China has indicated plans are under way for a next-generation nuclear-powered aircraft carrier armed with futuristic energy weapons, including a rail gun, an electromagnetic weapon that the United States tried to develop but abandoned. “China’s future nuclear-powered aircraft carrier can be equipped with more advanced defensive weapons, such as [a] high-energy laser weapon and electromagnetic rail gun,” said Liang Fang, a military commentator and professor at the Beijing-based National Defence University, during a programme aired by state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday. An electromagnetic rail gun is a weapon system that uses electromagnetic force instead of gunpowder to accelerate metal projectiles at extremely high speeds. Its core principle involves generating a strong magnetic field through electrical power, which then propels the conductive projectile along rails, launching it at hypersonic speed.

Full report : China’s nuclear-powered carrier can add rail gun, other futuristic weapons.