It is expected that threats that can only be dealt with by railguns will emerge in the future
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this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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it might be cheaper to use an electric powered weapon (like a railgun or lazer) than a chemical one (like a bomb or rocket) in some cases, like intercepting missiles
Doubtful, given that they are ridiculously expensive and can only manage a handfull of shots before the railgun rails burn out. The GAO says that military laser weapons still cost somewhere between $1 and $10 per shot, making them 2 to 20 times more expensive than regular bullets.
for the railgun the economics might not be favorable but
laser weapons still cost somewhere between $1 and $10 per shot, making them 2 to 20 times more expensive than regular bullets.
Bullets that can achieve the same amount of damage as the equivalent laser shot?
There are bullets and bullets. A 35mm flakpanzer round is very much not the same cost as a 9mm bullet from a random handgun.
Similarly, there are lasers and lasers. A 30kW laser like being tested in 2015 is nowhere near the 300 kW monsters like HELCAP meant for missile defence.
To compare, 300kW laser delivers 300.000 joules on target every second. Now, granted, that "target" might be a circle bigger than your actual target, but then, bullets can also miss. A 20mm solid bullet from a Phalanx CIWS delivers some 60.000 joules on target per hit. 300kW doesn't so much "heat the missile" as it "makes metal sublimate on the spot".
And then some, of course. The advantage of energy weapons is the speed of light, but they have negligible kinetic energy and zero penetration, relying on surface heating to cause damage. It typically takes them several seconds on target to knock out a drone, and even longer on missiles designed for hypersonic flight.
they have negligible kinetic energy and zero penetration, relying on surface heating to cause damage.
Once you're talking hundreds of kilowatts of average power (usually pulsed in much shorter increments) you're not really talking about "surface heating" but more about "metal instantly vaporizes" if you focus that beam on target.
But even then, you don't need to hit the explosives. Pumping THAT much energy into a target will absolutely destroy sensors even if does nothing kinetic.
I’m sure the projectile options are greater with electric power. It doesn’t have to withstand a tiny explosion or gas pressure.
Kaiju, dragons, starships, Rifts power armor, uh...space monsters/interdimensional mutants...others TBC 😅 /s
Of course Japan would defend against Kaiju.