A high-explosive round for a rectangular railgun bore cross section

A railgun bore with a rectangular cross section was found to be advantageous for the launch of a hypervelocity kinetic energy penetrator (KEP). Since guns are rarely used to execute a mission with a single type of round, it was important to assess the feasibility for rounds other than a KEP. An analysis is presented to support the operation of a mass-stabilized round with a high-explosive (HE) payload from the same rectangular bore cross section. Design criteria and two bounding cases are provided to illustrate the effectiveness. Removal of material from the bore insulators can provide space for the mass-stabilized projectile base diameter. The resultant HE round provides an increased capability as compared to conventionally launched HE rounds in velocity, armor penetration, and payload capacity. Furthermore, launch of kinetic energy and HE munitions from the same launcher provides increased mission capability.