—US Navy Photograph
On January 31, 2008 the US Navy tested a railgun that fired a shell at 10.64 MJ with a muzzle velocity of 2,520 m/s. [roughly 1.6 miles per second] [15] Its expected performance is a muzzle velocity over 5,800 m/s [roughly 3.6 miles per second], accurate enough to hit a 5 meter target over 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) away while firing at 10 shots per minute. The power was provided by a new 9-megajoule (MJ) prototype capacitor bank using solid-state switches and high-energy-density capacitors delivered in 2007 and an older 32-MJ pulse power system from the US Army’s Green Farm Electric Gun Research and Development Facility developed in the late 1980s that was previously refurbished by General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (EMS) Division.[16] It is expected to be ready between 2020 to 2025.[17] —Wikipedia entry
An amazing picture. The plume you see behind the object is the surrounding air; turned to plasma by the pressure and friction produced by the missile's terrific speed. Note the thin shock wave ahead of the object.
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