Electromagnetic launch: A review of the US national program

The United States program to use electric energy rather than chemical energy to propel materials to high velocity is now focused almost entirely on fundamental research efforts to provide an understanding of the critical research issues for selected military applications, specifically on applications of direct interest to the U.S. Army. Almost all of the applications envisioned since the inception of the program in the late 1970's still appear to be viable. But, the military interest to propel projectiles to higher and higher velocities for direct and indirect fire applications dominates the funding for research and consequently determines the current directions of the science and technology.