EDA selects Pilum consortium for EM railgun research
The European Defence Agency (EDA) has selected the Projectiles for Increased Long-Range effects Using Electro-Magnetic (Pilum) consortium to lead research into an electromagnetic (EM) railgun.
The project is expected to run until 2022 and aims to provide evidence that an EM railgun is capable of launching hypervelocity projectiles with precision over a distance of several hundred kilometres.
Using EM force by injection of very high currents into conducting rails, the railgun can accelerate projectiles at higher velocities than a chemical gun.
Pilum is co-ordinated by the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) and is part of the European Commission-financed Preparatory Action on Defence Research (PADR) research programme.
The consortium includes nine partners from five European countries: Diehl (Germany); Erdyn Consultants, Naval Group, Nexter Systems and Nexter Munitions (France); Exploment (Poland); ICAR (Italy); ISL (France and Germany); and the Von Karman Research Institute (Belgium).
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