
Link via DVICE | Photo: US Navy
Side note, how do I mount one of these to the roof of my beetle??
But this is only what they want us to see or believe...
Usually technology that is brought into the public eye is already several years out of date. Do you actually think they would show us the real weapon? NO! It would be a matter of national security.
Also Mach 7 is the operating speed of a Scramjet so you could use this to launch one immediately to its normal operating speed since a scramjet cant operate at subsonic speeds.
You could probably use it to weld things, pile drive foundations, mine without explosives...
Lots of possibilities.