Best Of: The Revolution of the Railgun

By Scott Forney

Scott Forney is the President of the Electromagnetic Systems (EMS) Group of General Atomics. Mr. Forney joined GA in November 2007. Under his guidance, EMS Group continues as a leading Department of Defense contractor in high power electromagnetic equipment and systems. Recent achievements of GA-EMS include successful railgun hypersonic launches, Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) launches, and the expansion of the GA-EMS state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Tupelo, Mississippi.

For this year’s Fourth of July feature, The Cipher Brief revisits its coverage on electromagnetic railguns. Capable of firing projectiles at speeds of Mach 7 to strike targets over 100 miles away, electromagnetic railgun systems for the Navy and the Army are now reaching the final stages of development and could become operational for roles ranging from missile defense to naval surface warfare within the next few years. The Cipher Brief talked with Scott Forney, President of the Electromagnetic Systems Group at General Atomics to find out just how close this revolutionary technology is to practical application.

The Cipher Brief: What new advantages does the Blitzer Electromagnetic Railgun system provide for modern warfare, and what role has General Atomics-Electromagnetic Systems Group (GA-EMS) played in the development of this technology writ large?

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