Electromagnetic railgun tests hypersonic projectiles with prototype components
NewsMarch 17, 2016
SAN DIEGO. At the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems? (GA-EMS) hypersonic projectiles with prototype components for its Guidance Electronics Unit (GEU) completed tests demonstrating it can perform programmed actions and communicated component performance to a ground station via a telemetry link on March 7 ? 9, 2016.
The tests were composed of five projectiles fired from GA-EMS' 3 mega joule Blitzer electromagnetic railgun system at accelerations greater than 30,000 times that of gravity. Officials say the projectiles and critical components within the system experience, survived, and operated in the multi-Tesla magnetic field within the launcher and the overall launch environment.
The GEU components – including integrated navigation sensors and processors for guidance, navigation, and control – are housed in the aerodynamically stable test projectile. All GEU components performed as expected, officials say.
"This latest testing series completes the risk reduction and technology maturation of the individual components of our electromagnetic railgun launched hypersonic projectiles," says Nick Bucci, Vice President, Missile Defense and Space Systems, GA-EMS. "We continue to fire and test our projectiles in an open range setting, allowing us to collect and analyze a significant amount of performance data under real-world conditions."
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