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New York, 11:14 PM
Mon Dec 7
52 posts in the last 24 hours

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  • posts about #railgun more →

    US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time

    DIY Rail Gun is Terrifying, Comes with Building Instructions

    Navy Rail Gun Test DESTROYS Everything It Touches at 5,640 mph

    Top 12 Guns for Geeks and Gadget Goons

    Awesome Railgun Demoed, Navy Gives the Thumbs Up
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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of Ryan J Whiteman Nester Ryan J Whiteman Nester
    11/12/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    pretty soon its going to be mounted to a bi-pedal nuclear equipped walking battle tank. #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo promoted this comment Ryan J Whiteman Nester was starred Ryan J Whiteman Nester was unstarred
    Image of thegreatpablo thegreatpablo
    11/12/09

    @Ryan J Whiteman Nester: Shagohod? #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo was starred thegreatpablo was unstarred
    Image of Mecharine Mecharine
    11/12/09

    @thegreatpablo: No, Shagohod is a rocket propelled tank. #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo promoted this comment Mecharine was starred Mecharine was unstarred
    Image of thegreatpablo thegreatpablo
    11/12/09

    @Mecharine: Shagohod was a mobile tank capable of firing a nuclear warhead from anywhere, it was the precursor to Metal Gear. #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo was starred thegreatpablo was unstarred
    Image of Ryan J Whiteman Nester Ryan J Whiteman Nester
    11/12/09

    @thegreatpablo: and shagohod was a rocket tank, not a bi-pedal walking tank #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo promoted this comment Ryan J Whiteman Nester was starred Ryan J Whiteman Nester was unstarred
    Image of thegreatpablo thegreatpablo
    11/12/09

    @Ryan J Whiteman Nester: I guess the reference was lost on all of you. ;) I more than anything, I was acknowledging the reference to metal gear by bringing up the first of it's kind. #blitzer
     Reply
    thegreatpablo was starred thegreatpablo was unstarred
    Image of Ryan J Whiteman Nester Ryan J Whiteman Nester
    11/13/09

    @thegreatpablo: No i got it...Snake Eater...I know. But that has nothing to do with a rail-gun.

    Nice try tho... #blitzer
     Reply
    Ryan J Whiteman Nester was starred Ryan J Whiteman Nester was unstarred
    Image of Joel Trost Joel Trost
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    Jesus Diaz, I'm an engineer at General Atomics and the guys working on this project are down the hall from me. This is a Navy project, for Navy ships. Nothing to do with army with exception of tests taking place on an Army base.

    Please get facts before posting lies, [www.ga.com] #blitzer
     Reply
    Sticks Calhoun approved this comment Joel Trost was starred Joel Trost was unstarred
    Image of Sticks Calhoun Sticks Calhoun
    11/12/09

    @Joel Trost: Mistakes are made, there's no need to accuse people of posting lies. Linking the article like you did does enough to explain that, yes, these tests were carried out under contract with the Navy. There is no need to assume malicious activity on the part of the bloggers. Mistakes happen. You point them out, they get corrected. #blitzer
     Reply
    Sticks Calhoun was starred Sticks Calhoun was unstarred
    Image of YingYangCounter YingYangCounter
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    Ever notice that "sci fi" guns shoot slow? I am remined by a quote in Stargate. (paraphrase) A staff weapon is for intimidation, a Gun is a weapon of war.
    Even Annubis realised this, which his why his super soldiers had multiple rate of fire lethal lasers... , my point? This Rail Gun thing, is still firmly in the "Weapon of Intimidation Stage." #blitzer
     Reply
    Duckspwn approved this comment YingYangCounter was starred YingYangCounter was unstarred
    Image of Duckspwn Duckspwn
    11/11/09

    @YingYangCounter: Imho, intimidation is often a major factor in combat. Strike fear in your enemies, and your chances of succeeding multiply. Having the psychological edge can be a huge asset in any conflict.
     Reply
    Edited by Duckspwn at 11/11/09 9:10 PM Duckspwn was starred Duckspwn was unstarred
    Image of AmishJohn AmishJohn
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    We're one step closer to Tau Hammerheads... #blitzer
     Reply
    AmishJohn was starred AmishJohn was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time

