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| Blitzer 2 MJ Prototype |
Mobile Pulser System |
GA designs and builds the pulse power systems that drive EM railguns. Energy is stored in capacitors, provided by General Atomics Electronic Systems, Inc (GA-ESI). This energy is then precisely switched and managed over the course of a few milliseconds in order to efficiently fire the railgun. Under contract to ONR, GA provided 81 MJ of pulsed power to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division’s Electromagnetic Launcher Test Facility. This system, called the Proof of Concept (PoC) system, combined with an older system that was refurbished, provides pulsed power for ONR’s 32 MJ Laboratory Launcher as well as GA’s Advanced Containment Launcher. Three racks, each storing 3 MJ of energy, are shown right.
As part of our Blitzer system, GA also designed and built the “Mobile Pulser System” (MPS), the pulsed power required to drive the Blitzer railgun. The system, developed and produced with internal funds, was designed to be transported to gun ranges. MPS represents a significant improvement in energy density over the PoC system. Currently, GA is under contract to ONR to develop
repetitive-fire pulsed power for the next generation of railguns.