The first generation in the development and testing of full-scale, electric gun-launched, hypervelocity projectiles

On August 31, 1988, the first full-scale, hypervelocity projectile of tactical mass and flight configuration was launched successfully from the U.S. Green Farm 90-mm electromagnetic railgun. Advances since that “first” in the ability to use electric energy to supply either part of the propulsive force (i.e., part electrical energy and part chemical energy) or all of the propulsive force to gun-launch lethal projectiles have successfully resolved most critical issues. This paper provides an archival overview of that progress by reviewing the development and test results of five (5) full-scale, hypervelocity projectile prototypes and twelve (12) integrated launch package combinations that have been successfully interfaced and launched from: the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) Tasks B and C, the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) Green Farm and Great Britain´s Defense Research Agency (DRA) Kirkcudbright 90-mm, 9-MJ electromagnetic railguns; the ARDEC/USMC 17×39-mm, 0.23-MJ electromagnetic railgun; the United Defense 30-mm, 0.3-MJ electrothermal-chemical gun; and the Diehl GmbH 30-mm, 0.3-MJ liquid-electrothermal gun. In addition, several unique hypervelocity projectiles that were developed and launched from two-stage light gas guns and advanced conventional powder guns, in support of electric gun-launched projectile development, are included for subject completeness