DEFCON 5: Rail Gun

[big chopper]

Way back at DEFCON V, someone did a really interesting talk on rail guns that he made.

If anyone is interested, here's a video of the Navy's new rail gun.
http://www.livescience.com/php/video...080201-railgun

Quote from livescience.com

"The railgun, as it is called, will ultimately fire a projectile more than 230 miles (370 kilometers) with a muzzle velocity seven times the speed of sound (Mach 7) and a velocity of Mach 5 at impact."

[Voltage Spike]

Re: DEFCON 5: Rail Gun

If anyone is interested, here's a video of the Navy's new rail gun.
http://www.livescience.com/php/video...080201-railgun

I have no experience at all with really large railguns like this, but I didn't expect there to be so much fire coming out of the barrel. Is the muzzle flash simply due to air igniting from the heat generated by the friction of the projectile, or am I missing something?

[xor]

Re: DEFCON 5: Rail Gun

Kinetic energy weapons are very cool F=ma boom.

xor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muzzle_velocity