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Technology never ceases to advance and surprise us day after day, as experts from China point out. From the Asian country, a series of images have come to light from the Chinese state arms manufacturer South Industries Group (CSGC) in which, according to military experts, appears the world's fastest electromagnetic coil gun, which is capable of firing 3,000 times per minute, something unprecedented so far.
How the new Chinese technology works
The CSGC has kept the technology secret, but a paper published in the Journal of Gun Launch & Control by a team of military scientists says it is the world's first capacitor-free electromagnetic coil gun.
Capacitors store electrical energy and, until now, coilguns had this to give a quick discharge, something that delayed recharging. However, in this weapon, this is not the case, since it uses several lithium batteries that end the charging cycle of the capacitor, reaching in the first tests with a 3D printed prototype no more and no less than 2,777 rounds per minute.
The design of the experimental rifle has 20 stages of 25 mm long copper coil in a compact chassis inspired by the Belgian P90 submachine gun. The system has a timing to activate the coils only two mm before the projectile enters and cut power 35 mm after it exits, something that makes acceleration maximum. In addition, this weapon will prevent the battery from being overloaded with the 750 A peaks thanks to safety fuses.
An ideal weapon for riot control
The test prototype reached a projectile speed higher than 300 km/h, an ideal figure for non-lethal riot control. However, the study claims that this speed can be scaled up to lethal ends.
With a cadence five times faster than the AK-47, no muzzle flash and adjustable lethality, the study concludes: "Continuous fire at high speeds deters approaching threats and neutralizes enemy reactions, something ideal for controlling riots". It is worth noting that despite the advantages mentioned, the technology still has obstacles to overcome such as relatively low accuracy and a battery charging time of one hour, a somewhat high period.