It's true that the overall funding for the railgun project has seen a downward trend in recent years. In its budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year, the service asked for nearly $47 million just for the railgun. This was down to less than $20 million two years later and there have since been reports that the Navy might be looking for a way to kill off the project entirely.

But without knowing the exact rationale behind those fluctuations or the exact fiscal requirements needed to reach the program's goals during those years, it's impossible to say that this actually reflects a change in the Navy's commitment to the revolutionary technology. Deferring the at-sea test would have significantly changed the budget outlay by itself without necessarily having an impact on other parts of the research and development effort. Relatively small, high-tech projects like the railgun program often have non-linear budgets to begin with on account of the need for protracted test cycles interspersed with bursts of new developments.

And the Navy has worked hard to broaden the appeal of the effort by separating out the projectile portion and working to develop a High Velocity Projectile (HVP) that would work in both the railgun and conventional cannons. The service says the streamlined design should still be able to reach Mach 3 with a chemical propellent charge, much faster than traditional rounds. Since these inert shells would work in railguns, naval guns, and U.S. Army and Marine Corps howitzers, it could also help share the cost burden of development, as well as expanding the capabilities of existing weapons in the near term.