The Navy has selected BAE Systems to build the next prototype of the electromagnetic railgun, but the decision was challenged in a formal protest filed earlier this month by General Atomics, the other firm competing for the next phase of the program.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR), which is overseeing the project, confirmed BAE Systems’ selection, but could not provide additional details with the protest in place.
“BAE was selected and there is a protest, so I can’t comment further based on ongoing litigation,” ONR spokesman Peter Vietti said.
Rather than using traditional propellants like gun powder, the electromagnetic (EM) railgun employs magnates powered by electrical pulses to launch projectiles at supersonic speeds. The railgun is intended for precision strikes deep inland, or for surface warfare and defense against anti-ship cruise missiles.
The Navy has been experimenting with the technology for years and hopes to eventually deploy EM railguns on surface combatants, possibly sometime in the mid-2020s.
Over the last year the Navy has been evaluating prototype guns furnished by BAE Systems and General Atomics at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., as part of the first phase of the developmental program.
BAE Systems confirmed it’s selection, but would not comment further with a protest still pending. The second phase is largely focused on increasing the firing rates, with a goal of 10 rounds per minute.
General Atomics filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Mar. 20. Contacted by email, a General Atomics spokeswoman said the company would not comment “at this time.” The GAO expects to make a decision by the end of June, according to a listing on its website.
The potential contract award has not been formalized or publicly announced and was still going through the contracting process.
The ONR’s program manager for the railgun, Roger Ellis, said last year that the first phase was budgeted for $237 million, and that he expected a similar amount would be needed in the second phase that runs through fiscal 2017 (Defense Daily, Jan. 23, 2012).
The ONR anticipates that EM railguns will have the potential to fire projectiles hundreds of nautical miles, many times farther than traditional ship-based munitions, and at speeds nearing or exceeding the 5,000 miles-per-hour range. The railgun would also reduce need for chemical propellants and improve safety on ships, require less space for storing munitions, and reduce cost, the ONR believes.