Kaiju,drragons, starships, uh…space monsters…others TBC 😅 /s
Comment on Japan shows off futuristic 'railgun' at defence expo
blakenong@lemmings.world 2 weeks ago
It is expected that threats that can only be dealt with by railguns will emerge in the future
Like what?
GenesisClimber@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
blakenong@lemmings.world 2 weeks ago
Of course Japan would defend against Kaiju.
untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
it might be cheaper to use an electric powered weapon (like a railgun or lazer) than a chemical one (like a bomb or rocket) in some cases, like intercepting missiles
knightly@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
Doubtful, given that they are ridiculously expensive and can only manage a handfull of shots before the railgun rails burn out. The GAO says that military laser weapons still cost somewhere between $1 and $10 per shot, making them 2 to 20 times more expensive than regular bullets.
untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
for the railgun the economics might not be favorable but
Bullets that can achieve the same amount of damage as the equivalent laser shot?
Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
There are bullets and bullets. A 35mm flakpanzer round is very much not the same cost as a 9mm bullet from a random handgun.
Similarly, there are lasers and lasers. A 30kW laser like being tested in 2015 is nowhere near the 300 kW monsters like HELCAP meant for missile defence.
To compare, 300kW laser delivers 300.000 joules on target every second. Now, granted, that “target” might be a circle bigger than your actual target, but then, bullets can also miss. A 20mm solid bullet from a Phalanx CIWS delivers some 60.000 joules on target per hit.
knightly@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
And then some, of course. The advantage of energy weapons is the speed of light, but they have negligible kinetic energy and zero penetration, relying on surface heating to cause damage. It typically takes them several seconds on target to knock out a drone, and even longer on missiles designed for hypersonic flight.
blakenong@lemmings.world 2 weeks ago
I’m sure the projectile options are greater with electric power. It doesn’t have to withstand a tiny explosion or gas pressure.