BLUF

The railgun is framed specifically as a protective measure. It is designed to stop incoming attacks via air or sea, by firing high-speed bullets.

Summary

KEY POINTS:
  1. Regular bullets are propelled by the ignition of dense gunpowder.
  2. Railguns, however, use electromagnetic force to accelerate the projectile at great speeds.
  3. A Japanese demonstration in 2016 showed a projectile reach hypersonic speeds.

References