:
Non-nuclear EMP Weapons
The United States most likely has EMP weapons in its arsenal, but
it's not clear in what form. Much of the United States' EMP research has
involved
high power microwaves (HPMs). Reporters have widely speculated that they do exist and that such weapons could be used in a war with Iraq.
Most likely, the United States' HPM e-bombs aren't really bombs at all. They're probably more like super powerful microwave ovens
that can generate a concentrated beam of microwave energy. One
possibility is the HPM device would be mounted to a cruise missile,
disrupting ground targets from above.
This technology is advanced
and expensive and so would be inaccessible to military forces without
considerable resources. But that's only one piece of the e-bomb story.
Using inexpensive supplies and rudimentary engineering knowledge, a
terrorist organization could easily construct a dangerous e-bomb device.
In late September 2001,popular mechanics published an article outlining this possibility. The article focused on
flux compression generator bombs , which date back to the 1950s. This sort of e-bomb has a fairly
simple, potentially inexpensive design, illustrated below. (This
conceptual bomb design comes from this written by ,
a defense analyst. The design concept has been widely available to the
public for some time. Nobody would be able to construct a functioning
e-bomb from this description alone).
The bomb consists of a metal cylinder (called the
armature), which is surrounded by a coil of wire (the
stator winding). The armature cylinder is filled with high explosive, and a sturdy
jacket
surrounds the entire device. The stator winding and the armature
cylinder are separated by empty space. The bomb also has a power source,
such as a bank of capacitors, which can be connected to the stator.
Here's the sequence of events when the bomb goes off
- A
switch connects the capacitors to the stator, sending an electrical
current through the wires. This generates an intense magnetic field.
- A fuze mechanism ignites the explosive material. The explosion travels as a wave through the middle of the armature cylinder.
- As
the explosion makes its way through the cylinder, the cylinder comes in
contact with the stator winding. This creates a short circuit, cutting
the stator off from its power supply.
- The moving short circuit compresses the magnetic field, generating an intense electromagnetic burst.
- The moving short circuit compresses the magnetic field, generating an intense electromagnetic burst.