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A Chinese Type 072II-class landing ship armed with a large electromagnetic railgun (ER) mounted on it was sighted and photographed on its way to open sea, according to a report by the Task & Purpose on December 29th.
Long time no see, the railgun test ship is spotted undergoing sea trials these days. pic.twitter.com/WdxXkyYWrF
— dafeng cao (@dafengcao) December 29, 2018
The picture most certainly shows the Haiyang Shan ship, the same Type 072II-class landing ship that was spotted in January 2018 docked at the Wuchang shipyard in China’s central Hubei province, the largest of the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s inland shipyards and a major production hub for the country’s conventional submarines.
What the hell is this? pic.twitter.com/sQDAsHd7A3
— dafeng cao (@dafengcao) January 31, 2018
The Chinese railgun was first developed in 2011, first tested in 2014 and there was little information regarding it. But, in February 2018, a Chinese outlet reported that the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) website had confirmed that a “breakthrough” had been achieved during sea trials. Furthermore, in June, a US intelligence assessment suggested that the ER underwent trials even earlier than the Chinese side admitted, as early as December 2017.
The same assessment estimated that the PLA is planning to field its superweapon on naval vessels in 2025, far ahead of the Pentagon’s slow and budget-lacking efforts. But, the photos released on December 29th show that it appears that the PLA is working far ahead of the presumed schedule.
This would amount to a “strategic coup” for Beijing against the US, which is attempting to catch up with Chinese advances in hyper-velocity projectile technology.
Dr. Thomas Beutner of the US Office of Naval Research’s Naval Air Warfare and Weapons Department said the railgun and directed-energy weapons “are the future of maritime superiority” in 2017, according to a report in the US Department of The Navy’s Information Technology Magazine.
The US has spent hundreds of millions on its own ER since the mid-2000s but little progress appears to have been made. The Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) reportedly stifled funding of the weapon. Instead, it has pushed for diverting resources to the Hyper Velocity Projectile program, which places a focus on developing cheaper, low-drag projectiles that could be fired from an ER, or perhaps from other gun systems.
“We thought railguns were something we were really going to go after, but it turns out that powder guns firing the same hypervelocity projectiles gets you almost as much as you would get out of the electromagnetic railgun, but it’s something we can do much faster,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work told Congress in May 2017.
The National Defense Authorization Act included an additional $20 million for innovative Naval Prototypes Advanced Technology Development (0603801N) explicitly to accelerate the development of a shipboard tactical demonstrator. Furthermore, an additional $20 million allocated in the 2019 NDAA for the Army’s distinct railgun efforts.
“With China and Russia challenging our technological superiority, we cannot just play defense,” said Rep. Jim Langevin of the defense budget back in May 2018. “Instead, we must promote and accelerate the adoption of game-changing technologies including hypersonics, directed energy, and applications of artificial intelligence.”
In terms of technical data regarding the Chinese railgun. There is little known, Task & Purpose provided a summary in February 2018, regarding its supposed specifications:
What the hell is this? pic.twitter.com/sQDAsHd7A3
— dafeng cao (@dafengcao) January 31, 2018
- It appears that work on the ship was being carried out at a port that usually installed twin 37mm guns;
- “The gun barrel itself suggests a capability far beyond conventional projectile or powder cannons in service among China’s existing fleet, let alone any modern navy. “No other existing weapon or known planned system matches the size of the gun’s massive cupola nor the extremely fat profile of its barrel,” Tyler Rogoway observes at The War Zone. “The closest some could find was the Type 055 destroyer’s H/PJ38 130mm deck gun or the PLZ05 155mm self-propelled howitzer’s gun system, but neither of these are anywhere near the scale as [this] system.”
- The large enclosure in particular most resembles the assembly of the Office of Naval Research’s current prototype railgun;
The race for the electromagnetic railgun is still not over. However, China appears to be far ahead of the US. This, combined with the US also apparently falling behind in terms of hypersonic technology allows some sources to speculate that there may be an incoming change in the global military balance.
“there may be an incoming change in the global military balance”
That change will increase balance, not decrease it. The times where the US could think and tell (Truly or not-truly that may have been) they were ahead of everyone in every aspect are over,
Cry me some rivers and all, in the end world peace and stability will also increase as the result of it.
