General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has developed a High Energy Pulsed Power Container (HEPPC) that provides twice the energy density than existing railgun pulsed power solutions. The HEPPC can reduce the number of pulsed power containers required to launch projectiles or hybrid missiles from a railgun weapon system, providing greater flexibility for future Navy and Army railgun applications.
GA-EMS internally-funded the development of the HEPPC in support of a Multi-mission Medium Range Railgun Weapons System, which integrates pulsed power, launcher, hybrid missile, and fire control technologies. Each HEPPC includes high energy pulsed power modules with an energy content of more than 415 kiloJoules (kJ) per module. Each module utilizes GA-EMS' world-record-breaking high energy density capacitors.
"For the past decade, GA-EMS has provided pulsed power in support of the Navy's railgun program," stated Nick Bucci, vice president Missile Defense and Space Systems at GA-EMS. "Our next generation HEPPC breaks our own energy density record and exceeds the capabilities of other available railgun pulsed power container solutions. What we have packed into a 10 foot standard shipping container is equivalent to what is currently available in a 20 foot shipping container, doubling the energy density to provide greater flexibility for ship and land-based installations and maneuverability for mobile applications."
"The HEPPC represents our commitment to pioneering the development of critical power and energy technologies to support the military's current and future operational requirements," continued Bucci. "We continue to invest in and advance railgun technologies. We are performing risk reduction and technology maturation, and testing hybrid missiles under real-world conditions to provide critical capabilities needed to counter complex threats, cost effectively."
GA-EMS is advancing technology development toward multi-mission railgun weapon systems. Railguns launch hybrid missiles using electromagnetic forces instead of chemical propellants and can deliver muzzle velocities greater than twice those of conventional guns. GA-EMS' railgun technology, when integrated into a weapon system that includes the launcher, high density capacitor driven pulsed power and weapon fire control system, can launch hybrid missiles with shorter time-to-target and greater effectiveness at longer range.
Previously, GA-EMS announced that it had successfully developed and demonstrated pulsed power capacitors with an energy content of more than 415kJ, breaking a previous record established by GA-EMS by more than 20%.
"This represents what we consider a significant, world-record-breaking milestone in the development of higher energy density capacitors," stated Bucci at the time of that announcement. "Our on-going research, development and maturing of high energy density capacitor technologies is enabling the creation of pulsed power systems powerful enough and compact enough to support the needs of our customers for both land and sea-based railgun applications."
Two separate pulsed power capacitors were successfully demonstrated 500 shots at 415kJ in a repetitive fire mode. GA-EMS is continuing testing to further demonstrate capacitor lifetimes to support railgun mission requirements.
"Electric-powered weapon systems place huge demands on pulsed power systems and in particular, the capacitors that comprise them," stated Bucci at the time of the earlier announcement. "Previously, the maximum stored energy for one of our large-platform capacitors was 340kJ. Now, with over 415kJ of energy content in a single capacitor, we're making significant gains in overall energy density to engineer and manufacture pulsed power systems to suit the more compact platform footprints of next generation railgun weapon systems."
