Developing a Launch Package for the PEGASUS Launcher

Abstract

Abstract-Railguns are capable to far exceed the muzzle energies of current naval deck guns. Therefore one of the most promising scenario for the future application of railguns in naval warfare is the long range artillery. Hypervelocity projectiles being propelled to velocities above 2 km/s reach targets at distances of 200 km or more. At the French-German Research Institute the PEGASUS launcher is used for investigations with respect to this scenario. The 6 m long barrel has a square caliber of 40 mm. The power supply unit is able to deliver 10 MJ to the gun. Within this investigation, a complete launch package is being developed and experiments are performed that aim at showing that this package can be accelerated to velocities ranging from 2000 m/s to 2500 m/s. A launch package consists out of an armature, a sabot and the projectile. The armature ensures the electrical contact during launch and pushes the sabot with its payload through the barrel. The sabot guides and protects the payload during the acceleration. At the same time the accelerating forces generated at the armature needs to be transferred to the projectile. After the launch package has left the barrel, the sabot should open and release its payload, the projectile into free-flight. Here the the current status of the launch package development and results from Experiments with the PEGASUS railgun are presented. I. IntroductionThe PEGASUS railgun installation at the French-German Research Institute (ISL) is being used for experiments in support of research for a long range artillery scenario. In future and current modern naval ships, the electric power requirements for a large muzzle energy railgun can be meet [1], [2]. Compared to existing naval deck guns the large muzzle velocities of 2 km/s to 3 km/s require the development of new guided hypervelocity projectiles. In response to this, activities for the design of such a projectile have started at ISL. The sub-caliber projectile is embedded in a sabot when launched with a railgun. This sabot ensures the mechanical contact to the armature, guidance through the railgun barrel and mechanical protection. Depending on the sensitivity of the on-board electronics of the projectile the sabot might also need to incorporate a shielding function against electromagnetic interference from the electromagnetic fields during railgun operation. The assembly of the armature, the sabot and the projectile is termed launch package. After the launch package has left the barrel, the projectile has to separate from the armature and sabot to embark on its free flight trajectory. Work at other research labs concerning the development and testing of electromagnetic gun launch packages is described in the recent literature [3]- [6]. The aim of the investigation described in this report is to demonstrate that close to realistic projectiles can be successfully launched with the existing railgun

Simulation and Generation of the In-born Strong Magnetic Environment During Railgun Launch

“…During the railgun launch process, the in-born magnetic field will reach several T and keep several milliseconds. Besides, it generally presents a waveform of a trapezoid [7][8][9][10]. In previous railgun ammunition safety tests, two kinds of magnetic fields were mainly adopted.…”

Analytical Performance Prediction of an Electromagnetic Launcher and Its Validation by Numerical Analyses and Experiments

“…For example, electromagnetic launchers (EMLs) or railguns have been developed to install battleships by the US Navy and the Chinese Navy since 1995 and 2011, respectively [1][2][3]. Moreover, the French-German Research Institute has developed the PEGASUS Launcher, having a 10-Mega Joule (MJ) pulse power system, to increase efficiency and high muzzle velocity [4][5][6]. The most attractive advantage of an EML is the ability to obtain higher projectile velocities than conventional gunpowder-type guns.…”

Power Supply Options for a Naval Railgun

“…Within this research effort, it was demonstrated in the laboratory that velocities above 3 km/s are achievable [1]. Further on, a preliminary launch package design was developed and tested to show that hypervelocity projectiles can be launched using railguns [4]. In the longrange artillery scenario, the projectile is launched under a steep firing angle to reach the distant target on a ballistic trajectory.…”