The technology used at CERN, that of electromagnetic acceleration, is also being developed elsewhere — and not for subatomic particles, but for weapons. The latest phase of military research concerns “electromagnetic guns” that fire non-explosive projectiles, yet at such speed (five, six or seven times the speed of sound) that they inflict serious destruction without needing to explode. They are “kinetic-energy weapons”, in other words highly advanced catapults…
The photos above show such projectiles, as well as a (U.S.) prototype electromagnetic gun. The great advantage of this type of weapon is the low cost of both the (electromagnetic) launch and the projectiles. They are intended to definitively bury the “traditional concept of missile defense,” according to which an interceptor missile could strike an incoming missile (with a nuclear warhead) at high altitude within the Earth’s atmosphere: the famous “Star Wars” in its old form ended before it even began.
For a number of states (the relevant research is being carried out by all the major military powers: USA, Russia, China… as well as Israel…) the idea of “missile against missile” has proved particularly expensive and, ultimately, not sufficiently effective. In contrast, cheap non-explosive projectiles like the one in the photo above (current cost: only $21,000 apiece) could be fired in dozens or even hundreds, creating a “cloud of projectiles” capable of striking and destroying the incoming missile (or any other airborne target) simply by virtue of their momentum—this is the idea…
The only obstacle, for now, is the range of such projectiles: they retain a significant amount of kinetic energy only up to 100 kilometers of travel through the atmosphere. This, obviously, relates to the acceleration they achieve inside the electromagnetic cannon. Therefore, research for improvement continues…