The lights go out: Secret ``e-bomb'' appears ready for battlefield test

Associated Press ^ | 3-19-03 | MATT CRENSON, AP National Writer

[Oldeconomybuyer]

The highly classified bomb creates a brief pulse of microwaves powerful enough to fry computers, blind radar, silence radios, trigger crippling power outages and disable the electronic ignitions in vehicles and aircraft.

"They would be useful against any adversary that is dependent on electronic systems," said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think-tank based in Arlington, Va.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

We will know when the liberation of Iraq has begun in earnest when CNN's Baghdad cameras go dark.

[shadowman99]

This is not a weapon for first strikes. By using this weapon, machines in hospitals, food production, and civilian infrastructure are all rendered junk. Radios that we are tramitting propagana on cease to work. Our costs for reconstruction rocket upward. It makes it harder for us to win the hearts of the common Iraqi if we put them at the same level as Afganistan. In other words, Saddam's support, shaky at best right now, would be solidified if we used such a device for shits&grins.

If we use this weapon, we'll have a damn good reason for it. Better than "needs a field test".

I understand the cathartic release of imagining CNN going black, but really, think it all through.

[HamiltonJay]

When CNN broadcasting from Bagdad goes off the air, you know its been used.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

They (CNN) have moved to a secret location.

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Mihalis]

...Our costs for reconstruction rocket upward...

What's wrong with selling Iraqui oil to cover those costs.

[anymouse]

"Boom, boom, out go the lights!"

[mikegi]

I bet this thing will be underwhelming, if it's used at all.

[Sender]

This article has a lot of good theory and info on these weapons.

[L,TOWM]

How dare you think logically and reasonably? Don't you know there's a WAR on?

;-)

[expatpat]

"They would be useful against any adversary that is dependent on electronic systems," said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst

Who's most dependent on electronic systems? WE ARE.

[Yak]

I'm wondering . . . can this thing save the oilfields from being blown-up? If the pulse can fry the insulation of the insulation/wiring/circuitry in the detonation units, it might work. Of course, the pulse could possibly detonate the bombs itself.

Interesting to consider, however.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Good point, but as I understand the weapon, they have variable and narrow targeting range.  According to this site, "open literature sources indicate that effective radii of “hundreds of meters or more” are possible" with EMP/HMP e-bombs.

So it's possible that we could use these weapons in a more surgical strike and avoid civilian infrastructure.

[Blood of Tyrants]

According to a 2000 report by Air Force Col. Elaine M. Walling, scientists at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico have created microwave sources that generate up to 10 times the amount of energy that Hoover Dam produces in a day.

Typical non-techie mistake. Energy is an instantaneous measurement of magnitude expressed in joules. POWER is energy produced over a period of time, generally joules per second. One joule produced in one second is one watt. The maximum output of the Hoover Dam is 2,074 megawatts (2.074 billion joules per second)

However, if a EMP bomb produces a pulse of 2000 joules over a time period of one microsecond (1/1,000,00), the resulting APPARENT power is 2000/one microsecond or 2,000 megawatts.

So for one microsecond it would appear as if there were a two billion watt power surge trying to shove their way through your computer.

There is no way that one puny bomb could produce the equivalent of 10 times the power output of the Hoover dam for one day or it would be a small nuclear weapon.

[shadowman99]

The only way these devices would be usable is if they operate within a limited radius. If they are limited tactical weapons they could be used to disable remote controlled munitions (like those Saddam has placed on iol rigs).

Also important - there are defenses against the EMP effect. Saddam's bunker's may have incorporated a fresnel cage, or utilize machines filled with transister tubes (quite possible in Iraq). You only want to use a weapon like this if you are confident of the outcome.

[shadowman99]

iol rigs = oil rigs.

[TominPA]

EM pulse weaponds are for real. Many war plans for a nuke first strike include a FOB (fractionaly orbital bomb), a nuke exploded at about 80-60 miles up over the target nation. The resulting EM pluse fries anything electronic rendering commo nets inoperative as well as many weapon systems. Most of the US aircraft's electronics are hardened against just such a pulse as are many of the Air Defense systems. It would be interesting to see if they are used and what the results are.

[crazycat]

No word of a lie, a Labour MP who is seriously left tdy demanded to know if the E-Bomb would melt people as well as electronics.....

[Cboldt]

There is no way that one puny bomb could produce the equivalent of 10 times the power [ENERGY or WORK] output of the Hoover dam for one day or it would be a small nuclear weapon.

I'm with you, units of measurement are important, and get mangled all the time in every-day conversation. Power is energy per unit of time, and work is power expended over the course of time. The E-bomb has lots of power, because it expends its energy in a short time.

I like the one that compares chocolate chip cookies with TNT. Pound-for-pound, the cookies have more energy. TNT is more powerful, because it can release its energy very quickly.

[Cboldt]

Faraday cage -bump-

[shadowman99]

Faraday - thank you - frenzel is a type of lens. My bad.