On October 17, 2023, Japan's Defense Equipment Agency suddenly announced that it had completed the world's first medium-caliber electromagnetic railgun firing testAt the same time, a ten-second long shot ** was released.
If what Japan says is true, it proves that they have achieved a global leadership in the field of electromagnetic guns. But when we take a closer look at the sea trials of the Japanese electromagnetic gun**, we will find that not only can we not see the panorama of the railgun, but we can't even see the footage of the shell hitting.
At this time, let's recall the tepid performance of Japan's electromagnetic guns in the past few years, has Japan really succeeded?What is the purpose of the development of the electromagnetic gun?
The electromagnetic cannon is very different from the artillery that we are equipped with in large quantities now, and the principle of artillery firing is as followsThe deflagration of a chemical propellant causes the gas to expand, and then the projectile is pushed out to complete the shot。The firing of artillery is inseparable from the propulsion of the propellant, and the size of its power and the distance of the firing range are also directly related to the loading capacity of the propellant.
The electromagnetic cannon isThrough electromagnetic conversion, we use electrical energy to create a magnetic field, and the magnetic force generated is used to launch artillery shells, as long as we continue to increase the current output to create a larger magnetic field, we can continuously improve the power and range of electromagnetic guns.
Compared with traditional artillery, electromagnetic guns have:High muzzle velocity, long range, high flexibilityChina's CCTV has reported relevant data, the muzzle velocity of the advanced electromagnetic gun is 3000 5000 meters per second, and the 155 mm howitzer is only about 800 meters, and the gap between the two is obvious. And in terms of strike power, the electromagnetic cannon also has a clear advantage, even if the electromagnetic cannon shell is not loaded with explosives, relying on a solid projectile can inflict a major blow on the target with extremely fast speed.
In the fifties of the last century, the United States took the lead in putting forward the concept and theory of electromagnetic guns, and in 1958 carried out the orbital launch test of the isosexual armature.
In the eighties of the last century, Japan began to invest heavily in the research and development of a new concept of electromagnetic gunsThe development of the nineties focused on the launch of hypervelocity projectiles using plasma armatures, which Japan completed by that time 745 km sec record,I thought that the research and development progress in the field of electromagnetic guns would soar, but I never thought that I would encounter technical bottlenecks such as plasma armature rail ablation and pulse power supply, which led to the stagnation of actual combat research.
In 2010, the Japanese Ministry of Defense launched a small-caliber electromagnetic railgun for short-range defense, and in 2015, it completed a breakthrough and successfully equipped a 16mm caliber railgunA year later, the Japanese Ministry of Defense intends to continue to develop a 40 mm caliber with a muzzle velocity of 2 kilometers per second and a durability of at least 120 bursts.
In the six years since 2010, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has invested in electromagnetic railgun projectsOne billion yen (about 8.64 million US dollars)., said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in January 2022, the United States and Japan will sign a five-year bilateral agreement. In May this year, the Japanese Ministry of Defense showed a 40-millimeter medium railgun, which the Japanese said could fire a 320-gram projectile at a speed of 2,230 meters per second. And the number of consecutive launches reached the expected 120 rounds.
Based on the sea trials**, we know that it was this 40mm electromagnetic railgun that Japan tested. But look closely**,We will find that there is only a flash of fire at the launch port of the electromagnetic gun during the test, and there is no trace of the projectileJapan also did not provide a picture of the projectile hit, so there are strong doubts on the Internet about the authenticity of the Japanese electromagnetic gun's launch.
When a traditional gun is discharged, a large amount of burning gunpowder will escape out of the muzzle, and the high-temperature incendiary gas will also produce secondary combustion when it encounters fresh air. The electromagnetic railgun also produces green fireworks at the moment of discharge, this is because the current between the two conductors will produce an extremely strong arc when accelerated by force, so the barrel is actually an extremely high temperature environment, and the projectile will inevitably produce fleeting flames when it is discharged, so the instantaneous fire in the Japanese test ** is reasonable.
