Railgun on track for 2012 deployment trials on US warships

Yes, it's not science fiction anymore. Railguns are being succefully tested. Recent tests have shot a 3,2kg projectile at mach 7, with an acceleration of 20.000g. A railgun is a purely electrical gun that magnetically accelerates a conductive projectile along a pair of metal rails (wiki).

Another more energetic test video. Railguns have a few advantages. The impact of the round relies purely on kinetic energy, so there is no explosion and thus less collateral damage. The ship doesn't have to carry explosives anymore, so there no danger of the ammunition room blowing up during combat. The railgun under development also has a planned range of 200 miles compared to 13 miles for the typical navy artillery. Read more... ESA has also studied the use of railguns to launch cargo into space.