Raytheon is playing its part in bringing the railgun to life, supplying the US Navy with the railgun’s pulse power containers. The combined collection of pulsed power modules provide enough energy to allow electromagnetically charged rails to launch a projectile at speeds over mach 6, or just over 4,500 mph.
The company is committed to working with the Navy to solve this energy issue. "Directed energy has the potential to redefine military technology beyond missiles and our pulse power modules and containers will provide the tremendous amount of energy required to power applications like the Navy Railgun," said Colin Whelan, vice president of advanced technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "Raytheon's engineering and manufacturing expertise uniquely positions us to support next generation weapon systems to meet the ever-evolving threat."
Like many technological advancements of the past, the non-military applications of the tech behind the railgun and its power system may be the biggest payoffs from this research, such as better power management and storage or more durable electromagnetic systems and circuitry.
It will be up to the next generation of engineers and innovators to find new and exciting applications of the cutting edge technology employed in the railgun and its power system.
Visit the Raytheon website for more news and information on the pulse power system or to read about their CEO’s message to engineering grads from June 10, 2016.