Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Re: [WFHSG] Day of the e-bomb

From: Alan Dixon <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 18:27:13 -0500

The "E-Bomb" is vastly overrated.  I had done some research into this in
recent years, and what I discovered is not surprising.  Some solid state
devices are more susceptible to EMP than others.  MOS-FET devices are one
of the worst.  Good old hollow state devices (vacuum tubes) are largely
immune to EMP, which is why Soviet MiG fighters were still equipped with
vacuum tube communications equipment right into the 1990's. 
Additionally, and contrary to what this article states, shielding and
filtering of EMP is fairly easily accomplished.  While an e-bomb's pulse
may be faster than the clamping time on consumer-grade surge protection
devices, "hardened" military-grade (or near-military grade) protectors
are readily available from electronics wholesalers.  Look for the "N-EMP"
rating and other qualifying descriptors, then check manufacturers'
ratings.  These devices were originally designed for nuclear incidents,
and *may* protect from lesser EMP assaults, as well.

There are various other methods for shielding and filtering against EMP,
such as choking AC power supply lines at regular intervals.  QST magazine
had at least one good article on nuclear EMP protection of radio
communications stations, back in the early 1960's!  I had written on EMP
myself, just a couple of years (?) back.  I *think* I had posted it to
the Nextel-1 List, among others.  (Sorry, I don't have time to look this
one up.)  In that writing, I cited a 1990's DOD study on EMP effects to
electrical circuits, with some interesting results.

Alan Dixon
Contributing Editor
Popular Communications

*[Standard 'Claimer:] "That's right, I said 'may'. Don't go ahead and bet
the farm based on my admittedly scant account of EMP, here. Always check
manufacturers' ratings, and be sure to get competent engineering involved
on your project."

	What the hell. Get a bean counter involved, too!

[Please copy replies to: [email-masked] <n3hoe[a]juno.com>]

On Fri, 21 Mar 2003 22:35:19 -0000 "n3hoe" <[email-masked]> writes:
--- In [email-masked], Marcel <Marcelrf@B...> wrote: 

Day of the e-bomb 

March 21 2003

The war now under way in Iraq could be won by a new secret weapon - a 
bomb that kills no one but destroys the enemy by "decapitating" its
central electronic command,  control and communications systems.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's military electronic eyes and ears  could
be blinded within 72 hours, leaving Baghdad highly vulnerable to the
invasion teams as they dash  across the desert to capture the capital.

The bombs that don't kill and will introduce a revolutionary form of 
warfare are called electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) and high-powered
microwave (HPM)  weapons. They radiate an intensely focused and gigantic
shock-wave of electricity, like a million lightning bolts hurled at one
target in a fraction of a second. The effect is to fry the electrical
innards of computers, radio electrical wires, antennae, communication
systems, mobile phones - anything that  runs on electricity.

The US Air Force has successfully tested an explosive generator that 
launches one billion watts of power in one-millionth of a second.  An HPM
pulse moves so quickly that its speed is measured in hundreds  of pico
seconds (one-trillionth of a second), it attacks and destroys before
ordinary  surge protectors have time to react.

Australia and Britain have made substantial progress in developing an 
operational HPM weapon.  The EMP effect was discovered by accident in
1962 during US atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons. When a bomb
exploded 400 kilometres above Johnston Island in  the Pacific, 30 strings
of streetlights went out in Hawaii and burglar alarms were triggered.

High-frequency radio communications as far away as Australia were blocked
for about 30 minutes. Some official documents on progress were published
over the years but since September 11, the Pentagon has carefully tried
to weed out most documents on the public record relating to EMP and HPM
research and development.

We began our research a year earlier and discovered the queen of the 
radiated weapons technology is US Air Force Colonel Eileen Walling. In
the late 1990s she was  director of the air force's high power microwave
program. In a seminal paper written for the air force in February 2000
Colonel Walling let several cats out of the bag by publicly admitting:
"The stage has  already been set for the  introduction of microwave
weapons into the US military inventory."

She confirmed that high-power microwave weapons would be perfect for the
modern battlefield, which had become a "target-rich" environment for
these new bombs. "Except for the standard rifle, gun, knife and grenade,
virtually all military equipment contains  some electronics," she said.
Then, in what seems to have been a security lapse, she revealed:
"High-power  microwave technology is ready for the transition to active
weapons in the US military."

Colonel Walling also revealed that the air force was already (even  then)
working to activate such weapons. The range of catastrophic effects
produced by high-powered  microwave weapons in various electronic
equipment was neatly acronymed as D4 - deny, disrupt, damage and destroy.
Because the pulses do their damage from the inside out it means they do
not physically destroy the target, nor do they require deadly precision
in targeting. They also  have a much larger "footprint" than ordinary
weapons.

The favourite delivery systems remain cruise missiles, conventional 
bombs and, increasingly, unmanned, remote aircraft. One delivery problem
remains that at the moment, neither the cruise missile nor the unmanned
aircraft can be saved from the "fratricide" effect. In other words the
delivery vehicle's electronic systems are destroyed when the weapon  is
launched.

The Walling paper remains the bible of the new weapons systems, but  ask
for an interview with Colonel Walling today and an embarrassed Pentagon
would no more give the press access to her than detail the battle order
for the defence of the United States.

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has refused to confirm or deny that the
new weapons would be used in any war with Iraq.

But William Arkin, a former US Army intelligence analyst who has also
studied the record said: "Yes, the US has the weapons; they've been
developed in 'black' programs,  budgets undisclosed, and they will be
used in the war against Iraq. Targets will include electrical switch
yards and transformers."