I don’t think Chinese have a “know-how” to build such sofisticated weapons. Either they hacked into U.S. military database and stole blueprints or they employ Russian engineers…
I’m pretty sure they have more than enough know-how as they were already viable with 1944 tech. “In 1944, during World War II, Joachim Hänsler of Germany’s Ordnance Office proposed the first theoretically viable railgun.[15] By late 1944, the theory behind his electric anti-aircraft gun had been worked out sufficiently to allow the Luftwaffe’s Flak Command to issue a specification, which demanded a muzzle velocity of 2,000 m/s (6,600 ft/s) and a projectile containing 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) of explosive.”
The Relationship between IsraHell & China seems to be very Good too….
https://www.google.nl/amp/s/amp.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2018/10/11/israels-ties-with-china-are-raising-security-concerns
https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/china-israel-technology/
https://www.google.nl/amp/s/m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Whats-next-for-Israels-growing-tech-partnership-with-China-569580/amp
In the past IsraHell sold American Technology to China…. https://www.google.nl/amp/s/www.military.com/defensetech/2013/12/24/report-israel-passes-u-s-military-technology-to-china/amp
Well, yeah… they started to cry for globalism at Trump’s national-capitalism/protectionism.
Sure, they hacked the data from a country that cannot make a railgun, sure they did.
I suppose you believe that the Russian engineers would also have gotten their data by hacking the super duper Yanks?
No, they found the formula wrote on Putin’s dick.
Big formula then.
What is it with Putin haters, and penis’s?
Fantasy?
Lack of self esteem I would think:)
Think it’s more like the Blues Brothers, the crazy Nazis driving all over chasing the boys.
In short pants, it could almost be Hitler himself.
Are you still talking about Putin?
No, it’s you who wear the short pants and fantasise about Putin.
You have been watching too much CNN or BBC. China and Asia in general have some of the best engineers in the World and remember invented many more things than the US in it’s short arrogant history.
I dont doubt that China have reversed engineered of copies stuff, but so does the US (which by the way are only good at commercialising other Countries patents).
Yes, the US Military now has international patents for the the various Novichok formulas.
That is actually true Al as you probably know :)
If they have patents for Ebola, Mers and every other killer, yes, of course it would be true.
PS Even if I did not know it before, so thanks.
The US Military registered the patents in the 2000’s . The ex Soviet chemist who ran the nerve agent programme named with a Russian project identification and some of his team went to live in the US in 1996 I think.
The Senior chemist then wrote a book all about the nerve agent that was given the Generic name of ‘Novichok’ ( ‘Newcomer’ in Russian) and how to make it with ingredients that that are freely available for business’s such as farmers to buy. Until a few months ago the book was available on Amazon.
http://tass.com/politics/1000583
https://www.globalresearch.ca/evidence-novichok-delivery-system-patented-in-the-us/5637287
I am a chemical engineer… yes, I did know about the book + ingredients and method of making, well I did, after it was first mentioned.
I didn’t know about the patents though, but maybe the Uzbekistan’s who I believe first developed it, should take the patent into open court claiming prior knowledge. Now that would be fun.
It certainly would be a fascinating court case to watch Al.
The nerve agent was developed in the USSR as we know, that Uzbekistan and its research facility was a part of, so I would think that some of the chemists were from various parts of the USSR
In fact its a bloody good idea to challenge the US Military Novichok patents, that should be considered by Russia as well :)
Do you know China had 3 x more patents then US during 2018? 1,3 million patents by China and something about 400 000 by US. Time when China had to copy US technology is actually over.
Ah so now the Chinese are trying to copy another failed project form the US…..
It’s not such a neat offensive weapon but great for defense.
I dont think we know about that. You might come closer to the enemies, beacuse You can knock all out, they send for You.
If this railgun is a succes, they and we also will try to use it for many jobs.
Yup, on paper it would make a great satelite destroyer if scaled up a little.
Why would anyone copy a failed project?
The US failed, China apparently have succeded.
Both Russia and China are far ahead of the US in hypersonic weapons, EW systems, and many other areas, so it would be impossible to copy something the US cannot do themselves.
Since Von Braun died, how many rockets have the US made?
The Chinese do all the time since they cant innovate they copyed the F35…Also railguns are useless.
The Chinese can’t innovate you say!
They only invented printing, silk, ceramics, gunpowder, civil servants, paper for recording the data, all centuries before us Europeans learnt not to live with our animals.
