Railguns have some serious power and while we are used to seeing them in the movies, the government is always busy testing out new ways to use them. The U.S. Navy just fired a metal projectile that destroyed a target a hundred miles away.

The railgun’s operation is pretty straightforward. It uses an electrical charge measured in megajoules as a propellant, which allows the large ordnance to be fired and detonated quickly. The recent test struck the distant target in a matter of minutes.

How many games have you played that featured a railgun as a weapon? I’m guessing just a few under a thousand. From Halo to Stargate to the movie Eraser, railguns are just as much a part of the sci-fi genre as bad acting and large-chested blue aliens. Now however, railguns are no longer science fiction. They are a reality for the US Navy.

The Navy demonstrated its new toy at the Naval Surface Warfare Center. The weapon uses electromagnetism to propel non-explosive projectiles to high speeds. The new weapon should increase the range of US Navy vessels as well as decrease the cost. The railgun is expected to replace the expensive Tomahawk missile saving the Navy a lot of money. Because of the speed of the projectile …