Russia has reportedly developed an electromagnetic cannon that can shoot down aircraft over 10 kilometres away.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the electromagnetic railgun has an average effective range of seven to eight kilometres (4.3 to 5 miles) and a maximum range of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles).
Several years ago, the optimum range was reportedly two to three kilometres (1.2 to 1.9 miles).
The report said that tests on the railgun, a weapon that uses electromagnetic force to launch high-velocity projectiles, began in 2015 and the last round of tests took place this spring.
The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) cannon can reportedly destroy aircraft up to 10 kilometres away by frazzling the electrical components of its onboard equipment.
According to TASS, the railgun shoots out projectiles at almost the speed of light and can hit targets in milliseconds.
During tests, the railgun destroyed several ground targets as well as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
TASS said that it may prove difficult to develop such weapons in the future due to the large electricity supply the need to generate the huge amounts of electricity involved in firing a shot.
It is unclear where in Russia the electromagnetic cannon was tested.
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Story By: Sergiu Nazaru, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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