The command of the People's Liberation Army of China has announced a competition to develop a technology for obtaining magnetized plasma in artillery guns using the traditional method of firing shells. According to Jane's, as a result of the tender, the military intends to receive theoretical calculations for the new technology and experimental artillery installations for testing.
In modern artillery, shots with high-energy powder charges are used for firing. When firing, the firing pin hits the capsule sleeve in the bottom of the case, due to which the powder charge is ignited. The gases released during the combustion of the charge forcefully push the projectile out of the barrel.
The Chinese military intends to supplement this scheme by installing a magnetized plasma formation system in artillery guns, that is, plasma in a magnetic field. Details of how such systems can be implemented in the design of the weapon are not disclosed.
In 2015, the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Armored Forces Engineering Academy received a patent for a similar system. According to this patent, the gun barrel is supposed to be covered with a magnetic material. In addition, a magnetic field generator must be used in the design of the installation.
It is assumed that at the time of the shot, part of the powder gases will ionize under the influence of high pressure and temperature, becoming plasma. The latter in a magnetic field should form a plasma film about a millimeter thick over the entire area of the barrel bore.
The developers believe that this plasma film will reduce the effect of radial forces and temperatures on the barrel, conserving its resource, as well as increase the initial velocity of the projectile to speeds that exceed the speed of sound six or more times. This muzzle velocity is not available for conventional artillery.
The Chinese military believes that the use of such technologies in artillery installations will significantly increase their combat range. In particular, the combat range of a 155 mm howitzer can be increased from the usual 40 kilometers to 100 kilometers.
In mid-January 2019, it was reported that Chinese developers had successfully tested the ship's railgun. Sea trials of the new gun are planned to be completed in 2023 and by 2025 to prepare the railgun for installation on ships.
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Vasily Sychev