In the past few years, the US Armed Forces have very often relied on future technologies that are very close to science fiction. So, representatives of the US Navy announced that they are going to acquire the most promising types of weapons in the very near future. First of all, we are talking about an electromagnetic railgun and a powerful laser cannon. It is reported that the laser cannon will be deployed on one of the ships from the US Navy at the end of 2014, and the tested prototype of the railgun is planned to be installed on a warship within the next two years.
According to representatives of the US Navy, the decision to develop these types of weapons is largely due to issues of economy. Compared to traditional shells, bombs and missiles, both technologies are inexpensive and can be fired almost continuously. Captain Mike Ziv, manager of Electrical Weapons and Directed Energy Systems for the US Navy, is confident that new technology will be able to transform the way of warfare at sea.
In addition to the relatively low cost, it is planned to focus on the ease of use of these types of weapons. So, the laser, which is planned to be installed on the warship USS Ponce, can be controlled by only one sailor, and not even the most experienced one. The laser cannon is designed to combat the so-called "asymmetric threat" - complexes of high-speed boats, aerial drones, as well as other potential threats to warships, which are now located in the Persian Gulf.
Large landing ship USS Ponce
The world's first combat laser on a warship should appear as early as this summer, the AP agency reports. A prototype laser cannon will be installed aboard the American large amphibious assault ship Ponce, which has been converted into a special forces floating base. It is assumed that a sea-based combat laser beam will be able to hit targets at a distance of up to 1.7 kilometers from the ship, mainly the laser cannon will be used against asymmetric threats. Ponce is active in a region where piracy is an acute problem. It is assumed that the tests of the laser installation will be carried out within a year, after which the issue of the adoption of the laser gun into service and its serial production will be considered.
According to available information, the US Navy spent about $ 40 million on the creation of a prototype sea-based laser. At the same time, the cost of one shot from such a gun is estimated at only $ 1, while the launch of an interceptor missile costs about $ 1 million for taxpayers. In addition, the laser cannon has an almost unlimited supply of shots.
The tests of the railgun - a cannon that accelerates the projectile using electrical impulses - were carried out back in December 2010. These tests were found to be successful. The new weapon was created with an eye to installation on promising warships of the American fleet. The destroyers of the DDG-1000 Zumwalt project were named as such ships. The tests of the railgun were carried out on the basis of the Center for the Development of Surface Weapons of the American Navy. The weapon was tested at a power of 33 MJ. According to the calculations of engineers, this power allows sending an all-metal projectile at a distance of up to 203.7 km, while at the final point of the route the speed of the projectile will be approximately 5 Maham (about 5.6 thousand km / h).
USA-tested railgun
The tests of 2010 were record-breaking. Then the power of the railgun was 3 times higher than that achieved during the first tests carried out back in January 2008. This indicator, among other things, has become the largest ever in the development of such weapons in the world. It is not known when the US military expects to complete all work on the creation of this promising type of weapon.
A railgun is a cannon that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate an electrically conductive projectile. At the first stage of the shot, the projectile of such a gun is part of the electrical circuit. This weapon owes its name to two contact rails, between which there is a movement of the projectile in contact with them. At the moment, the use of such weapons on real warships seems to be impossible. Since a huge amount of energy is needed to produce a shot, and the accuracy of shooting still leaves much to be desired. In addition, the tested electromagnetic gun is very large.
Currently, both installations mentioned by the American naval sailors have their drawbacks. For example, lasers lose their effectiveness in dusty or rainy weather (precipitation can severely harm them), as well as due to turbulence in the atmosphere. At the same time, as noted above, the railgun requires a very large amount of energy to fire. These shortcomings were highlighted by a military analyst at the Lexington Institute, Lauren Thompson.
Destroyer of the Zumwalt project. Launched on October 28, 2013
Although there are now rumors that the US Navy has been able to find a solution to the bad weather problem. However, the solution to the problem is not final. In heavy rain or high clouds, lasers still lose their performance. It is not possible to solve the problem of providing the required amount of energy for the railgun. The only ships suitable for the use of railguns so far are the promising destroyers of the Zumwalt project. Currently, only one ship of this type has been launched. Therefore, representatives of the Navy continue to hope for modern developments, since there is still time. American engineers are already working on developing a battery system to store enough energy that could be installed on ships already built. For all its shortcomings, new weapons are significantly cheaper than existing counterparts, which makes them very attractive and gives them additional chances for life, American military analysts believe.
For example, each interceptor missile on an American ship costs $ 1 million (about 35 million rubles), which makes such missiles a very unprofitable means of repelling enemy attacks that use an unfavorable environment for their own purposes: suicide attacks on mined boats, drones, cruise missiles. By installing a laser on board with 30 kW of electricity, the price of each "shot" is reduced to just a few dollars.
In this case, the laser beam directed at the selected target can burn the sensitive electronics of the target in a few seconds, while remaining invisible to the human eye. This technology interested the Ministry of Defense of several leading world states at once, which began to develop it. At the same time, representatives of the American fleet are confident that they will be able to equip their ships with a laser cannon the first in the world.
