Hot shot

From ultra-violent science fiction to post-apocalyptic video games, the idea of weapons that use electromagnetic force to launch projectiles at devastating speed has been around for some time. But while Hollywood’s take on the concept has been employed to great effect by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the technology is not without real-world precedents, and many believe that the potential destructive power of EM weapons will put them at the heart of future military strategies.

Now world-leading engineering developments underway in the UK could inspire a revival of interest in a concept that has not received such scrutiny since the US government unsuccessfully ploughed millions of dollars into EM weapons in the 1980s.

The concept behind EM railguns could not be simpler but, as is so often the case, the devil is in the detail. Ever since French scientist Andre Fauchon-Villeplée submitted patent applications for a railgun in 1916 — a project that was subsequently abandoned at the end of World War I — the technology required to make railguns a viable proposition has always lagged behind the theory.