We forgot to tell that to our US emigres, hence why every American has a raccoon or two about.
Greeks also invented history, philosophy and many others when Germans were just cutting wood and throwing stones so that must be a sign that Greeks make better investments than Germans ;)
The Greeks didn’t have the largest economy in the world, even back then.
The rest of Europe just copied the Greek slavery model.
The slavery was invented in China long before prostitution
You have family there :)
At least you tried :)
Very brave of you to mention prostitution, giving your background in it.
You know the stories from your mom I guess
I think she read it in the News of the World.
You poor thing, coming from that, but you got a computer out of it before the disease took her.
The Greeks had a very big BNP pr capita in those days. Slaves wasnt a new thing in the world as well even Greeks migt improve parts of it or not.
Slavery was in many parts of the world even descriebed in writings and paintings. The remarcle for Greeks were, they took in and made a lot of things, we more or less use every day today.
Why don’t you try writing in English, rather than that Nazi scribble you use.
Thats how it is. Most parts of the world has its great moments and try to kepp them even they somehow are useless.
We try to save old races of cows and pigs, because they were base for restructuring the danish agriculture 150 years ago. But do we have to keep all. We already has many museums. We might take away some of the museums and make new ones.
Yea and after that they invented jack shit pretty much all modern tech was invented in europe. Also yes they cant innovate it took them so long to figure out gun powder and in the end it was europeans whom invented the first effective fire arms…Yes they cant innovate so they copy evrything
You are right. Its from very old days. I was wrong to go that far back. Some after Mao was grounded would be better.
How did the Chinese copy all those things from Europeans who were s hitting on the floor with their animals for thousands of years?
Shut up you idiot.
How well after they invented all of the baisc things they did not do crap with they Europeans industrialised first and they invented electronics first
Wrong.
The Chinese were producing more more steel than the British up to 200 years ago. 200 years of European production surge, does not make up for the centuries of dominance that the Chinese had over us.
And look like repeating.
Sorry what? XD did you really just claim that China witched due to lach of iron used silk and lether in their armor had made more steel then europe? If so why is their no full plate iron or steel armor in China? Why did they use bi metal blades? Why did they not have cross bows with spring steel limbs (the “bow” part of the cross bow if you do not understand the terminology).
Do some research on Chinese history up until the Time of Warlords, brought on by imperialist countries. Before you bother me with your stupid crossbow theories.
like i said Europe after the dark ages was the center of technological development.
You do know after the dark ages, came the medieval era, when Europeans were still living with their animals, and writing on animal skins! The Age of Enlightenment came centuries later.
What an idiot you are, do some reading, and start at the start, not where it suits your extremely limited intellect.
Ummm no europeans wrote on canvis you moron xD
How much does your Mother charge per regiment?
And what does “witched due to lack of iron” mean in normal English?
Why can’t you write in English all of the time?
witch due to a lack of iron what part of that do you not understand? They did not have the capacity to make iron or steel in large amounts its reflected in their armor and weapons what part of this do you not understand? Also the fact the J20 is a full on copy of the MiG1.44 or that the all of their tanks are just T72M’s with wealded turrets made of cheap steel is another thing. Or that the QBZ-95 is a copy of the Russian OTs-14 Gorza. Or that blatant copy of the HUMVEE or the Harpoon missile copy…or the SU27 copys…or the F35 copys do i need to name more?
The largest army on the planet had trouble in making crossbows?
What drugs are you on, you prize langer.
The J20 is a recent development you muppet, you make one claim from the Dark Ages, and use today to illustrate it, what a plonker.
Shut up and learn something, anything, you prize langer.
Did i hurt your feelings? Also China did not have the largest military in the world since they had been fragmented so many times also yes they did most Chinise archers used standard bows and not cross bows ;) Also you still did not awnser how come the J20 is a pure copy ofthe MiG 1.44? https://hushkit.files.wordpress.com/2018/01/j-20-mig-144.jpg?w=830
No, and can you write in English you moron.
The English your Mother taught you was learned in a brothel.
Awwww whats the matter are you butthurt that China cant innovate? ;D
Butthurt is what your dad does to you.
Oh it seems that i hit a nerve xD
He hits you too!
You can’t read, other than Mein Kampf.
