An
electromagnetic coil gun
system includes a launcher having a
barrel with a longitudinal bore therethrough, and a plurality of longitudinally extending electrical excitation coils arranged circumferentially around the bore of the
barrel so that a
magnetic field produced by an
electrical current in each electrical
excitation coil penetrates into the bore. Each electrical
excitation coil is independently activated by the
electrical current passed therethrough. There is a
projectile sized to be received within the bore of the
barrel and having a circumferential armature at a
tail end thereof, and a
nose end. The
projectile placed into the bore is fired by producing a traveling sequence of propulsive currents in the electrical excitation coils moving in a direction from the breech end toward the
muzzle end of the barrel, so that a traveling propulsive
magnetic field produced by the electrical excitation coils interacts with the armature of the
projectile to propel the projectile in the direction from the breech end toward the
muzzle end of the barrel. Simultaneously, a traveling sequence of field-nulling currents in the electrical excitation coils moves in the direction from the breech end toward the
muzzle end of the barrel but closer to the muzzle end of the barrel than the traveling sequence of propulsive currents and spatially leading the traveling sequence of propulsive currents. The field-nulling currents are in a circumferential direction opposite to the propulsive currents, thereby at least partially nulling the traveling propulsive
magnetic field at the
nose end of the projectile.