Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Hypervelocity Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress
Abstract
The Navy is currently developing three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of its surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missilessolid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).Any one of these new weapon technologies, if successfully developed and deployed, might be regarded as a game changer for defending Navy surface ships against enemy missiles. If two or three of them are successfully developed and deployed, the result might be considered not just a game changer, but a revolution. Rarely has the Navy had so many potential new types of surface-ship missile-defense weapons simultaneously available for development and potential deployment. The HPV in particular has emerged as a program of particular interest to the Department of Defense (DOD), which is exploring the potential for using the weapon across multiple U.S. military services.Although the Navy in recent years has made considerable progress in developing SSLs, EMRG, and HVP, a number of significant development challenges remain. Overcoming these challenges will likely require years of additional development work, and ultimate success in overcoming them is not guaranteed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 17, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1030345
Entities
People
- Ronald O'Rourke
Organizations
- Congressional Research Service