The University of Texas at Austin
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Eraser
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Transitioning EM Railgun Technology
to the Warfighter
Dr. Harry D. Fair, Director
Institute for Advanced Technology
The University of Texas at Austin
The Governator is correct!
• At the IAT, we are harnessing
large quantities of electric
energy to enable radically new
capabilities for the warfighter.
• These new electric weapons are
capable of accelerating high
energy hypervelocity projectiles Electric guns are real.
from electric railguns on land,
sea, and air platforms,
and are capable of protecting these
platforms by electromagnetic
protection systems.
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Hypervelocity Electromagnetic Railguns
What are they?
How do they work?
Why change to electromagnetic energy?
How can we use them?
When can we have them?
What are the implications for the Army and the Navy?
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
What is an Electromagnetic Railgun?
Converts Electricity to Kinetic Energy
The barrel can have any
cross section - round, The accelerating Force
square, rectangular is provided by
Electromagnetic Forces
and can accelerate
projectiles to very high
velocities
Force
Muzzle view
We routinely launch projectiles to hypervelocities
(from 2-6 km/sec) in our laboratory.
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
What is an Electromagnetic Railgun System?
Target defeat
Railgun Projectile in flight
breech
Busbars
Launch package
at muzzle
Pulsed
alternators
Rectifier and
switches
Engine
Generator
The IAT addresses the critical issues for all of
these components for direct and indirect fire
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Why Transform to Electromagnetic Energy?
• Controlled/Precise/Variable Lethality – Non lethal to overwhelming
lethality (1 to 1000 km)
• Increased Battle Space – Capable of extremely long ranges
• Survivability - No hazardous propellants and possibly no
explosives on board
• Logistics - Smaller ammunition (8% of mass – 10% of volume for
direct fire) - Eliminate propelling charges for NLOS/long range
fires
• Operational Flexibility
– Convert fuel to kinetic energy
– shorter time of flight
– Multi role, multi mission
– Minimum / controlled collateral damage
• Entirely New Missions – ultra long range precision strike(up to
1000km )
• Positions DoD industrial base to more accurately reflect changes
in U. S. economy.
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
What are the Critical Science & Technology
Challenges?
• Hypervelocity Lethality
– Defeat of Modern Armor
– Hypervelocity Guidance and Control
• Electromagnetic Railgun Lifetime
• Electric Power
• Power Conditioning/Switching
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Greatest Lethality Challenge
+
Explosive
Armor Steel Spaced Base Armor Reactive Armor
(ERA)
Explosive Reactive
Armor defeats shaped
charge warheads and
kinetic energy rods
and can be retrofitted
to combat vehicles
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Lethality: Direct-Fire Hypervelocity Novel Tungsten
Penetrators Defeat Current and Future Armors
Hypervelocity rods penetrate more
because target strength is overwhelmed. M-1 Abrams
Muzzle Velocity
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Hypervelocity Provides Important New Capabilities
IAT Extending penetrators:
• Launch and fly long rod to target
• Extend before impact
P=L • Impact in extended configuration
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Hypervelocity Lethality
• Understanding the physics at impact has enabled
us to develop hypervelocity novel penetrators
which can provide the
– Lethality overmatch
And more importantly
– The necessary lethality with
significantly reduced launch energy
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Railgun Lifetime Challenges
Gouging Muzzle Blast
• Surfaces rub past each • High temperature muzzle arc (20,000 K)
other at high speed • Severe damage to ends of rails and
insulators
• Large optical/thermal signature
All of these critical
challenges are
Arc Transition resolved
•20,000 K arc at rail/armature interface
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Power Source - The Major Technical Challenge for
Army Applications
700kA
Experimental
Simulation
600
• IAT developed a simulation for 500
a new type of pulsed alternator
Load Current
400
– providing an independent 300
validation tool for Government 200
and industry 100
0
Saber Data shifted by -1.1ms
70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84
msec
• Pulsed alternator technology
transitioned from UT Center
for Electromechanics to
Industry (Curtiss-Wright)
Combines flywheel and pulsed alternator technologies
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
In the past several years, all of the critical
“showstoppers” have been resolved
• Hypervelocity projectiles:
– Tungsten nose tips survived hypervelocity
flight up to 3 km/sec.
– Hypervelocity rods penetrate more
because target strength is overwhelmed.
- Novel hypervelocity projectiles have been
fabricated with low parasitic mass
- Electronic components for guidance,
navigation and control have been tested
above 100kgees
Railgun Bore Life:
– Hypervelocity gouging eliminated by proper
choice of materials
– Transition to arcing contact at hypervelocity
eliminated by novel E M Gun designs
which also eliminate contact and damage
to insulators
– Multiple shots on single set of rails (60
shots for Navy-similar test series
underway for Army)
• Signature
– Muzzle shunt reduced muzzle blast by
3 orders of magnitude
700kA
Experimental
Simulation
600
500
•
Pulsed Electromagnetic Power
Load Current
400
300 – A simulation for a new type of pulsed
200
100
alternator provided an independent
0
Saber Data shifted by -1.1msvalidation tool for Government and
70 72 74 76 78
msec
80 82 84
industry
– Pulsed alternator technology transitioned
from UT Center for Electromechanics to
Industry
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Can EM technology be integrated into a
mobile tactical combat vehicle?
