MATURATION OF RAILGUN TECHNOLOGY: A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE

Thanks to its ability to achieve hypersonic muzzle velocities, electromagnetic railgun technology can provide effective surface-to-air defense capabilities against a variety of threats at an affordable cost. A technology maturation phase linking railgun design and evaluation with the operational requirements and constraints of military platforms is currently underway in the framework of the European Defence Fund (EDF). The French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) is playing an important role in this effort, based on its expertise in all aspects of railgun technology. This paper provides an overview of ISL's significant achievements and outlines the EDF-supported project THEMA. A case study in air defense operations is discussed, comparing the effectiveness of a railgun to that of a conventional gun.