A ‘supergun’ tried by the US military has fired at an artillery shell to reach a real target at a distance of more than 43 miles (70 kilometers) away.
Breaking the record for the longest precision-guided gun design in history, the extended gunfire system was tested at a firing range in Arizona.
The military has now achieved their planned range – after a successful bullet over a distance of 40 miles (65 kilometers) back in March this year.
The supergun was developed with the goal of being able to shell an enemy position from a safe distance, far beyond the range of any potential retaliatory strikes.
The range of the weapon is equal to the distance from the Statue of Liberty in New York to the city of New Brunswick, in New Jersey.
The U.S. military has said the heavy artillery piece will be ready for deployment to the battlefield by 2023.
A US-armed ‘supergun’, pictured, has successfully fired an artillery shell to reach a proper target at a distance of more than 43 miles (70 kilometers) away
Breaking the record for the longest precision-guided gun shot in history, the extended gunfire system was tested at a firing range in Arizona
‘I don’t think our enemies have the ability to hit a target on the nose at 43 miles,’ Brigadier-General John Rafferty – who is in charge of the long-range artillery development project – told the Times .
The bullet was fired – made at Arizona’s Yuma Proving Ground – after two failed on the same day that failed.
Strong winds meant that the first attempt did not fall close to the target, and the second failed due to an unidentified error.
The experimental supergun is also testing a new design of a guided artillery shell – the Excalibur S – which is also being tested by the U.S. Navy.
Developed by Raytheon, a U.S.-based defense contractor, the Excalibur S is equipped with a GPS system that allows it to accurately track laser seeker technology that allows it to even hit mobile targets.
According to the U.S. military, a major challenge in developing the cannon firearms system has been ensuring that the shells it fires can survive under intense pressure without launch. damaging the control systems.
The longest gun ever built was the German Paris-Geschütz, or ‘Paris Gun’ (pictured) – so named for its use in shaving the lighthouse from March – August. 2018 – 234 lbs (106 kg) capable of driving an 81 mile (130 km) distance shell in three minutes
During World War II Allied warlords used the 240mm Howitzer M1 (pictured, left) – capable of firing a 353 lbs (160 kg) shell at about 14 miles (22.5 km). His spiritual fan, meanwhile – a self-propelled M-110 howitzer (pictured, right) – was used by the U.S. military in the 2003 Iraq war. He had the same type of range
The extensive machine-gun system now comes with a pantheon of historic superguns dating back as far as the Great War.
The longest gun ever built was the German Paris-Geschütz, or ‘Paris Gun’ – so named for its use in stripping the city of lights from March – August 2018 – a a 234 lbs (106 kg) shell could move at a distance. of 81 miles (130 km) in three minutes.
While the Paris Gun range surpassed the new U.S. artillery range, its accuracy was relatively low – meaning it needed a city-size target to be considered effective.
Nevertheless, the German forces saw the military as a success – at least in terms of achieving the goal of attacking the Parisian confidence, whose origins were not at first clear. shells approaching, suspected of being attacked by a zeppelin at high altitude.
During World War II Allied warlords used the 240mm Howitzer M1 – capable of firing a 353 lbs (160 kg) hull at around 14 miles (22.5 kilometers).
His spiritual fan, meanwhile – the M-110 automatic howitzer – was used by the U.S. Army in the 2003 Iraq war. He had the same kind of range.
The superguns that never were: The V-3 (pictured, right) – which would have used several movement costs to accelerate its project as it passed its 416-foot barrel length – built in the Pas-de-Calais region of France with the aim of being able to beat London, 125 miles away. It was destroyed by the Allies. Pictured, left, is part of the largest supergun ever created – ‘Big Babylon’ – commissioned in 1988 by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and would have a 512 foot (156 m) barrel length and the ability to hit targets some 600 miles (965 km) away
During World War II, Nazi scientists tried to build a gun called the Vergeltungswaffe 3 (V-3) – or ‘Retribution Weapon 4’ – after the success of the V-1 flying bomb and rocket. V-2.
The V-3 – which would have used several transfer costs to speed up its project as it passed its 416-foot long barrel – was built in the Pas-de-Calais area of France with the goal of being able to beat London, 125 miles away.
However, its size and static design made it vulnerable, and the site was destroyed by Allied forces before it could be completed.
However, the largest supergun ever created – known as ‘Big Babylon’ – was commissioned in 1988 by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
It was based on the research of Canadian artillery expert Gerald Bull, who hoped to build a gun capable of launching satellites into orbit.
Work on the project was abandoned in 1990 after Mr Bull was murdered outside his home in Brussels, Belgium, on 22 March. His attackers are alleged to have been operatives from Mossad, the Isreali National Intelligence Agency.
The remnants of Big Babylon – and the smaller forerunner, ‘Baby Babylon’ – were captured and largely destroyed the following year by the United Nations. One piece remains in the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
If completed, the Babylon the Great is said to have a barrel of 512 feet (156 m) in length and capable of hitting targets about 600 miles (965 km) away.