Railgun - Railgun: A railgun is a heavy T'au ballistic Rail Weapon that makes use of electromagnetically-induced linear acceleration to fire a projectile at hypersonic speeds. The railgun is most commonly mounted on the Hammerhead gunship and Swordfish gunship, though larger variants have been employed as starship weapons by the Kor'vattra (T'au Navy).Characteristically powerful, railguns are renowned for their deadliness to enemy armour at extreme ranges. The cylindrical projectile it fires can hammer straight through power armour and even redoubtable Tactical Dreadnought Armour with ease, passing through at such incredible velocity that the sudden burst of pressure followed by violent decompression reduces all living matter inside to a tangle of semi-liquid mush. Even a Space Marine's enhanced, transhuman physiology is no match for such pinpoint devastation.The railgun is roundly hated by the Adeptus Astartes Chapters that have encountered it, for not only does it kill their battle-brothers upon impact, but it destroys or renders inoperable the Progenoid Glands that allow their Apothecaries to create more Space Marines from the fallen. In this way, it not only kills the Adeptus Astartes of the present, but also kills the warriors of the future.A railgun uses a series of powerful electromagnets and super-conductive electrodes to accelerate small, solid and conductive projectiles to hypersonic speeds. The resulting high levels of kinetic force imparted to the weapon's projectile then allows it to devastate and destroy the most heavily armoured vehicles on impact, even at extremely long ranges. Few vehicles are able to withstand a direct hit from a railgun without suffering critical damage.Because the projectile is capable of achieving a velocity of anywhere between six and ten times the speed of sound, it generates a tremendous force when it strikes its target that is often far more than would be produced by an explosive charge of the same size. As such, the speed of the projectile is enough to punch through virtually any amount of armour. The size of the weapon determines the size of its power source and thus the kinetic force imparted to the type of projectile used as ammunition.Railguns usually fire single, solid projectiles and rely on the projectile's speed to penetrate armour, even at long ranges. Because the projectiles are so small, large numbers can be carried by the weapon's operator at a time. However, when used against infantry, a railgun can have a devastating effect where the round will simply vaporise the target.Those near the travelling path of the projectile will also find the breath sucked out of their lungs, such is its speed. A railgun makes an iconic "whip-crack" sound when it fires, which is created when the railgun's round breaks the sound barrier. A railgun is also able to fire sophisticated submunition rounds, which consist of smaller projectiles that can strike a wide area. Whilst the overall damage imparted on impact is less, such submunitions are extremely useful for suppressive area fire against infantry targets.The basic physical principle behind railgun technology is well known to the Adeptus Mechanicus, but the Imperium has never been able to utilise it in a worthwhile form due to the myriad of issues inherent in the operation of such weapons. The limitations of such technology include the staggering amount of power required to propel the projectile along the rail, and the dissipation of the heat generated by the process. The T'au appear to have implemented solutions to these problems, and many Hereteks amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus would very much like to understand how.