The high-powered pulses enter solid state electrical equipment  through
sockets that house antennae or the inlet wires that power the equipment.
It is almost impossible and ferociously expensive to shield against the
rays. The deadly pulses also find scores of other conduits such as power
and water lines, vents, cracks and seams underground in their hunt for 
targets. The jargon for that is "force multiplier". In plain English you
get a big bang per buck, in  theory achieving enormous, targeted damage
with one weapon.  It is believed the US has about a dozen of these
weapons in advanced  development stage and ready for use. Britain, too,
has been testing similar RF (radio frequency) weapons. The Russians and
Chinese are also well advanced, but very little is known of their
programs.

The new weapons would almost certainly be used first against Saddam's 
weapons of mass destruction, namely the chemical and biological storage,
manufacturing and missile-launch facilities. Frying the electronic
controls (even ruining the refrigerators that  keep the deadly bacteria
and viruses alive) would eliminate both the need for conventional bombs
to attack these sites, and the real danger that plumes of deadly
biological agents could be sent  into the air and lethal clouds could
drift for kilometres,infecting innocent civilians and friendly forces.

The American technological breakthrough was pioneered in a top-secret 
building called The Trestle, in a canyon in the Manzano mountains in the
south-east of the triple- guarded High Energy Research and Technology
Facility at USAF base Kirtland, New Mexico. The facility has a
four-storey laboratory, 24 metres by 45 metres with a 1.2 metre deep
concrete  roof and walls for blast and radiation shielding.

US Commander General Tommy Franks is now faced with a dilemma. On the one
hand there is the highly tempting option - access to some experimental
weapons that  should have a devastating effect on the electrical innards
of everything touched by their invisible pulses. It could prevent the
nightmare of prolonged urban street fighting in Baghdad, involving
hand-to-hand combat and endless sniping in the crowded alleys of the big
city. Bad for the  victims, bad for the politicians, bad for public
opinion.

If General Franks orders the use of the new weapons, and they work as 
planned, Saddam's defence forces will be partially paralysed; unable to
communicate properly, to launch missiles, use their computers or phones -
nothing that really matters will work properly.

That scenario could result in the allies walking into Iraq's capital city
without serious  opposition.  We have learned that a targeting debate has
been running within the  US Air Force about the wisdom of using HPM
weapons to destroy Saddam's national computer network, which runs
military applications in his command and control bunkers but is also tied
into civilian applications.

US air force specialists are concerned that the effects of a pulsed 
weapon attack on the network could affect automatic teller machines in
France. It was the French  who helped Saddam install the main computer
networks that play a major part in his air defence system. Destroying
those communications links could have ripple effects in France.

There will probably be a targeting compromise by which mainly regional
command and control centres (two north of Baghdad, and some recently
moved to Saddam's  home town of Tikrit) will be blitzed by the HPM bombs
while Baghdad centre may be dealt with in other ways.

But once the decision to use the weapons has been made the first targets
will be the bunkers hiding weapons of mass destruction and their allied
electronic systems - wherever they are.

The collateral damage of using these weapons in towns and cities remains
potentially huge.

After the bombs have been dropped, car engines will splutter and die,
traffic lights and burglar alarms go haywire, public transport grinds to
a halt, telephone relays, television and radio communications and the
internet will go silent. Water, sewage and fuel distribution systems
controlled by electrical pumps and computers will cease.

Emergency fire, police, civil defence and medical response units will
lose communications and some mobility. Circuits in offices, banks and
stores will fry and the acrid smell of burning plastic will be pervasive.
The regional power grid will be an early casualty.

Towns and cities could temporarily be reduced to the horse-and-cart  age.
There will inevitably be deaths.

Those in favour of the use of these weapons argue that all wars have
collateral damage, and the gain in this case will be worth the pain if
Iraq falls within days without protracted street fighting that will claim
hundreds of innocent lives anyway.

The temptation for General Franks to take a gamble and pray the smart
weapons don't behave stupidly may be overwhelming.

The stakes are very high.

Tom Mangold and Jeff Goldberg are authors of Plague Wars, published  by
Macmillan.

This story was found at: 
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/03/20/1047749878235.html

--

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Make Money Online Auctions! Make $500.00 or We Will Give You Thirty Dollars for Trying!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/yMx78A/fNtFAA/46VHAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

---

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 19:22:25 -0500

Thx Alan-

Alan Dixon wrote:

>              "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
>        The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
>   Focusing on Federal, State, and Local government wireless communication
>         activities and the Private sectors that support them.
>    Subscribe to WFHSG: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG
>
>
>

--
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Your own Online Store Selling our Overstock.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/rZll0B/4ftFAA/46VHAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

---

From: daniel otero <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 21 Mar 2003 16:28:04 -0800 (PST)

Alan would this posibly damage the 3rd Inf. Div.
Batallion racing to Bagdad, including the apache
helicopters in front of them doing recognisance...or
are they shielded? If it was the French who helped
Saddam install the main computer networks that play a
major part in his air defence system, then let them
rebuilt it. After all they stuck there tail between
ther behind when things got tuff. If destroying those
communications links could have ripple effects in
France, maybe thats why they want to veto. I'd say
drop it today and leave saddam def dump and blind,
France will recover and learn. danny 
> >    Subscribe to WFHSG:
> http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG
> >
> >
> >
> Subscribe to Nextel-1:
> http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1
> 
> Subscribe to Nextel2:
> http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2
> 
> Subscribe to WFHSG: 
> http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

=====
Life is a Comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel!  :)  :(  @>}~

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop!
http://platinum.yahoo.com