The Pentagon is working to create new type of weapons with which the US plans to contain Russia and China, writes The Wall Street Journal. According to the publication, we are talking about a railgun — an electromagnetic rail gun ER (Electromagnetic Railgun).
“The railgun can be applied to protect the Baltic States against Russia and to support U.S. allies against China in the South China sea,” the article says.
The weapon is reportedly not requires no gunpowder, no explosives. It accelerates a conductive projectile using electromagnetic rails. The speed of the munition can reach 45 thousand miles per hour (about 20 thousand meters per second).
Deputy Minister of defense Robert Wark said that Russia “is able to produce ammunition for shots at long distances. “The United States must be able to withstand this. Railgun is quite may well become a potential weapon for these purposes”, — he said.
Military experts also believe that in the context of the arms race the United States needs a new military achievements. The article mention that “Russia is developing a rocket type “earth-air” long-range, as well as new technologies of electronic warfare that allow you to destroy any objects near its borders”.
“Concerned about the fact that the U.S. is losing its traditional superiority. It destabilizie the situation”, — said the representative of the Center for a new American security (Center for a New American Security), Elbridge Colby.
Naval forces (Navy) of the United States has begun to develop a railgun ten years ago. Implementation costs amounted to $ 1.5 billion. Now, as reports TASS, it is planned to spend another $ 800 million to turn a rail gun in a protective kind of weapons and shells make it suitable for carrier-based artillery of the American ships.
Authorities in several countries bordering Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe, regularly accuse Moscow of aggression. So, on 25 may, the Chairman of the NATO military Committee Peter Paul linked the build-up of forces on the Eastern flank of the Alliance with the actions of the Russian army. He noted that military-political bloc, and especially its Eastern member countries, “I feel threatened by Russian arrogance and aggression”.
On 19 may, the Minister of foreign Affairs of Lithuania Linas Linkevičius said that NATO should increase its contingent in the country. May 13, the Polish foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski called on NATO to respond to “Russian military threat”.
Russia has repeatedly stated that he sees the approach of NATO troops to its territory as a security threat. October 9, Russia’s envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said that Moscow will do everything necessary to preserve the balance of military forces in Europe, but does not want a new arms race.