    Oh ho ho. It won't be long before we can protect ourselves from Transformers invasion. #blitzer
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of Jrsy Devil's Advocate® Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    Can they mount one of these on an M1 Abrams tank? #blitzer
     Reply
    Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was starred Jrsy Devil's Advocate® was unstarred
    Image of Jeb_Hoge Jeb_Hoge
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    This won't be mounted on anything really combat-oriented and mobile for a while, though. They'll have to have a really efficient power system and a really short cycle time to make it fieldworthy. And they'll never stick one on a UCAV when precision-guided weapons like SBD-II (250lb gliding bomb with three-in-one targeting) or Hellfire are widely available, lethally effective, and easy to integrate. #blitzer
     Reply
    Jeb_Hoge was starred Jeb_Hoge was unstarred
    Image of caine3320 caine3320
    11/11/09

    @Jeb_Hoge: Meh. I think they'll probably stick to having it mounted on other vehicles, like the Navy has done with theirs (one of these, maybe smaller, on an M1-A1 would be pretty sexy). I heard something about the possibility of one being affixed to the underside of one of the Air Force's larger planes from my cousin (who works for CENTCOM), but that was mostly idle chatter and speculation. I doubt the airframes could handle the stress involved. As well as the fact that such an electromagnetic field would probably screw the avionics so badly the plane would simply stop dead, in mid-air, and drop like a stone. #blitzer
     Reply
    Jeb_Hoge promoted this comment caine3320 was starred caine3320 was unstarred
    Image of Jeb_Hoge Jeb_Hoge
    11/11/09

    @caine3320: Build the rig into one of those tank movers and have it be static in traverse with limited elevation capability. Kill enemy armor from 20km. :) #blitzer
     Reply
    Jeb_Hoge was starred Jeb_Hoge was unstarred
    Image of caine3320 caine3320
    11/12/09

    @Jeb_Hoge: I like you. #blitzer
     Reply
    caine3320 was starred caine3320 was unstarred
    Image of JPizzzle JPizzzle
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    It's horrible to think of the amount of death this will cause. I can't glorify these weapons anymore, but gotta support the troops. Let's get some peace bitches! #blitzer
     Reply
    DustyButt™ approved this comment JPizzzle was starred JPizzzle was unstarred
    Image of DustyButt™ DustyButt™
    11/11/09

    @Jean-Pierre Assouad:

    The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.

    - Gen. Douglas MacArthur #blitzer
     Reply
    DustyButt™ was starred DustyButt™ was unstarred
    Image of JPizzzle JPizzzle
    11/11/09

    @DustyButt™: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

    Albert Einstein #blitzer
     Reply
    JPizzzle was starred JPizzzle was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    11/11/09

    @JPizzzle:

    "There never was a good war or a bad peace."

    -Ben Franklin

    "The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations."

    -David Friedman

    "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."

    -Eisenhower

    "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."

    -Asimov

    "It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."

    -Robert E Lee

    Sadly, that last one, with regard to remote predator drones and satellite guided cruise missiles, is becoming less and less true every day. #blitzer
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of [DFX] Deimos [DFX] Deimos
    11/11/09

    @nutbastard:

    "Force, my friends, is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authority is derived. Naked force has resolved more issues throughout history than any other factor, and the contrary opinion that violence never solves anything, is wishful thinking at its worst. People who forget that always pay."

    -Robert A. Heinlein #blitzer
     Reply
    AmishJohn promoted this comment [DFX] Deimos was starred [DFX] Deimos was unstarred
    Image of shadydentist shadydentist
    11/11/09

    @[DFX] Deimos: It should be pointed out that Robert Heinlein did not actually believe this. #blitzer
     Reply
    nutbastard promoted this comment shadydentist was starred shadydentist was unstarred
    Image of [DFX] Deimos [DFX] Deimos
    11/12/09

    @shadydentist: If true, it matters naught. #blitzer
     Reply
    [DFX] Deimos was starred [DFX] Deimos was unstarred
    Image of Geckodelimon Geckodelimon
    11/12/09

    @nutbastard:

    "It's a trick. Get an axe."
    -- Ashley J. "Ash" Williams, "Evil Dead II"
     Reply
    nutbastard promoted this comment Edited by Geckodelimon at 11/12/09 11:08 AM Geckodelimon was starred Geckodelimon was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    11/12/09

    @Geckodelimon:

    oooh I'm sorry, the correct answer is "Army of Darkness". We do have some lovely consolation prizes for you. Thanks for playing. #blitzer
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    11/12/09

