Hybrid Variable Velocity Electric Gun

The deployment of the C-RAM weapon system in and around urban/suburban has increased the desire of the Army to have the ability to"dial in"a velocity to guns for response to a wider range of scenarios. Responding to this request, TRI/Austin will build upon its successful electro-thermal gun and projectile program and proposes designing, fabricating, and testing an electro-thermal chemical launcher capable of operating on air or a hybrid liquid working fluid as a feasibility test-bed for larger caliber launchers that will evolve into a replacement/upgrade for C-RAM. TRI/Austin will team with the Institute for Advanced Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, with a world class pulsed power facility and gun range for testing the prototype design. Projectiles up to .45 caliber in electrically conductive and non-conductive materials will be tested at up to C-RAM velocities (1,030 m/s). Research and development will be conducted to shrink the propellant mechanism down to a one-use cartridge. This program has the potential to increase soldier safety (removal of propellant) and serve as a template for exploring modification to additional gun systems to achieve variable velocity.