Battleships are expensive, with little flexibility for the types of missions they can do. The Navy wants railguns. Eg, http://www.wired.com/2014/04/electromagn

Battleships are expensive, with little flexibility for the types of missions they can do. The Navy wants railguns. Eg, http://www.wired.com/2014/04/electromagnetic-railgun-launcher/ http://www.wired.com/2014/04/electromagnetic-railgun-launche... : > The Navy likes the weapon for several reasons, not the least of which it has a range of 100 miles and doesn’t require explosive warheads. That makes it far safer for sailors, and cheaper for taxpayers. According to the Navy, each 18-inch projectile costs about $25,000, compared to $500,000 to $1.5 million for conventional missiles. http://www.onr.navy.mil/en/Science-Technology/Departments/Code-35/All-Programs/air-warfare-352/Electromagnetic-Railgun.aspx http://www.onr.navy.mil/en/Science-Technology/Departments/Co... says there's a goal of 10 rounds per minute. These don't need to be on battleship. Here's one on a destroyer. http://news.usni.org/2015/02/05/navy-considering-railgun-third-zumwalt-destroyer http://news.usni.org/2015/02/05/navy-considering-railgun-thi...