US Navy Prepares to Reveal its Railgun

The US Navy is preparing to demonstrate its Railgun weapon to the public for the first time. The Electromagnetic Railgun, a weapon developed with BAE Systems, will be shown at the Naval Future Force Science and Technology expo in early February.

The US Navy say the weapon will play a significant role in its future and plan to start testing it at sea in 2016. The weapon is able to launch projectiles more than 100 nautical miles at speeds exceeding Mach 6, six times the speed of sound. 

The expo is an event where the US Navy shares information and explored partnerships. The weapon has been in development for a number of years and while it has been shown in video and images this will be the first public demonstration of its capabilities.