China has showcased its new Small Synchronous Induction Coilgun, which has been developed by the Logistical Engineering University of the People’s Liberation Army, considered one of the country’s top military research institutions. The weapon has been demonstrated in pistol, rifle, and robot-mounted variants, bursting balloons and punching holes in wooden and metal targets. The coilgun is a weapon that has been around since the 1930s and uses electromagnetism to accelerate a bullet, overcoming the limitations of gunpowder-style firearms. The railgun has been the preferred weapon of the U.S. Navy and others so far, as coilguns are more complex. The West may not need to worry about Chinese coilgun technology on the battlefield just yet, but it should keep an eye on it.
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| Gauss Rifles in the 1996 movie Eraser |
The idea behind coilguns and railguns is to use magnetic propulsion to reach any speed, making them silent and with no explosive gases to disperse, leading to an extremely high rate of fire. They have been featured in science fiction movies under names like Gauss Rifles or Mass Drivers. A railgun has two parallel conducting rails with a sliding armature between them, while a coilgun is a series of electromagnetic coils laid end to end, attracting the projectile down their centerline. Building a basic, portable coilgun does not require a major research laboratory, and a home build can propel an 8-gram .30-cal bullet at a respectable 129 feet/39 meters a second.
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| Animation: How Coilgun work |
The demonstration of the Chinese coilgun technology is interesting, especially the length of time devoted to showing how a toy-tank-sized robot can be remotely controlled to maneuver around and shoot targets. While the thickness of the metal targets is not shown, they look flimsy compared to a standard 5.56mm rifle bullet that can go through more than 25 inches/60cm of pinewood board or half an inch/12mm of steel. This suggests that the Coilguns are not ready to displace conventional firearms yet. However, inside buildings, the silent firing and deep magazine could make the coilgun a dangerous opponent, particularly for urban commando operations.
Video of Chinese Coilguns
Overall, while China has demonstrated rifle- and pistol-sized versions of coilguns in a recent video, the West need not be too worried about Chinese coilgun technology on the battlefield yet. Although it is interesting to note that the Chinese military has been developing smaller and more portable versions of the coilgun, the thickness of the targets hit in the demonstration suggests that the coilguns are not yet ready to displace conventional firearms. Nonetheless, with continued research and development, the coilgun could become a formidable weapon in urban operations, and its progress should be closely monitored.