Railguns have moved beyond the realm of first-person shooters on a video screen—one was demonstrated earlier this week at the Naval Surface Warfare Center that could put the serious hurt on you, making you feel like you've been hit by a Ford Taurus at 380mph. US Navy brass like the idea of the futuristic weapon, which makes today's Navy's 5-inch rifles with their 15-mile range look like pea shooters.

This railgun monster, propelling its 7-pound projectile with electric current along parallel rails, has a range of 250 nautical miles and packs the same punch as a more-expensive Tomahawk cruise missile. It could take down an entire building with one shot. Plus, dangerous explosives aren't necessary, because this beast does the equivalent of throwing big rocks at 11,500fps. That's gotta hurt. An even more powerful version will be delivered in June. – Charlie White

A missile punch at bullet prices [The Free Lance-Star]

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