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