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Railguns use an electromagnetic force known as the Lorentz Force to rapidly accelerate projectiles between a pair of conductive rails, firing them at a velocity greater than can be achieved by traditional guns and artillery.
This increased velocity means that projectiles do not need to have any explosive payload. Instead, the railgun simply fires a solid lump of metal, relying on the speed of its impact to transfer massive amounts of heat and kinetic energy to the target.
The navy has said that weapon represents "the future of naval combat" with current prototypes capable of punching through the hull of ship "like a freight train" due to be installed and tested on ships by 2016.
"The American public has never seen it," said Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, chief of naval research, in a telephone press conference.
A still of the weapon test firing at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Jaunary 2008. "Frankly, we think it might be the right time for them to know what we've been doing behind closed doors in a Star Wars fashion," he said. "It's now reality. It's not science fiction. It's real and you can look at it."
Because railguns do not require any explosive shells, the price of firing the weapon is massively reduced, with a 10kg projectile costing just $25,000 -1/100th the cost of a conventional missile.
"I really think it will give our adversaries a huge moment of pause to go, 'Do I even want to go engage a naval ship?' Because you are going to lose. You can throw anything at us, and the fact that we can shoot a number of these rounds at very affordable costs — it's my opinion that they don't win," said Klunder.
The technology for railguns was first proposed in the early 20 century but until now the cost of supplying the necessary electrical power has stopped the weapon from becoming practical.
The US navy has been developing the technology since 2005, with the team responsible adopting the latin motto of 'Velocitas Eradico', roughly translating as 'I who am speed, eradicates'.
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About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.
