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U.S. ARMY WATERVLIET ARSENAL SALV Since 1813 “Service to the Line, On the Line, On Time” Vol. 08, No. 5 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal, Watervliet, NY (www.wva.army.mil) Dec. 31, 2008 Arsenal Briefs Body Forge Have you thought about your New Year’s resolu- tion? If so, for only $10 you can have unlimited use of the remodeled Body Forge facility. Please call Kyle at 266-4829 for more information. Office/Shop Inspection Now that your attention has been captured, Col. Scott N. Fletcher will conduct a “holiday” walkthrough of the Arsenal on 22 Dec. beginning at 8 a.m. So, Mike Ippolito, this is an early warning for you to hide your comic books. Holiday Decorations Not to be the Scrooge of Watervliet, but all holiday The electormagnetic gun concept was the cover story in the 1932 Modern Mechanics magazine. decorations need to be tak- en down by 5 Jan., unless you are John Hockenbury Benét, Arsenal Electrify Old Concept when everyday is a holi- By John B. Snyder gun system that will once again but also will increase the day. change the history of warfare destructive power and accuracy The Chinese are widely - maybe for the next thousand of lighter munitions. And, a Arsenal Town Hall known to have discovered years. weapon system that will also gunpowder more than 1100 Imagine a weapon system improve Soldier survivability that eliminates the logistical on the battlefield by reducing Col. Scott N. Fletcher will years ago, an event that radically requirements of resupplying the enemy’s ability to acquire conduct his first Arsenal changed warfare from what was powder propellant to artillery, his firing position. Town Hall on 13 Jan., a very personal, hand-to-hand engagement to a beyond-the- tank, mortar, and navy gun The weapon system is an 1-3 p.m., building 110. horizon contest between armies. systems. A weapon system that electromagnetic railgun. You may submit questions But for the last 25 years, the will launch a lighter projectile An electromagnetic gun or issues for discussion U.S. Army Benét Laboratories in excess of seven times the consists of two parallel rails to Linda Shaw, command at the Watervliet Arsenal has speed of sound, which will group, not later than 8 Jan. been quietly working on a new not only increase the range, Please see railgun on page 3 Page 2 Arsenal-Salvo Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 Commander’s Corner As another year draws to a I ask you to close, I want to thank you for take a minute your sense of duty supporting to assess where our nation’s warfighters. you are. Reflecting on what we have achieved this past year as an Throughout organization and as a team, is the United States, there is moment to put on safety gloves nothing short of phenomenal. tremendous concern about the to reduce accidents. And, being livelihood of millions as our better may mean that we make America has now been at war nation’s unemployment rate one more weld on a base plate for seven years in Afghanistan continues to climb. In fact, as before we go home for the day. and nearly six years in Iraq. I am writing this column, two From scientist to machinist, local manufacturing companies I ask you to take a look at how each member of the Arsenal have or will soon layoff more you can be better today than you workforce has significantly than 400 employees. were yesterday. contributed to the war effort. We should not accept or get You are a tremendous Whether it was designing an comfortable by the fact that the workforce who has helped make air conditioning unit for tankers Arsenal’s business is currently America safer. Take care of each or manufacturing new cannons doing well. other, so that we can make the for artillerymen, your efforts Arsenal safer, too. I am proud to have directly improved the As good as we are, we must serve with you and wish you the lethality and more importantly, strive to do better. Being better very best for a safe and joyous the survivability of our Soldiers. may mean that we shutoff lights holiday season and New Year. Simply, well done! and other electrical equipment to reduce our base operations Traditionally, entry into the expense. Being better may Scott N. Fletcher New Year is a time of reflection. mean that we take an extra Commanding “Forging On” Commander, Col. Scott N. Fletcher The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department Public Affairs Officer, John B. Snyder of Defense. Contents of the Watervliet Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or Editor, John B. Snyder endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense, or the Department of the