The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is gearing up for spring evaluations of its 30 megajoule electromagnetic railgun prototype, according its program official.
Roger Ellis, program official for ONR’s electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) program, said in a telephone interview Friday the Navy has completed the feasibility phase of the program, Phase 1, and has entered Phase 2.
Phase 1, which began in 2005 and ended in 2011, was hand-loaded, single-shot operations, he said.
“Now we’re entering into the next phase of science and technology development,” Ellis said about Phase 2.
Phase 2 includes thermal management and repetition rate operations, or “rep-rate.” Rep-rate operations are being able to fire one shot after another, with a goal of 6-10 shots per minute, according to Ellis.
“(The) next phase is showing we can do it at a firing rate of military significance,” Ellis said.
Ellis said he’s anticipating a “similar funding level” comparable to Phase 1 for Phase 2, but he also said that’s dependent on the Navy’s budget for fiscal year 2013. The total budget for Phase 1 was $237 million from FY ’06 to FY ’11. Phase 2 runs from FY ’12 to FY ’17.
ONR has also scaled back, but has not given up on, its initial capability goal of 200 nautical miles firing range. The Navy has reduced its goal to 100 nautical miles to “get something into the field sooner,” Ellis said.
“We’re not abandoning the 200 nautical miles, but for initial capability for what would be out in fleet, to get thing sooner, we are considering a shorter range system,” Ellis said.
Ellis said both BAE Systems and General Atomics remain under contract as part of the Innovative Naval Prototype Program and are finishing their prototype, which is expected in time for evaluations. GA is providing the pulse power and “technically relevant launcher technology,” according to GA Electromagnetic Systems Division Director of Railgun Programs Tom Hurn.
In addition to BAE and GA, Raytheon [RTN] has been added to program under a new contract for pulse power studies, Ellis said.
Previous EMRG efforts centered on naval surface fire support missions, which are ship to land, but ONR is now considering a multi-mission railgun, which includes defense against missiles, ship self-defense and anti-surface warfare, in addition to naval surface fire support missions, Ellis said.
Ellis also believes, depending on acquisition, ONR can have an EMRG weapon system fielded in the fleet within 15 years.
“We’re hoping to have something sooner,” Ellis said. “But that is dependent on acquisition decision. The hope is we can do it sooner.”