Southwest Research Light-Gas Gun (SWRI)

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) operates a large two-stage light-gas gun (LGG) capable of achieving launch velocities up to 7 km/s. The facility is located in a specially designed building that accommodates the 22-meter-long gun system and its 13-meter-long flight/target range. The gun system is used to study novel armors and penetrators, perform missile defense engagement scenarios, conduct flyer-plate type experiments for EOS (equation of state) studies, and launch fragments to simulate space debris and micrometeoroid impacts.