China is betting big on electromagnetic railguns and catapults
Just as the U.S. Navy is pulling away from the technology.
By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer Yesterday at 2:30pm
China has been making under-the-radar advances in railguns and other electromagnetic technologies, a move that's particularly notable considering the U.S. Navy has just recently reduced its efforts developing this kind of technology.
Despite previous plans to install this multi-megawatt railgun on the USNS Trenton, recent shifting budget priorities in late 2017 may mean that this railgun may never be carried on a U.S. Navy warship.
As opposed to gunpowder, railguns use electromagnetic energy to sling out a projectile, which means there's potential for far greater speed and range—the equivalent of a cannon with missile effects. Essentially, a railgun is an electromagnetic-powered cannon that's fires hypersonic shells by applying parallel magnetic fields (or "rails") on the shells
https://www.popsci.com/china-electromagnetic-railgun-catapults
