I know that the Brits made a complete mess out of Ajax but the vehicle it is based on (Ascod 2) is considered to be a decent vehicle. I'm surprised it's not being considered by the CAF as Ascod 2 is a GDLS vehicle and therefore could presumably be built at GDLSC in Ontario.
A railgun is an electromagnetic launcher that uses high-power electricity instead of chemical propellants to accelerate a sliding, non-explosive projectile along parallel conductive rails, achieving speeds often exceeding Mach 6. These weapons leverage intense kinetic energy for long-range, high-velocity strikes, offering significant, lower-cost, and safer alternatives to conventional missile systems.
Key Aspects of Railgun Technology
Operating Principle: A massive electrical pulse runs down one rail, through an armature (projectile), and back along the other, creating a Lorentz force that propels the projectile to extreme speeds.
Performance: Prototypes have demonstrated velocities reaching Mach 7.5, with capabilities to strike targets up to 100+ miles away.
Military Utility: Primarily developed for naval applications (e.g., U.S. Navy and Japanese research), they offer rapid, long-range bombardment, missile defense, and potentially cost-effective anti-ship capabilities compared to $10M+ missiles.
Challenges: Key limitations include the need for immense power sources, high thermal stress causing rapid barrel erosion (limiting life to a few dozen shots), and the requirement for complex, compact capacitor banks.
Current Status: While the U.S. halted its formal naval railgun program in 2021 to focus on other technologies, research continues in other nations.
lol we’re probably gonna end up either looking like Germany or Poland with its armoured formations pending what gets selected
I know that the Brits made a complete mess out of Ajax but the vehicle it is based on (Ascod 2) is considered to be a decent vehicle. I'm surprised it's not being considered by the CAF as Ascod 2 is a GDLS vehicle and therefore could presumably be built at GDLSC in Ontario.
A railgun is an electromagnetic launcher that uses high-power electricity instead of chemical propellants to accelerate a sliding, non-explosive projectile along parallel conductive rails, achieving speeds often exceeding Mach 6. These weapons leverage intense kinetic energy for long-range, high-velocity strikes, offering significant, lower-cost, and safer alternatives to conventional missile systems.
Key Aspects of Railgun Technology
Operating Principle: A massive electrical pulse runs down one rail, through an armature (projectile), and back along the other, creating a Lorentz force that propels the projectile to extreme speeds.
Performance: Prototypes have demonstrated velocities reaching Mach 7.5, with capabilities to strike targets up to 100+ miles away.
Military Utility: Primarily developed for naval applications (e.g., U.S. Navy and Japanese research), they offer rapid, long-range bombardment, missile defense, and potentially cost-effective anti-ship capabilities compared to $10M+ missiles.
Challenges: Key limitations include the need for immense power sources, high thermal stress causing rapid barrel erosion (limiting life to a few dozen shots), and the requirement for complex, compact capacitor banks.
Current Status: While the U.S. halted its formal naval railgun program in 2021 to focus on other technologies, research continues in other nations.
AFV: Mixed fleet of Hyundai Rotem N-WAV & Hanwha AS21 Redback
Tank: Hyundai Rotem K2 and/or K3