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So, I am creating a Scifi setting as part of a personnal project, and was planning to use Rail and Coil gun as main armament for the human race. Other answers on this site have provided answers when it comes to "Ground-Level" weaponry (e.g Tanks and Infantry weapons) and the pros and cons of both those electromagnetic weapons.

But, I have yet to find the answers to three questions :

A) What would be the performance of both those types of electromagnetic weaponry in the vacuum of space, and more precisely, on a space warship?

B) Which one of them, given equal electric power, would produce the most powerful shot, and act as an upgrade or superior weapon to the other ?

And C) What kind of power source would be needed to supply such weaponry ?

If you have any free studies or informations to either one of these questions, I would be grateful.

PS : Forgive my (maybe) poor English grammar as it is not my main language.

Cheers.

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  • $\begingroup$ Welcome to worldbuilding. Please note that, as stated in our help center, we answer one worldbuilding question per post. I advice you give a good read and then rework your question to fit our standards. $\endgroup$
    – L.Dutch ♦
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 11:29

1 Answer 1

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The differences between both in space are basically the same as on land:

  • Coil guns are harder to build. Railguns are easy.
  • Coil guns get more kinetic energy into the projectile than railguns from the same power available and barrel length.
  • A salvo from either will overload any shield on a space ship and then penetrate the hull.

A big reactor is needed to fire either. You're talking 100kwh of power per slug sort of thing. A 100MW nuclear reactor could fire one round every 3.6 seconds.

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    $\begingroup$ OP is asking 3 different questions, and apparently you are answering none of them. $\endgroup$
    – L.Dutch ♦
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 11:28
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    $\begingroup$ @L.Dutch-ReinstateMonica and yet, OP was happy with this answer $\endgroup$
    – Guy with jewels' names
    Commented Oct 29, 2020 at 15:09

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