Photographer, Billy Martin Army. News may be submitted to the Arsenal Salvo for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Since 1813 building 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication. Page 3 Arsenal-Salvo Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 Railgun from page 1 that launch a projectile using high-powered electrical pulses, versus, traditional gunpowder-type propellants. When a projectile is inserted into the breach, it completes a circuit. According to Robert J. Mysliwiec, Benét team leader for the Electromagnetic Railgun Program, the railgun uses electrical currents to generate very large magnetic forces to propel a projectile through a cannon at speeds up to 1.5 miles-per-second, which is nearly three times the velocity of today’s 155mm artillery systems. “We are at a point now in our research and development that we are able to move out of the laboratory and into the field to test fire an electromagnetic gun system,” Photo by Benét. said Mysliwiec. “We successfully test L-R, Tom Oathout, Andrew Littlefield, Bob Mysliwiec, and Joshua Root with 4-m gun at Benét. fired the railgun at Yuma Proving Ground in May 2007, August 2008, and will again unlike the Abrams tank tube. Although 4-meter railgun for test firing at the Yuma in the near future at Yuma, but at a much using carbon fiber wrap is not a new Proving Ground. higher electromagnetic pulse to test the technology, the process for the way the Some may consider this technology ultimate performance of the railgun,” tape is applied was new. to be revolutionary and something out of added Mysliwiec. “By increasing the tension of the carbon space science. But French inventor Louis Mysliwiec added that although Benét is fiber wrap from 60 lbs to 250 lbs and by Octave Fauchon-Villeplee invented an not the only military weapon research center electric cannon in 1918, and was issued a in the world to develop an electromagnetic curing the tape with hot nitrogen gas, we US patent for this gun system in 1922. gun. It is, however, the first research and were able to strengthen the railgun structure And in 1932, Modern Mechanics design facility to successfully fire one that to withstand extremely high repulsive magazine ran a one-page story about an looks and feels like a weapon as opposed to pressures while achieving a significant electric cannon with a lead paragraph a laboratory experiment. reduction in gun tube weight compared to proclaiming, “Silent guns sending their With an increased electrical charge, there today’s cannon systems,” said Littlefield. whistling messengers of death into the sky will be a demonstrated, if not dramatic, It is one thing for Benét to design a new at speeds far beyond those now attained by increase in the velocity of the projectile. weapon system, but all is for naught if no powder-driven shells seem likely for the Increased velocity increases range, as well one can manufacture the gun. next war, using for propulsion magnetic as the power of impact, kinetic energy, of a Jack Henry is the electromagnetic fields so powerful that when they are round when it hits a target. gun program manager at the Watervliet short-circuited they produce miniature According to Eric Kathe, Ph.D., who Arsenal production facility, which is the earthquakes.” has been on the Benét Electromagnetic manufacturer of military hardware for Railgun team for nearly 20 years, the tank, artillery and mortar systems for the Benét, RAVEN Award U.S. Army. Because Benét is collocated railgun program had significant challenges “Rarefaction Wave Gun Tank Main to overcome. with the Arsenal, Henry works about 10 “The magnetic forces that act to propel minutes away from Benét and he is not Armament Demonstrator” authored a projectile through a railgun apply a long on small talk. by Dr. Eric Kathe, Mr. Kevin Miner, substantial pressure that pushes the rails When asked what gave him faith that and Dr. Robert Dillon was voted best apart. Therefore, the railgun housing must this futuristic gun would see success paper in the Lethality Technologies be a robust structure to contain the rails,” when earlier attempts at developing an category at the 26th Army Science said Kathe. electromagnetic gun have failed, he said, Conference. Rarefaction waVe “The major challenge was how to build “The difference is that Benét Laboratories designed this gun.” guN (RAVEN) propulsion is a a railgun system that would not be too widely acclaimed method to impart massive of a structure or too heavy to fit In addition to the challenges experienced by designers at Benét, Henry said there maximum energy into a projectile on future combat systems,” said Kathe.