Railgun Ammo-Firing Cannon Being Eyed By Air Force For Cruise Missile Defense (Updated)
Air Force self-propelled guns firing hypervelocity shells could be a novel answer to the cruise missile threat abroad and at home.
BY
JOSEPH TREVITHICK
MAY 1, 2022 6:02 PM
The U.S. Air Force is asking for funds in its budget request for the 2023 Fiscal Year to build and test a prototype self-propelled gun designed to shoot down incoming cruise missiles. The service has presented the weapon, which could use ammunition originally developed for the U.S. Navy's abortive railgun program, primarily as a possible expeditionary base defense asset. However, it could have other applications, especially given renewed concerns about the threats that cruise missiles pose to military and other critical targets within the United States.
The Air Force's proposed budget for the 2023 Fiscal Year asks for almost $89.1 million to support various "lifecycle prototyping" activities, including the construction of "a C-130 transportable/deployable Hypervelocity Ground Weapon System (HGWS) prototype." It is unclear how much of that funding is expected to go to the HGWS effort specifically.
Details about the Hypervelocity Ground Weapon System, among other things, from a section of the Air Force's 2023 Fiscal Year budget proposal covering various "lifecycle prototyping" efforts. USAF
USAF
Work to "integrate the system into an existing joint service battle management system, and test its effectiveness against incoming cruise missiles as part of a life [sic; live] fire experiment" are part of the Fiscal Year 2023 goals for the HGWS project, according to recently released Air Force budget documents. "The HGWS prototype will rapidly deploy to a remote location to understand the effectiveness of expeditionary operations."
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/counter-cruise-missile-cannon-firing-navy-railgun-ammo-being-eyed-by-air-force
