Rail Electromagnetic Launchers Powered by Pulsed MHD Generators

A rapid-fire electromagnetic multirail launcher design for sequential acceleration of several projectiles is proposed. A powerful pulsed MHD system is used as the primary source of electrical energy for the launcher. Embodiments of the launcher with direct powering from the MHD system and from an MHD generator with an intermediate inductive energy storage (IES) are considered. The operating modes and performance of the launchers are studied by methods of mathematical modeling. The rate of fire of the launcher, the maximum number of sequentially launched projectiles, and projectile velocities are determined.