China was able to put electromagnetic weapons on a warship

It looks like China has beaten the US in the race to first mount an electromagnetic weapon on a warship.

Electromagnetic cannons are devices that use electromagnetism to fire projectiles over long distances, achieving much higher velocities than weapons of a similar size. They are especially useful in naval warfare and in order to exterminate as many enemies as possible with the lowest possible risk of detection.

Electromagnetic guns require a very large capacity battery; moreover, their barrels tend to disintegrate. The United States has not yet managed to produce a small enough battery or a strong enough barrel for a warship. Attempts to do so have been going on for over a decade.

The Chinese Navy seems to have won over the US, although it is uncertain whether their weapons are actually operational. According to reports, a Chinese ship called Haiyang Shan, possibly carrying this type of armament in the bow, was spotted on the Yangtze River just prior to testing in the Pacific. The South China Sea area has recently been an area of ​​particular tension between China and the United States. However, it is unlikely that the outcome of a possible conflict would depend on the possession of an electromagnetic weapon. After all, both countries are nuclear superpowers, so most likely nuclear weapons would play a leading role in this matter.

[Źródło: livescience.com; grafika: U.S. Navy]

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