I think innovating or not is a wrong question. AS beginning is to be able to use technics, which at least can copy well – and maybee make the same products cheeper or as needed even more expensive.
You have to have a base for inovation. The next to me is – as You might think – The Chinese can do own things by own ideas – and improve that too.
I see great parts of the chinese system as too stiff. We see them comming here to us to study. In education in the world we are known for being too loose – the opposite, but even so, we male high ranked in science.
Our strong side is to connect people making good working climates on high levels even the science compared to others are a little lower and more spread.
The Chinese as well as Silicon valley know, its about having the right mix.
Things are upside down. Most countries has cold offices, so people work hard not thinking at their families. We make people have more family things in their offices, so they feel more at home and work for – so to speak – the rest of the family.
I am worried for the innovation parts in western countries. Its too stiff.
I wont conclude “useless”. I am sceptic in a positiv way. Fine for me people don t give up.
Railguns in general are in fact useless they have been around since the 1920’s.
You forget Jules Verne :) We soon will see if the back side of the moon is green cheese too.
Jules Verne never made no weapons for anyone, he is a character from a book.
Von Braun was a real life Nazi, but the US needed him to build rockets for them as they are so dumb.
When Braun died, so did the US Space program.
Its not failed. Invention often is in steps, where they know where the big problems are. Other take over, they try again later and like that.
You can see it very well in IT. A lot wasnt possible only a few years ago but it has been much more advanced as well as th electricity supply is solved for many things, which was impossible.
When Denmark started the windmill adventure many even danes used to old ones laughed and saud NO WAY.
Today most countries are installing bigger and bigger and better ones. Today we several days a year use only windpower and even export it. When we have no wind, we then can effort to import.
It can with no problems cover 100 and more in 200 days a year and soon more, because storing by by batteries incl. soon electric cars makes more days.
Thats not even high tech but well done systematic engeneering.
Railguns are not new and trains use magnetic fields well. So congrats to chinese for the succes. They now can kill people better with less polution.
yea one problem the Railgun is not only impractical but also useless as a weapon.
With China and Russia challenging our technological superiority, we cannot just play defense,” said Rep. Jim Langevin of the defense budget back in May 2018.
When did you Start? Was it when you invaded Afghanistan, iraq, Libya or Syria?
North Korean submarines are already patrolling US coasts and let’s see North Korean subs in action with SLBMs. So it is not just China but North Korea will do its thing to dismantle what is left of US hegemony. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOBU0QwZtE0
North Korean sub launching a SLBM off California coast https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AMdHBgHtNE
PLAN now planning a 21st Century battleship? 50,000 tons. Rail-guns, lasers and hypersonic missiles.
You might have some nigger bathtub, if Yo want Your other toys there too. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/df3f083e058b7728e1c3d2c47fbed09594fc2887e6e9e75f69e047dcc9048045.jpg
Are the “projectile” affected by gravity and does it have a ballistic trajectory?
If not, how do they shoot behind the Horizon?
Im sry, but that is a silly question :)
I dont know anything about ER, perhaps i should read up on it then
I have not and are still alive. I have studied WW2 as well as Vietnam well as my hobby.
Inddirect fire was the main reason for USA having succes against the Germans. All the new soldiers even well educated wasnt better compared to the german ones being more effective trained and fanatics.
It was about finding the german troops BEFORE they attacked the american ones and then scratsch them as they could.
Another thin was using not only precission but very much timing.
When You point out a target for fx 12 canons fx from 3 different batteries the very first grenade will make all the soldiers and vehicles to spread and hide.
So they invented TIME in it and asked for fx 12.03 and all 12 canons whatever caliber og distance hit the same area at the same TIME in first round.
It was possible to put something like that into a football area in a range of 3-5 km. Devastating.
Sometimes You have to ask silly questions and the listeners then help You to ask better ones in a better level.
If You take Syria as a good example, there are hardly none listeners. Thats why most here go on in the same narrowminded tracks and 54,7 liveds was eveporated every day in 2018.
In 2017 it was even much more. Think of that.
Ballistic. but the difference is a railgun round’s hypersonic speed (Mach 6 -7) and claimed max ranges of 50 – 100 miles. They are (so far) only kinetic effect rounds – no warhead or fuse necessary when you hit something solid at mach 6 with another chunk of metal. Problem is that it must actually hit a target 50 or 100 miles away, so the chunk of metal projectile needs some kind of precision guidance that can survive firing. “Give ’em the razor; sell ’em the blades”
Then there’s the matter of the entire gun flying apart from the electrical, thermal and mechanical stresses after dozens of firings. I think they got that part kind of fixed. Or maybe not.
