Octave Fauchon-Villeplee sounds kinda steampunky, but the real name for this is a rail gun, and it's about two years away from going live.
QuoteA radical new weapon that can fire a shell at seven times the speed of sound could be used by the Navy as soon as 2018.
Described as 'Star Wars technology' by researchers, the rail gun can fire a shell weighing 10kg at up to 5,400mph over 100 miles. It does this with such force and accuracy it penetrates three concrete walls or six half-inch thick steel plates.
Development of a futuristic weapon is going well enough that a Navy admiral wants to skip an at-sea prototype in favor of installing an operational unit aboard one of its new Zumwalt-class destroyers.
source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3448057/Navy-s-Star-Wars-weapon-used-new-stealth-warship-Gun-penetrates-concrete-100-MILES-away-ready-2018.html
The development of the Rail Gun is pretty well documented.
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=493.msg361819#msg361819
According to a friend who works at the Dahlgren Weapons Center, there are still issues to be resolved.
So the Navy's going back to Solid Shot. I wonder at 100 miles distance, how accurate it is? At 7X speed of sound, should get there in a hurry.
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 11:36:44 AM
So the Navy's going back to Solid Shot. I wonder at 100 miles distance, how accurate it is? At 7X speed of sound, should get there in a hurry.
I figure it shouldn't be too difficult to put some guidance mechanics in there. I'm sure the goal will be to make it about as accurate as any other "smart" weapon.
And I'm sure nobody has an Anti-Supersonic Weapon system developed yet.
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 12:51:30 PM
And I'm sure nobody has an Anti-Supersonic Weapon system developed yet.
Well.. for this one it's four concrete walls or 7 half-inch thick steel plates. ;)
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 11:36:44 AM
So the Navy's going back to Solid Shot. I wonder at 100 miles distance, how accurate it is? At 7X speed of sound, should get there in a hurry.
This is how it's supposed to work. And yeah it's pretty quick.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.navweaps.com%2FWeapons%2FWNUS_Rail_Gun_Slide_pic.jpg&hash=7407a8ec8b546aaf3ff7842244208a5bd109bdea)
Mach depends on a couple of factors - altitude and air temp amongst others.
Best I can eyeball, Mach 7 is somewhere around the 5500 mph number, give or take a few hundred mph.
The interesting thing about this is whether it could be used as a one-two punch. It's essentially a non-explosive bunker buster.
Follow that up with some concussive ordnance and you should be able to clear out a nice section of previously "impenetrable" underground lairs.
Looks like Iran better start digging deeper.
Oh, the days spent at Vieques mastering Gunfire Support Procedures.
Wonder if "Up 5, right 50" is even relevant with this hoss.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_gunfire_support
Quote from: besilarius on February 16, 2016, 06:54:55 PM
Oh, the days spent at Vieques mastering Gunfire Support Procedures.
Wonder if "Up 5, right 50" is even relevant with this hoss.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_gunfire_support
Probably not. Most of that stuff is going to happen inside some electronics in its body. They could point it at the South Pole and it would right itself and hit the target.
More GPS guidance?
Any future big war will be focused around jamming or eliminating GPS & computer networks first and foremost. ??? Because so many weapon & comms systems now depend on it so much.
Quote from: Nefaro on February 16, 2016, 10:00:31 PM
More GPS guidance?
Any future big war will be focused around jamming or eliminating GPS & computer networks first and foremost. ??? Because so many weapon & comms systems now depend on it so much.
Indeed.
But it is a grand tradition of the military to prepare for the past war.
They've got to come-up with another name. The Rod of Death or Spear of God or something. Maybe The Eraser from the movie of the same name about Rail-Guns. "Arhnold's Eraser". :P
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 11:33:36 PM
They've got to come-up with another name. The Rod of Death or Spear of God or something. Maybe The Eraser from the movie of the same name about Rail-Guns. "Arhnold's Eraser". :P
"Rail Gun" works just fine. Already a term for it, right? :P
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 11:33:36 PM
They've got to come-up with another name. The Rod of Death or Spear of God or something. Maybe The Eraser from the movie of the same name about Rail-Guns. "Arhnold's Eraser". :P
I read an article a while ago about a concept where solid rounds were launched from orbit. Between a good kick out the door and gravity they were figured to give quite a punch.
The name? "Rods from the gods."
This is fairly similar (they reach 500k feet in altitude iirc), though "rail gun" has a nice futuristic ring to it.
Once again, Battletech shows us the way
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Naval_Gauss_Rifle
"DEATHREEEEED!!!" O0
...wait, are we actually using Ospreys now, or is that wishful hopefully expectant thinking? The last time I saw those in operation was with wingsuits and, well, a rail gun, in a movie series about transforming gobs of metal shooting each other weakly. TransaMegans or something like that.
Quote from: Nefaro on February 16, 2016, 10:00:31 PM
More GPS guidance?
Any future big war will be focused around jamming or eliminating GPS & computer networks first and foremost. ??? Because so many weapon & comms systems now depend on it so much.
I don't disagree that the GPS satellites will be a primary target, but I can see these guns being as effective as a battleships 16" guns. Yes, according to the one graphic, it'll take about 6 mins to hit a target from max indirect fire range, but hitting non mobile targets, it wont matter. Also, using drones, I would think being able to use laser guiding will be just as effective as gps. Even with no guidance and a target that is mobile, will it know it's being shot at in time to more out of the damage area. Can enough rounds be fired quickly enough to cover a large enough area that a mobile unit will still take damage.
Quote from: OJsDad on February 17, 2016, 11:22:51 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on February 16, 2016, 10:00:31 PM
More GPS guidance?
Any future big war will be focused around jamming or eliminating GPS & computer networks first and foremost. ??? Because so many weapon & comms systems now depend on it so much.
I don't disagree that the GPS satellites will be a primary target, but I can see these guns being as effective as a battleships 16" guns. Yes, according to the one graphic, it'll take about 6 mins to hit a target from max indirect fire range, but hitting non mobile targets, it wont matter. Also, using drones, I would think being able to use laser guiding will be just as effective as gps. Even with no guidance and a target that is mobile, will it know it's being shot at in time to more out of the damage area. Can enough rounds be fired quickly enough to cover a large enough area that a mobile unit will still take damage.
Oh, it definitely sounds like a useful weapon.
I'm just concerned about the guidance system. Seems like we've been increasingly putting all our guidance eggs in the same basket over the years, and this is just another one with the same reliance.
Guessing there is more than one method of guidance or back-up systems without too massive a loss in effectiveness. But when it comes to such things, we probably shouldn't take that for granted.. right?
Quote from: Sir Slash on February 16, 2016, 02:44:00 PM
Looks like Iran better start digging deeper.
Or perhaps the Norks? Haven't they got a ton of bunkers on the border with South Korea?