Railguns: Real!

[Renzokuken]

Navy Tests Incredible Sci-Fi Weapon | LiveScience

Aluminium slugs that can reach Mach 7, which is so fast it ignites the air around it. Watch the below video, and at the end you'll see what i mean. Right now it's rather impractical because the cannon shaft is enormously long, but it's still pretty gnarly.

LiveScience.com : Navy Tests Big Gun

 

[Uncle_Vanya]

Eh, its also impractical because it has neither the range, nor the guidance of a missile.

 

[Darkmatter]

Last I checked, wars weren't only won with missles...

If they could put those on tanks... ;D

 

[Emperor Pan I]

I see someone reads cracked.

 

[Renzokuken]

Cracked wins, ever since you showed me something months and months ago i check it daily. Surprised they got Michael Ian Black to write an article.

 

[Uncle_Vanya]

Last I checked, wars weren't only won with missles...

If they could put those on tanks... ;D

Barrel is too long, plus a tank doesn't have a power source for this, unless you want to build a tank the size of a nuclear powered ship. Also tanks are deathtraps, this would be a waste, and an unnecessary one at that. AT tank weapons are advancing, even now no tank is safe from top attack missiles (the top of the turret is very lightly protected), and last year an RPG-29 got through Challenger 2's ERA, then the front armor and then blew the driver's foot off. Now there is RPG-32 Hashim, a Russian company responsible for RPGs is building it under contract with Jordan so those will probably get into the hands of terrorists soon enough. A 105 mm missile, tanks beware.

What can help though are active protection measures like the Russian Arena-E and Shtora, they not only attempt to jam the missile but also fire packs of shrapnel at them, and can create an aerosol cloud to disrupt laser guidance. You yanks were doing a bit of experimenting but haven't come up with anything solid yet, Israelies got further ahead then you but we've been doing this for the past 40 years thats one field we're marginally ahead of you in, that and ERA.

edit

Another issue would be barrel wear.

 

[EEX_ca_aok]

We built one in miniature in a physics lab at our university... all it could shoot were nail sized metal bolts but I thought it was freaking sweet

 

[Uncle_Vanya]

We built one in miniature in a physics lab at our university... all it could shoot were nail sized metal bolts but I thought it was freaking sweet

oh hellz yeah, its freaking sweet.

One implementation that has most promise I think is space. There is no air or gravity in space so it will maintain its velocity until it collides with its target, so range will not be an issue. All we need is some alien motherships for target practice.