Thanks for the explanation, appreciate it.
As a former MECHINF/Panzer Grenadier in the Royal Danish Army we often fought/trained along side our Leopards 2A5, and you could clearly see the difference in the trajectory, and speed, of the APFSDS and the HEAT rounds. (Nothing like standing 10 meter from a 120mm tankgun firing, i prefer that above 155mm SPG´s) We where told that the good thing about the HEAT rounds is that you could “lop” them behind cover and such, if the target was far enough out, while the AP rounds would go damn close to near flat since they travelled 1.5km/s. (Mach 5.4)
Thats why i was wondering how you could hit targets beyond the horizon, with the speed here actually working against you to a certain degree.
And yes, since its a kinetic projectile you have to hit the engine/reactor/storage room literally and be very precise.
I guess that shipdesignes have to take a serious look at how tanks are protected and their ammo since they can look quite similar.
The first US railgun rounds looked like an APFSDS penetrator with a longer, multi-petal sabot wrapped around them. Now, the guided HVP (high/hyper velocity penetrator) looks more like a pointy spaceship.
BAE made them for the US Navy in both conventional and EM rounds. I think a 5″, 155mm and EM round are shown below. Sabot are black. Only difference in the EM round is the sabot has a big horseshoe pusher on the back that rides the bottom and top rail, shorting them together and providing the necessary fireworks (General Atomics version below). So, really, just a guided APFSDS. No reason they wouldn’t eventually show up in field artillery.
Interesting ‘problem’ with attempting to put a railgun round on a target 100 miles away – six minute or so hang time. Try correcting on that. In any case, I think the Navy imagines using them in the tens-of-miles ranges… for those old-timey WWII ship-on-ship gun battles. I guess for when both ships run out of cruise missiles? https://youtu.be/szhz9YMl4uE?t=75
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/01e81ca58ead6e65e11d0b1ea5a8afaed85b5fd73744ae68572af8e6e9ffa4bb.png
Actually You do have grenades, which can fall and hit vertical as morters. They hardly are used. Its an old thing.
Chr. 4 of Denmark invented some for hitting ship decks and did relative well. The danish name for them in books were Mørsers like in morter, but they were for making holes in the decs and had delayed after explosion just as we see grenades of today down to Carl Gustavs and like that.
Mortars use what i believe is called arch fire in English, krumbaneild in Danish. Mortars is called the infantry mans artillery, i was a gunner on a 60mm mortar after i came home from iraq.
You can have delayed fuzes on mortar shells and some of the ammo for the Carl Gustav, correct.
Mortars are very effective in fighting in buildup areas, you can lop shells behind cover and building, and if you really want to, use it horizontal as a doorknocker or make holes in walls.
All projektiles has to calibrate with gravity.
Inddirect fire by canons were partly invented by the french in the end of WW2. The inddirect fire was used very well byh the americans at the germans and japanese in WW2.
You have to use all metods to find Your target. There is – so to speak – no horisont. You can use use satelites abd drones as well as radars like TV and Radio signals acually follow the gravity of the earth.
Maybee You can look at Your roof. The UHF Tv antenna has to take in from a visible transmitter, but old TV did not.
So the Chinese fixed the problem with barrel wear
it’s duct tape
The saviour of the US.
They can’t tell the difference between a phillips or a flat head.
Lockead Martin have just unveiled their top secret rail gun that the company has been working on for a few years. The cost of this revolutionary project is currently said to be circa 10 billion US dollars per year :)
President Trump tweeted ‘ Amazing to be involved with this awesome new US weapon’.
https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/Iv0J5_f0ZYKC6801nCRI3iErkMM=/http%3A%2F%2Fa.amz.mshcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F09%2Frailroadguns-6.jpg
Don’t post your mom’s dildo here
You are better than silly remarks like that.
Yeah but I have lower standards, since I’m talking with you.
Oh no he isn’t.
His Dad is in that photo somewhere, his Mother couldn’t be sure.
She was so used to working with regiments, she forgot what they all looked like.
Happinis is a warm gun
They will railgun the shit out of U.S. navy…