Turkey’s TÜBİTAK-SAGE showcases electromagnetic railgun progress

The Turkish munitions developer TÜBİTAK-SAGE showcased its progress in developing an electromagnetic railgun to the Turkish government at the end of October (Hurriyet).

Designated ‘Sapan’, TÜBİTAK-SAGE’s research and development program aims to provide the Turkish arms industry with the groundwork to develop one day develop applications using this technology.

Electromagnetic (EM) rail guns are long-range weapons capable of propelling projectiles using electricity instead of explosive propellants. The objective behind this developing this technology is to enable armed forces users to propel projectiles significantly further and at much higher speeds (up to 7,242 km/h).

Currently, only the U.S. and U.K. have made substantive strides in EM railgun technology, though several other major powers, such as China, are at work to develop analogous counterparts.

While the offensive impact of EM railguns is not to be understated (in the long-term), the requisite developmental gains needed to achieve efficiency in power consumption and space management (especially onboard surface warships) will be valuable as well.