Navy shows off new electromagnetic railgun

SAN DIEGO, CA (KTRK) -- A $250 million Navy project could change the way the U.S. fights wars.

The Navy is showing off its new electromagnetic railgun. The long-range weapon fires projectiles using electricity generated by the ship instead of gunpowder.

The electromagnetic force then accelerates a missile to mach 7.5. The projectile can go an estimated 50 to 100 nautical miles and hit a target with the same force as a freight train that's traveling a hundred miles an hour.

The new railgun is also much cheaper than traditional guns on ships costing just $25,000 each.

"We want the American public to know now that we have a gun system that is so effective and so affordable that now our advisories will know that before they even try to do something to our nation that they will never win," said Chief of Naval Research Matthew L. Klunder.

The railgun is scheduled to go operational in 2018.