U.S. defense contractor General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced they have tested their hypersonic projectiles with an enhanced Guidance Electronics Unit (GEU) with multiple firings from the organization’s three mega joule (3 MJ) Blitzer railgun system.
The company said the enhanced GEU containing a new battery configuration and running GA-EMS developed guidance, navigation, and control software, completed testing at launch accelerations over 30,000 Gees at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.
“We’re continuing to test at an impressive pace, building on the successes over the past year to advance both our Blitzer railgun systems and hypersonic projectile capabilities,” stated Nick Bucci , vice president Missile Defense and Space Systems at GA-EMS. “We are on track to conduct another series of tests using the Blitzer 10 MJ railgun system later this year. With each new firing, we continue maturing the technologies and performing risk reduction toward a multi-mission railgun weapon system that supports future operation on land and at sea.”
The GEU tests also demonstrated a continuous two-way data link between the in-flight projectiles and the ground station over the Dugway Proving Ground open range. In addition to the GEU, a new lightweight composite sabot was tested, demonstrating successful sabot separation and in bore structural integrity at the high acceleration levels.
GA-EMS has internally funded the Blitzer railgun systems and hypersonic projectile development and has recently also announced the development and completion of the High Energy Pulsed Power Container (HEPPC) which provides twice the energy density of existing pulsed power systems. The HEPPC is intended to reduce the footprint for pulsed power required to launch projectiles, offering greater flexibility for future Navy and Army railgun applications.