Electric Gun
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The potential and power of launching a projectile using
electro-magnetic force have fascinated inventors and researchers ever
since the solenoid was invented. However, none of the attempts was
successful. During World War II Germany started two separate projects
to study electric propulsion. The first was headed by an engineer and
consultant to the Siemens company named Muck. Muck proposed a
solenoid-type gun to be built in a hillside near the Lille coal fields
in France, since 50,000 tons of anthracite per month would be needed
to generate the electricity to power the gun. This gun was designed to
attack London from a range of 248km with 204.5kg shells. In 1943
Reichsminister Albert Speer was notified of the proposal, which was
rejected as impractical after examination by a number of scientists
and technical experts. An electric gun for air-defense was also designed. Engineer Hansler of the Gesellschaft f�r Geratbau put forward this idea in 1944. It was based on the linear motor principle and promised a 6,000 rounds per minute rate of fire from a multiple-barreled installation, a velocity of over 1829m/sec and shells containing 500g of explosive. The Luftwaffe accepted the basic concept for use as an anti-aircraft gun. Intensive tests with an electro-magnetic discharge mechanism were made on a 20mm anti-aircraft gun. The tests began in Berlin and were later continued in the foothills of the Alps, where firing tests were carried out against the slopes of the Wetterstein mountain. A muzzle velocity 2,000m/sec was attained. Preliminary assessments showed that conventional generators would easily and cheaply generate the necessary 3,900 kilowatts per gun. Later it was found that a considerable amount of energy was needed, and a new type of condenser was developed. It was hoped that the new condenser would bring an improvement, but the tests were not finished before the war's end. Work on a prototype gun began in February 1945 but was not finished before the war's end. The gun fell into the hands of the Americans. After the war the Allies closely studied the project, but eventually it was calculated that each gun would have required the services of a major city's power station. The project has never been revived. |
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Technical data and/or diagram of the Electric Gun. |