Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Gun-Launched Guided Projectile

Book excerpt: This report prepared for members of Congress and staff provides credible, current insight into the status of exotic weapons being developed for the US Navy, weapons which might be decisive in the event of a shooting war.Three new ship-based weapons being developed by the Navy-solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the gun-launched guided projectile (GLGP), also known as the hypervelocity projectile (HVP)-could substantially improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against surface craft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and eventually anti- ship cruise missiles (ASCMs).In addition to the question of whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's FY2021 funding requests for SSLs, EMRG, and HVP/GLGP, issues for Congress include the following: -whether the Navy is moving too quickly, too slowly, or at about the right speed in its efforts to develop these weapons;-the Navy's plans for transitioning these weapons from development to procurement and fielding of production models aboard Navy ships; and-whether Navy the Navy's shipbuilding plans include ships with appropriate amounts of space, weight, electrical power, and cooling capacity to accommodate these weapons