A railgun is a type of weapon that uses powerful electromagnets to accelerate projectiles to very high speeds
A CHINESE warship apparently carrying a terrifying next generation hypersonic railgun suggests Beijing has beaten the world in developing the superweapon.
Rumours first circulated last year when images shared on social media showed the Haiyang Shan being loaded with the oddly shaped weapon.
Now a hazy image of the ship sailing on the open ocean has been released on China’s tightly controlled social media networks.
The images suggest Beijing has beaten the United States and Russia to getting the next generation weapon into operational testing.
According to official US reports suggest the Chinese cannon can hit targets nearly 125 miles away, and the People's Liberation Army plans to have their navy equipped with the weapon by 2025.
A railgun is a type of weapon that uses powerful electromagnets to accelerate projectiles to very high speeds.
Conventional weapons typically use explosives or propellant to launch ammunition, but electromagnetic forces make it possible for a railgun to achieve a much higher "muzzle velocity".
This means that while a normal gun might manage a projectile speed of around 2km/s, a railgun could blast out projectiles 50 per cent faster, at at least 3km/s.
It also means that you don't need to transport explosive propellants or warheads, which could make a railgun-toting warship much safer than traditional vessels.
Details of China's railgun hit the web from an analyst called Dafeng Cao, who observes China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
Cao sourced a number of images of a PLAN Type 072III-class warship from China's social media site Weibo, apparently showing a railgun on board.
The analyst says there are several key clues, including the short, thick barrel, which would be unsuitable for long-range explosive weapons.
He also cites a verified Weibo account that reportedly belongs to a retired China naval officer, who said that a ship-mounted railgun had been approved years ago.
According to the officer, the Haiyang Shan warship was a great platform to test the weapon thanks to its large deck area.
Several contractors attempted to build a railgun system for US ships for years, including BAE Systems, which created a prototype.
The gun was mooted to shoot projectiles at speeds of more than Mach 7 – that's seven times the speed of sound – over a range of 100 miles.
But the project was eventually scrapped due to budget issues and a lack of interest.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.