•EM Railgun
•Projectiles
•Pulsed Power Supply
•Recoil/Auto Loader
•Prime Power
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358 Drawing provided by BAE Systems
New Types of Electric Pulsed
Power Sources are Required
• A pulsed alternator stores kinetic
energy in the rotor and converts
kinetic to electric energy to power
the railgun.
• The pulsed alternator
incorporates an integral flywheel
to store energy for a number of
shots without recharge.
• Recharge occurs with an electric
motor powered from the hybrid
vehicle engine/generator/battery.
• ARDEC has contracted with
Curtis-Wright to build a power
source to provide 2-5MJ kinetic
energy at railgun muzzle.
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Direct Fire – Pulsed Alternators and Low Energy
Hypervelocity Projectiles are the Enabling Technologies
Drawing provided by BAE Systems
Current Pulsed Alternator Technology
• Pulsed alternator under construction
- First alternator complete May 07 Potential Next Generation Power Source
- Alternator system complete FY08
• Pulsed alternators completion FY(10-11?)
• 2-5MJ muzzle KE
• 8-10MJ muzzle KE
• Volume 1.9 m3
• Mass 7000 kg • Volume 1.5m3
• Mass 4000kg
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
DARPA challenged IAT to evaluate Electromagnetic
Launch to provide Unprecedented Gun Ranges
Ground Range (km)
0 40 80 120 160 200 240 280 320 360 400 440 480
160
80
140
USMC Future
70
Assault
120 Range
Requirement 60
ile
Altitude km
e ct
100
ro j
Increased Range
50
LP
/s
EM
0m
80
Reduced Time of Flight 40
,50
=2
60 Increased Lethality
Z
MU
30
V
Sensible Atmosphere
40
V Term
20
= 1,
20 155
5” / mm 10
600
ERG /L R LA
M P
m/s
Range 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240
0
(n miles)
Weight 70 kg 175 kg 20 kg
Energy on Target 6.6 MJ 13.7 MJ 17 MJ
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Innovative Naval Prototypes
• Disruptive technologies that
for reasons of high risk or
radical departure from
established requirements
and concepts of operation
are unlikely to survive
without top leadership
endorsement.
Admiral Michael G. Mullen USN. - CNO
The Electromagnetic Railgun has been selected
as the First Innovative Naval Prototype
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Sea-based Long Range Precision Fires
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Lethality: In-Direct Fire KE Provides
Rain of High Velocity Rods
Dispensable Warhead OR OR
> 28x200-g or 1750x3.2-g or 7000x0.8-g rods
GNC Module Lethal Tungsten rods
• Inert tungsten rods • Control impact area by height of dispersal
• Uniform lethality over impact area • Minimum collateral damage
Conventional High EM Kinetic
Explosive Energy
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Projectile Trajectories
Long Range 50
Precision Fires: Sensible Atmosphere
40
Altitude (km)
What is the expected
performance of an 30
Indirect fire EM Gun? 20
10
Mass= 10 kg KE projectile
Velocity = 1200 m/s
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Range (km)
Novel Kinetic energy
projectile may provide
precision fires at 2-3 times
the range of conventional
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
Drawing IAT
provided
Talk 1358
by BAE Systems artillery munitions.
Survivability and Logistics Implications
Precision Direct Fire Precision In-Direct Fire
120-mm Round
+ MAC
M 107 155mm
vs vs No
No
Propellants
Propellants
90-mm EM Round- Kinetic Energy EM Projectile
greater lethality
Eliminate/Reduce:
– Propellants and propellant charges
150 Inert EM KE – Army propellant manufacturing facilities
Projectiles – Army loading facilities
packaged in
– Army propellant lifetime assessment
same space as
– Shipping and storage of hazardous materials
16 M829s
Reduction of:
– Trucks
8%
8% the
the Volume
Volume
10%
10% the
the Weight
Weight – Truck drivers } convert to warfighters
– O&M costs
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
The elimination of propelling charges (MACs) provides
space for additional electric power in the resupply vehicle.
50
Sensible Atmosphere
Altitude (km)
40
Additional electric
30 power on resupply
vehicle extends range
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
Drawing provided by BAE Systems
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
Summary
• We have been successful in achieving major advances in the fundamental
science and technology of EM Railguns
• The Army and Navy are actively pursuing ground and sea-based EM
Railgun applications
• The implementation of EM Railgun technology will not only provide the
opportunity to replace or significantly enhance existing weapon
capabilities, but will provide the National leadership revolutionary new
tactical and strategic options
• The IAT commitment is to ensure that when EM Railguns are employed,
they will be in the hands of U.S. Forces.
• We are seeking your help to provide insight and manufacturing,
engineering and integration competence so that unmatched revolutionary
capabilities are available to our warfighters
Institute for Advanced Technology, The University of Texas at Austin - AUSA - February 2006
IAT Talk 1358
