EARLIER THIS WEEK IT WAS SHIPS WITH LASER BEAMS: Navy’s Hypervelocity Railgun Could Be A Gamechanger.

“Hypervelocity” is a term of art in physics that has a somewhat fluid definition. In the case of artillery rounds, it denotes muzzle speeds in excess of about 1,000 meters per second. The railgun technology the Navy is testing today can achieve about twice that speed, potentially delivering much greater range than a conventional gun. At that velocity, many types of targets could be destroyed through the sheer energy of impact, without requiring an explosive warhead.

But the array of threats that warships must counter is constantly growing, so the Navy isn’t counting on kinetic energy alone to kill targets. The Hypervelocity Projectile will carry a guided warhead capable of delivering diverse effects depending on the mission. When mated to a railgun, it will create a shipboard defense system unlike anything else in existence. Not only would the survivability of warships be greatly enhanced, but their versatility in contributing to other missions like fire support of forces ashore would be boosted.

The lasers mentioned in the headline are for close-in defense, but a hypervelocity railgun is a long-range offensive weapon. Very long range. And if you’re on the receiving end of one, very offensive.