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by hwillis
263 days ago
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> How much energy, how long is the pulse, how close were the drones? 1 millisecond pulses and 70 kW continuous usage[1] which is roughly equivalent to the AN/TPQ-53[2]. 2 km range. > Regardless I think the primary challenge with these systems will be energy on site and a surge of it during waves of attacks. Charged up capacitors can only handle so many waves. That is not how this kind of thing works. Capacitors are a terrible energy source. Their voltage drops off exponentially as they discharge and almost all electronic are very particular about the voltage they require. A railgun wants current and does not care about voltage. Radio transmitters care a lot about voltage. Regardless, a 70 kW generator fits on a small trailer. Smaller than the weapon itself. It will run for days on a good sized tank of diesel. [1] https://www.twz.com/land/army-puts-50m-bet-on-next-gen-leoni... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/TPQ-53_Quick_Reaction_Capab... |
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At full load and a thermodynamic efficiency of about ~31% a 70kW generator is about 300hp mechanical. Those fit on a trailer. Not a "small" trailer. A dual axle type trailer with ~1.3 tons of capacity (Cummings C70D2RE.) Military generators tend to be heavier than commercial units. It will burn about ~175 gal/day of diesel, so yes a "good sized" tank about: about ~3.2 55 gal drums every day.
Now, they're imagining "625 element" systems for adequate coverage of a high value site, like an air base. About 2000 bbl/day. That's a little more than 10 large tanker trucks of fuel.
Logistically non-trivial. The Russian's have learned that large fuel trucks are short-lived in drone-dense environments.
Of course, that all for 100% 24/7 operation. I suspect that any real system will quickly become adept at running far less than 100%.