Electromagnetic railgun

US Navy pushes ahead with 'revolutionary' electromagnetic railgun despite viability concerns

Named the railgun, the weapon in question represents a paradigm shift in ballistic technology.

Instead of using gunpowder and explosive charges to shoot a shell from its barrel, it employs vast amounts of electromagnetic energy to zoom a projectile along a set of copper-alloy rails.

Thanks to four small fins on its rear, the hefty round can then be guided toward a moving object — such as an enemy ship, drone or incoming ballistic missile — relying purely on the kinetic energy from its vast momentum to destroy the target.