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Source: The post is based on the article “Chinese navy is testing the most powerful coil gun ever built” published in Business Standard on 26th August 2023
What is the News?
The Chinese navy is reportedly testing the planet’s most powerful Coil Gun.
What is a Coil Gun?
Coil guns are also known as Gauss guns or magnetic accelerators.
The weapon features a series of coils arranged along the barrel of the gun, each one constituting a “stage”.
Each coil is energized one after another to create a magnetic field that can levitate and propel a projectile forward.
The projectile typically stays suspended in the centre of the coil during launch, which helps to keep it on a straight course and prevent it from touching the wall of the barrel.
It can be fired repeatedly and rapidly without causing wear on components.
The larger a coil gun, the better its ability to fire projectiles similar to those fired by traditional artillery.
Advantages of Coil Guns: The coil gun has a number of advantages over traditional artillery including higher launch speeds, lower launch costs and shorter preparation time.
Applications: Coil guns could have applications in areas such as weapon systems, near-earth satellites and high-speed missile launches.
