Lights Out: EMP Warfare

[Mahkato]

Here's an interesting SHTF scenario from American Thinker:

Lights Out: EMP Warfare (http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/08/lights_out_emp_warfare.html)

[Primbs]

That sounds pretty bad.

[Pericles]

Hang on there - these results were achieved with really large warheads 1.5 MT, or 100 times more powerful than the Hiroshima strike.

Any of the rogue states (Iran, N Korea, etc.) would have a hard time building anything over 50 KT, and that limits the EMP effect to a much shorter distance, of less than 100 miles - probably less than 50.

[Dr.3D]

Actually, there are E-Bombs that don't require any nuclear device.
These devices are not very hard to make.
They are also sometimes known as a 'PINCH'.

Here is a picture of how one is made.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-fcg.gif

Here is how it would explode.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-detonation.gif

Notice the pulse is emitted from the end of the tube.

For more information about these devises here is a link.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=e-bomb.htm&url=http://198.65.138.161/military/library/report/1996/apjemp.htm

[Anti Federalist]

Actually, there are E-Bombs that don't require any nuclear device.
These devices are not very hard to make.
They are also sometimes known as a 'PINCH'.

Here is a picture of how one is made.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-fcg.gif

Here is how it would explode.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-detonation.gif

Notice the pulse is emitted from the end of the tube.

For more information about these devises here is a link.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=e-bomb.htm&url=http://198.65.138.161/military/library/report/1996/apjemp.htm

Oceans Eleven, eat you heart out.:D

[Pericles]

Actually, there are E-Bombs that don't require any nuclear device.
These devices are not very hard to make.
They are also sometimes known as a 'PINCH'.

Here is a picture of how one is made.
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-fcg.gif

Here is how it would explode.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/e-bomb-detonation.gif

Notice the pulse is emitted from the end of the tube.

For more information about these devises here is a link.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=e-bomb.htm&url=http://198.65.138.161/military/library/report/1996/apjemp.htm

Nice article - did you notice that all of the references are over 10 years old and there is no test data from any experiments?

Either the theory did not bear results, or it is so good, that it is now highly classified, and nobody wants to use it on something so trivial as messing up Iran's nuke program, or Al-Jazeera broadcasts.

[Dr.3D]

I guess you would like something a bit more recent then.
Here is something from the Discovery Channel.

Electromagnetic pulse Weapons (Part 1) (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=db8_1173412596)
Electromagnetic pulse Weapons (Part 2) (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=71e_1173413391)

[Uriel999]

emps would be bad news. I just thought about this though, if our country has these types of weapons imagine how easy it would be for them to shut Russia or China down if it really came down to it.

[Dieseler]

I snipped this post from a thread at woo woo central (GLP).



High Altitude EMP (HEMP) is achievable by anyone with ballistic missiles capable of achieving a low-space trajectory, such as SRBM's, MRBM's, and ICBM's + a nuclear device, or specialized non-nuke EMP generator device [link to superconductors.org]

Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, India, Israel, UK, Australia and a few others are thought to possess this technology, or have access to it. Iran just launched a dummy satellite. Anyone who can launch a satellite can launch a HEMP device. If Iran has made or purchased a nuclear weapon ($20 mil. ea. from the Russian mafia), then they can launch it over the Continental US (CONUS) with a Shahab-3 missile launched from a cargo ship off our coast, and cause a Victorian-age-causing event to occur over the entire US and parts of Southern Canada.

All modern countries are extremely vulnerable to this attack. Some militaries have hardened equipment made to resist such an attack, but the US hasn't spent much money on hardening equipment since the Cold War days. What foresight!

Think of an EMP attack like a lightning strike on electronic components that doesn't harm people. Surge protectors can't defend against it; it's way too intense and fast. Metal RF shielded & sealed containers can protect electronics stored inside of them. Any gaps must be no larger than 1/8th inch however.

Modern vehicles and computers are extremely vulnerable to EMP attacks, and will most likely fail in such an attack. Ancient cars with no electronic components, like pre-electronic ignition cars, are the least likely to be damaged. But most old cars do have something electronic in them, like an alternator diode, voltage regulator, distributor sensor, etc. I'm not sure though if points would have a problem.

Very thin copper wiring might also be affected, as it was in military tests. If so, then all electric motors (such as alternators, coils and generators) might be in jeopardy as well.

Old mechanically injected diesel engine vehicles are the vehicles of choice for EMP resistance. That's one reason I think the military likes diesel engines. Diesel engines have no ignition system, and old diesels have no computers either. However, they do have a few odd electronic components that would have to be replaced, such as a glow plug controller and perhaps an exhaust temp sensor, etc.

No matter what the vehicle, the less electronics that are in it, the easier it would be to repair them with new components, if you had some shielded ones to use. A modern car would take a highly skilled mechanic probably several days of work with several thousands of dollars-worth of (previously shielded) electronic parts and computers to make the car operable again. Then he'd need a (previously shielded) diagnostic computer to troubleshoot and test the car's electronics.

A metal can, such as am large ammunition can, can be an effective shield. Whatever is stored inside must be well insulated from the metal skin. Grounding is optional, and often used on the exterior surface of a multi-layered shielded insulated container. Put your laptop and radios in such a container. Do not connect wires thru the shielded container as they become EMP antennae, concentrating the effect.

Here's a riveting fictional e-novel about life after a HEMP attack in the US. It's a downloadable PDF file.

Lights Out: [link to www.giltweasel.com]

Anything with an unshielded circuit board or circuit board-type chip, or even fine wiring, would likely melt and blow out in an EMP attack. If a stun gun would fry it, so will EMP.

Studies have shown that, due to our modern acclimation to technology and ignorance of primitive subsistence skills, coupled with the ensuing anarchy of an inevitable breakdown of society if a HEMP attack was waged against the US, a majority of its population would perish within several weeks of the attack.

In theory, other countries could later come to the US' aid with critical infrastructure replacement parts, but it would be a very long and slow recovery, probably taking years to complete.

I'm sure hostile countries like Russia and China would consider taking advantage of our condition and invade the US after we've had sufficient time to collapse internally. With our surviving military spread out all over the planet, and being suddenly cut off from most of its resupply, it would become less threatening to other would-be superpowers. Which of our allies would risk facing a Russian-Chinese alliance bent on conquest of the US?

I pray that this horrific scenario does not play-out. But sadly, it is within the realm of possibility. Such an attack could even be an anonymous attack. How would we know for sure who actually perpetrated the attack? A handful of countries have this capability.

And our new missile defense technology is designed to intercept ICBM's, MRBM's and SRBM's at their highest stage or thereafter toward re-entry. They are NOT designed to stop a missile destined for a HEMP attack as it would detonate early & prior to the interceptor's arrival. We have no publicly known defense against this threat at this time. And unfortunately, Iran has been practicing just such an attack scenario.

This is a real and serious threat.



Lights Out is a damn good read.
Its a SHTF primer.

http://www.giltweasel.com/stuff/LightsOut-Current.pdf