DAHLGREN, Va. -- The U.S. Navy demonstrated its Electromagnetic Railgun (EMRG) at the Naval Surface Warfare Center here Jan. 31, in a 10 megajoule (MJ) test-fire that set the record for the highest electromagnetic muzzle energy launch of a projectile.

The EMRG is still years away from becoming a functioning weapon, with current plans calling for its deployment onboard ship in the 2020-2025 time frame. The test-firing, recorded at 10.64 MJ, shot an aluminum projectile 72 feet in 10 milliseconds.

There still are numerous hurdles to clear in fielding this kind of a weapon, which the Navy hopes will one day operate at 100 MJ. Elizabeth D'Andrea, program manager for the EMRG prototype, said that elements ranging from the bore to the projectile itself are yet to be refined.

"We really have four major challenges," D'Andrea said. "The bore, or launcher, pulse power, the projectile and the ability to pull everything together in a systems approach and put it on a ship."

Railguns use electromagnetic energy instead of explosive chemical propellants to fire projectiles at theoretical ranges up to 200 nautical miles. The projectiles contain no explosives, relying on kinetic energy alone to propel them to Mach 7 upon exit from the muzzle. The sheer force generated by the gun not only propels the projectile, but has the force to tear the entire gun apart.

Although the EMRG would seem to be well-suited to the DDG-1000, no one would speculate as to which ships the gun would eventually be fielded on. EMRG Project Manager Charles Garnett said questions still need to be answered, including how much power and cooling will be required and the gun's affect on the ship's instrumentation.

Video: Railgun slug loading

Video: Previous Railgun test