    @shadydentist:

    well... yes and no. he certainly believed in a well armed citizenry. but as a libertarian, he was adamantly against the initiation of the use of force.

    then again, heinlein had a lot of other things to say, you know, about cloning yourself as twin 12 year old girls and sleeping with them? so while i enjoy his work (and i've read 'em all!) and i am a libertarian, i dont always turn to old heiny for pearls of wisdom :P #blitzer
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of Michai Michai
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    I think some weapon tech Discovery program had a feature on this last year. Thats one bad ass mix of energy and metal. #blitzer
     Reply
    Michai was starred Michai was unstarred
    Image of ruffus910 ruffus910
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    I would like to hear more about an alleged "singularity cannon" being developed by the US Army that creates a quantum singularity in a spot to vaporize all matter in an instant. My physics teacher told me about it, without telling me. He worked on a "project for the military relating to our lesson". Quite terrifying. He quit after he found what it was going to be used for.

    Decimating an entire city, leaving absolutely no trace of it whatsoever. #blitzer
     Reply
    met2art promoted this comment ruffus910 was starred ruffus910 was unstarred
    Image of met2art met2art
    11/11/09

    @ruffus910: Did he tell you about the rest of the cool stuff you can get in Crysis? #blitzer
     Reply
    met2art was starred met2art was unstarred
    Image of dingus dingus
    11/11/09

    In reply to US Army Rail Gun Fires for the First Time
    Looks dangerous. I hope the Navy listens to Reason. #blitzer
     Reply
    dingus was starred dingus was unstarred
    Image of Thee Sea Thee Sea
    11/11/09

    @dingus: ...

    It's a GUN. #blitzer
     Reply
    Thee Sea was starred Thee Sea was unstarred
    Image of Jeb_Hoge Jeb_Hoge
    11/11/09

    @dingus: Is Reason's firmware up to date? #blitzer
     Reply
    Jeb_Hoge was starred Jeb_Hoge was unstarred
    Image of Gary_7vn Gary_7vn
    09/14/09

    In reply to DIY Rail Gun is Terrifying, Comes with Building Instructions
    My grandad had a bunch of old Mechanix Illustrated and Popular Science magazines going back to the 40's and 50's. I have a clear memory of a cover story on how to build an electromagnet gun the sent an object forward using electromagnetic coils. The funny thing is that it was for kids. Ah the good old days, when you could shoot your brother's eye out...

    All the old issues are on google books, there is some really cool stuff on moon landings, robots, cities of the future.
     Reply
    Gary_7vn was starred Gary_7vn was unstarred
    Image of Phong Phong
    09/14/09

    In reply to DIY Rail Gun is Terrifying, Comes with Building Instructions
    I don't really understand what 5.6kJ would be comparable too. More useful specs would be the FPS / PSI (of impact) maybe even temperature.

    I would have liked to see if it could embed something into a piece of wood.

    I am out of my element. No frame of reference here.
     Reply
    nutbastard: back from burningman promoted this comment Phong was starred Phong was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    09/14/09

    @Mess Yo Self!: a .50 caliber browning machine gun bullet has 17.1kJ of energy - a little over 3 times what this thing puts out. same if it's fired from a barrett 50 cal.

    a comparable ballistic would be a winchester .458 magnum bullet, which would generate 6.8kJ- still higher than this thing, so figure a standard .45 (perhaps a magnum?) is about 5.6Kj
     Reply
    Edited by nutbastard at 09/14/09 4:08 PM nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of nutbastard nutbastard
    09/14/09

    @Mess Yo Self!:

    short answer: 5.6kJ is more than enough to fuck your day up.
     Reply
    nutbastard was starred nutbastard was unstarred
    Image of aerospaceman aerospaceman
    09/12/09

    In reply to DIY Rail Gun is Terrifying, Comes with Building Instructions
    I could do more damage with a fart if I let it build long enough. And more fireworks if I hold a lighter to my rear rail gun.
     Reply
    Nahir promoted this comment aerospaceman was starred aerospaceman was unstarred
    Image of dingus dingus
    09/12/09

    In reply to DIY Rail Gun is Terrifying, Comes with Building Instructions
    Impressive.
     Reply
    dingus was starred dingus was unstarred
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