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U.S. Navy video by John WilliamsU.S. Navy engineers at the Office of Naval Research prepared and test-fired a slug from their rail gun in a 2008 test firing. On Friday, December 9, the ONR will attempt to break its own record. A theoretical dream for decades, the railgun is unlike any other weapon used in warfare. And it's quite real too, as the U.S. Navy has proven in a record-setting test today in Dahlgren, VA. Rather than relying on a explosion to fire a projectile, the technology uses an electomagnetic current to accelerate a non-explosive bullet at several times...

The US Navy's electromagnetic railgun project notched up a successful test yesterday. The radical new protoype weapon, operated by the the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, fired* shot a hypersonic aluminium slug at approximately Mach 7.5 to generate muzzle energy of 10.6 megajoules. The Office of Naval Research are hoping that they can scale up their electric cannon to 64-megajoule levels, enabling them to fire heavier projectiles at targets two hundred miles away. Whether electrical pulses of the required magnitude can be generated practicably remains to be seen. Even if they can be, at present railgun barrels only have a...

Rapid deployment of 'Project Sheriff' rocket-propelled grenade defense system tested at Dahlgren could save American lives in Iraq There's a new sheriff in town. And it did some pretty impressive "RoboCop" shooting Friday at Dahlgren. A super-fast shield designed to protect American troops from rocket-propelled grenades that's becoming part of a platform nicknamed "Project Sheriff" succeeded in its first live-fire test as 140 VIPs and members of the media looked on. The prototype demonstration of what's being called "whiz bang" tech by some was conducted at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division on the heels of similar Israeli experiments...

Before his death, Navy flier escorted president to carrier Monday, September 13, 2004 By Jerome L. Sherman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On May 1, 2003, Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem was standing in a briefing room at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego when President George W. Bush entered, wearing an olive-green naval flight suit. "Mr. President," Zellem said, "you look awesome." Lt. Cmdr. Scott Zellem, right, stands with Lt. Rockne Baker, left, and President George W. Bush.     "Thanks, 'Z-man,' " Bush replied, using Zellem's Navy call sign.Later that day, the president made a tailhook landing on the USS...

<p>GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Some parts of Abraham Lincoln's life remains a mystery, including an assassination attempt he may have plotted.</p> <p>An East Carolina University professors believes Abraham Lincoln gave authorization to a group headed by Col. Ulrich Dahlgren to kill Jefferson Davis.</p>

Officials in Rappahannock County and the town of Tappahannock were put on alert over the weekend that something sounding like the names of their Virginia communities was heard among the chatter that triggered the nation's move to a higher alert for terrorism. Both are small, rural communities far from Washington. Rappahannock is in the western part of the state just past Fauquier County. Tappahannock is a town on the state's east side, about halfway between the nation's capital and Tidewater on Route 17. Rappahannock County Administrator John McCarthy said someone from the Virginia State Police called the county's sheriff Sunday...

For Your Info. The Army bases currently proposed for closure or realignment in 2005 include: Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania; Detroit Arsenal, Michigan; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort McPherson/Gillem, Georgia; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Fort Monroe, Virginia; Fort Polk, Louisiana (to realign); Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Lima Army Tank Plant, Ohio; Natick Soldier Center, Massachusetts; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; Sierra Army Depot, California; and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. Air Force base closures and realignments include: Altus AFB, Oklahoma; Beale AFB, California; Brooks AFB, Texas; Cannon AFB,...

  AS the conflict in Iraq unfolded this spring, the world watched in amazement at the accuracy of the latest generation of precision-guided missiles. These weapons allowed U.S. and allied air forces to operate unconstrained by the limits of daylight, and they came to “rule the night.” Now, the U.S. armed forces want to further extend this weapon capability by developing armament that will reduce collateral damage—that is, reduce destruction outside the radius of an intended target—while enhancing its destructive force on the target.To achieve this goal, explosives and composites experts at Lawrence Livermore are leading an effort under...