The U.S. Navy is halting development of a high-tech weapon designed to fire projectiles at up to seven times the speed of sound. The Navy spent more than 10 years developing the weapon, called an electromagnetic railgun. The cannon-like railgun uses electricity instead of chemical substances to fire projectiles. A report released earlier this year by the Congressional Research Service stated that the Navy had been developing the railgun as a firing weapon to support U.S. Marines operations. The report said the development also centered on possible use of the railgun as a missile defense system. The move to cancel railgun development comes as the U.S. Department of Defense turns its attention to the development of hypersonic missiles, The Associated Press reports. Hypersonic is a term that relates to speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, also known as Mach 5. In addition to flying at extremely high speeds, hypersonic weapons are designed to move in ways that make them difficult to find and destroy in flight. The U.S. military has been putting money into the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years in an effort to keep up with hypersonic military programs in China and Russia. Matthew Caris is a defense expert with the private advisory company Avascent Group. He told the AP that “the railgun is, for the moment, dead.” The halt in railgun development, Caris said, suggests that the Navy saw difficulties in implementing the technology. In addition, the Navy likely recognized that hypersonic missiles have higher performing abilities than the railgun, he added.
Title: US Navy Cancels Development of High-Tech Railgun Weapon
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='US Navy Cancels Development of High-Tech Railgun Weapon' data-article-id='5736'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='13854'>The U.S. Navy is halting development of a high-tech weapon designed to fire projectiles at up to seven times the speed of sound.</span> <span data-start-time='13854' data-end-time='23771'>The Navy spent more than 10 years developing the weapon, called an electromagnetic railgun.</span> <span data-start-time='23771' data-end-time='34688'>The cannon-like railgun uses electricity instead of chemical substances to fire projectiles.</span> <span data-start-time='34688' data-end-time='52479'>A report released earlier this year by the Congressional Research Service stated that the Navy had been developing the railgun as a firing weapon to support U.S. Marines operations. </span> <span data-start-time='52479' data-end-time='63750'>The report said the development also centered on possible use of the railgun as a missile defense system.</span> <span data-start-time='63750' data-end-time='81292'>The move to cancel railgun development comes as the U.S. Department of Defense turns its attention to the development of hypersonic missiles, The Associated Press reports.</span> <span data-start-time='81292' data-end-time='93542'>Hypersonic is a term that relates to speeds of more than five times the speed of sound, also known as Mach 5. </span> <span data-start-time='93542' data-end-time='109000'>In addition to flying at extremely high speeds, hypersonic weapons are designed to move in ways that make them difficult to find and destroy in flight.</span> <span data-start-time='109000' data-end-time='126542'>The U.S. military has been putting money into the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years in an effort to keep up with hypersonic military programs in China and Russia.</span> <span data-start-time='126542' data-end-time='134625'>Matthew Caris is a defense expert with the private advisory company Avascent Group. </span> <span data-start-time='134625' data-end-time='141625'>He told the AP that “the railgun is, for the moment, dead.”</span> <span data-start-time='141625' data-end-time='153271'>The halt in railgun development, Caris said, suggests that the Navy saw difficulties in implementing the technology. </span> <span data-start-time='153271' data-end-time='165521'>In addition, the Navy likely recognized that hypersonic missiles have higher performing abilities than the railgun, he added.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17710 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/what_is_a_projectile.wav'>What is a projectile?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a missile designed to be fired from a rocket or gun'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/an_object_that_is_used_to_project_rays_of_light.wav'><span>an object that is used to project rays of light</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/a_school_assignment_undertaken_by_a_student_or_group_of_students.wav'><span>a school assignment undertaken by a student or group of students</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/a_missile_designed_to_be_fired_from_a_rocket_or_gun.wav'><span>a missile designed to be fired from a rocket or gun</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/a_thin_rectangular_slab_of_baked_clay_concrete_or_other_material.wav'><span>a thin rectangular slab of baked clay, concrete, or other material</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17711 data-hint-location='81292' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/what_is_an_other_term_for_mach_5.wav'>What is an other term for Mach 5?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='hypersonic'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/hypersonic.wav'><span>hypersonic</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/superfluous.wav'><span>superfluous</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/hydrophilic.wav'><span>hydrophilic</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/zoom.wav'><span>zoom</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17712 data-hint-location='13854' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/the_navy_spent_more_than_10_years_developing_the__blank__called_an_electromagnetic_railgun.wav'>The Navy spent more than 10 years developing the <span class='blank'>weapon</span>, called an electromagnetic railgun.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='weapon'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/dinner.wav'><span>dinner</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/flag.wav'><span>flag</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/weapon.wav'><span>weapon</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5193/jump.wav'><span>jump</span></div></div></div><div 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