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In contrast to the US, which has reportedly scrapped its efforts, China appears intent on making railguns a reality. New photos show a Chinese ship with what may be an electromagnetic railgun. Experts say that “there isn’t really a known defense mechanism against a railgun shot at high Mach numbers.”
In US testing, prototype hypersonic railguns shot projectiles up to 7,800 km/hr (4,850 mph) with an impressive range of up to 150 km (93 miles). But, after 10 years of development, the U.S. scrapped the project. They did this for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that these types of weapons are exceedingly difficult to apply in combat, especially on top of a ship.
In US testing, prototype hypersonic railguns shot projectiles up to 7,800 km/hr (4,850 mph) with an impressive range of up to 150 km (93 miles). But, after 10 years of development, the U.S. scrapped the project. They did this for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that these types of weapons are exceedingly difficult to apply in combat, especially on top of a ship.