Rail Guns

A rail gun is a ship or vehicular mounted kinetic weapon that uses magnetic fields to accelerate a shell at very high velocity (in some cases relativistic).

The advantage of the rail gun over a traditional gas expansion slug thrower is the extremely high muzzle velocity (roughly 3,500 m/s or more) offering greater range, superior kinetic energy and the capability to shoot down high-speed missiles. They are often employed in batteries in capital ships and space stations, which have sufficiently power reactors to provide a power source. Small ship, fighter, vehicular, mecha and handheld versions have less velocity and may also require an additional power source.

Rail gun shells typically use very dense materials for increased penetration capability, such as depleted uranium or neptunium.

See also

• Diconix 300mw Rail Gun, a man-portable rail gun system