IDEF 2017: Turkey joins railgun club (9. Mai 2017)
Turkish electronic specialists Aselsan are showcasing a new railgun concept at this year's IDEF exhibition in Istanbul, which may lead to a fully-developed system in the next decade.
Known as the 'Tufan' (Turkish for storm), the railgun could be integrated onto several platforms including vessels or ground vehicles, as well as be used as a static weapon system on land. It could be utilised for indirect/direct fire missions against ground and naval targets or be used as an anti-aircraft weapon.
An Aselsan spokesperson told Shephard that the project was still in the research and development phase, with the company testing a lab-based launcher system.
'The current launcher we have is small, but we are developing bigger launchers to get more muzzle velocity,' he explained.
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/land ... lgun-club/Aselsan's current testing of Tufan is focused on incrementally boosting the muzzle velocity, and also increasing the overall efficiency of the system. 'And then we are aiming to develop a family of munitions which will include smart munitions.'
These could include airburst munitions and guided projectiles for a ground-based indirect fire capability. Forces equipped with a railgun artillery system would be able to hit targets at stand-off distances, well out of range of traditional guns.
'As your range increases then you need to deliver it to the target accurately,' said the spokesperson. 'To do it precisely you need some kind of guidance [for the projectile].'
