What is a drawback to a railgun Navy?

The primary drawback for the weapon is the massive energy requirement, but research into electromagnetic weaponry may alleviate this drawback in the future. The U.S. Navy has conducted tests of a rail gun, but the weapon has not been deployed, primarily due to cost concerns.

Why did the Navy cancel the railgun?

The US Navy is canceling research and development on the much-hyped electromagnetic railgun after spending approximately half a billion dollars over 15 years. The service cited fiscal constraints, combat system integration challenges, and technology maturation of other weapons as the main reasons for the decision.

Are railguns obsolete?

So, were railguns obsolete before they were launched? No. There are still plenty of niche uses for the railgun, and the Navy has slowed development but is still pursuing the weapon.

Does the Navy have a working railgun?

The U.S. Navy has spent $500 million developing a working railgun. Now that the weapon works, there are no plans to make it an operational weapon system. The service is instead pushing a new hypervelocity projectile it can fire from existing guns.

Will battleships ever return to the field?

Second, the battleships would return to the field just as firepower is transitioning from being gunpowder-based to electricity-based. The ship will need all the power it can get to power the new generation of weapons systems that will go onboard.

What happened to the US Navy’s electromagnetic railgun?

There’s renewed interest of late in the US Navy’s (USN) electromagnetic railgun. Plans to perform at-sea weapon testing appear to have been delayed in favor of further research. So, while development will probably continue, there are still two major problems holding the railgun back.

What should be done with the Iowa-class battleships?

The Iowa-class battleships will remain museum pieces for the foreseeable future. Still, if the will and the funding were there, there are some very interesting things that could be done with them that would neatly patch holes in the U.S. Navy’s force structure—particularly the ability to fight and sink enemy ships.