However, it is explained here that there are three types of fires for electromagnetic guns: coil guns, reconnection guns, and railguns, of which only the railgun produces flames.
As for the fact that the shells cannot be seen in **, the rate of fire of the shells provided by the Japanese side is 2230 meters per second, and it is speculated that the distance taken by ** is only a dozen meters, and the time required for the shells to pass through is only0.004 secondsThe frame rate of general photographic equipment cannot meet the needs of capturing the image of the cannonball.
Therefore, if we only speculate on the basis of **, we have no evidence to question Japan's fraud, and besides, this is a project cooperated by Japan and the United States, and Japan wants to fish in troubled waters, I am afraid that the United States is not so easy to fool.
Before learning more about the strength and weakness of electromagnetic guns in China and Japan, let's first summarize the development of the United States in the field of electromagnetic guns in recent years.
In the early years, the United States can be said to be the country with the deepest technology accumulation in the field of electromagnetic guns in the worldIn 2016, the U.S. military conducted another 10-meter electric conductor orbital launch testThe launch effect is 724 kilometers per hour, and the effective range is two hundred kilometersIt shows its long-range strike ability, and its power can instantly penetrate seven steel plates, with the ability to fire multiple shots at the same time.
At that time, the U.S. military seemed to have stepped into the forefront of global electromagnetic cannon technology, and the reason why it later collapsed on the electromagnetic cannon was becauseThe energy consumption of the electromagnetic gun itself, as well as the problem of range. The U.S. military has tried to deploy electromagnetic guns in **, but the long-range coverage capability cannot meet the needs. The huge energy demand forced the U.S. military to remove other ** systems to meet the electromagnetic gun, and finally the United States chose to dismount the electromagnetic gun project and concentrate on overcoming the laser**.
In 2021, the United States transferred electromagnetic cannon technology and related materials to Japan, allowing Japan to concentrate on research and reap the benefits of fishermen.
In the future, Japan plans to apply electromagnetic railguns to the two Maya-class missile destroyers newly commissioned by the Maritime Self-Defense Force, when the railguns will undertake conventional combat operations and intercept hypersonic cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as air strikes against enemy fighters. After solving the problems of miniaturization and power supply, Japan also plans to install it on land-based trucks to form a hypersonic interception system that can be deployed on a mobile basis.
What is surprising is that Japan has not solved any of the two problems faced by the United States in the past, but they are full of confidence in the future potential of electromagnetic guns and have great ambitions to conquer this field.
As for China's electromagnetic gun technology, it is completely in the leading position in the world, far from being comparable to Japan's 40-mm electromagnetic gun. China's electromagnetic cannon technology began to make breakthroughs in 2006, and in 2018, it was equipped on the 072 landing ship 936 "Ocean Mountain". As a medium-sized landing ship, it is equipped with an electromagnetic cannon with huge energy consumption, which is enough to see that China has made a huge breakthrough in the energy consumption of electromagnetic guns.
Since then, it has been confirmed by reports that China has carried out many tests of electromagnetic guns to the seaAccelerate a 25kg shell to 2575 meters per second and have a range of 250 kilometers. China's latest electromagnetic cannon test firing results can launch a 20-kilogram shell to 360 kilometers, a speed of nearly 3,000 meters per second, and can also penetrate an eight-centimeter steel plate from a distance of 100 kilometers.
China's outstanding achievements in electromagnetic guns are inseparable from the contribution of Academician Ma Weiming, who led the team to solve the world problem of high energy storage rapid and continuous release technology. According to the theoretical speculation of Academician Ma Weiming,The solenoid coil device can also be used for rockets, which can achieve a qualitative leap in the range of rockets, covering up to 2,000 kilometers.
Overall, the electromagnetic gun is a modern ** with clear pros and cons, it currently has many insurmountable drawbacks, the inability to install a guidance system, although the muzzle velocity is high but the accuracy is poor, so many countries have taken the initiative to abandon this project. Although Japan is concentrating on overcoming the difficulties of electromagnetic guns, there is still a big gap in China as far as the existing stage is concerned, and it is too whimsical to want to achieve corner overtaking.