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China-Japan-Koreas
Pentagon: Chicoms developing high altitude EMP weapon
2005-10-07
From East Asia Intel, subscription req'd.
The People’s Liberation Army is seeking to create a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapon, a Pentagon report on China’s military said. The report said China “might consider using HEMP as an unconventional attack, believing the United States and other nations would not interpret it as a use of force and as crossing the nuclear threshold.”
That could be a mistake. Trying to blind our electronics could be seen as an act of war. How would such a weapon system be powered to create widespread havoc without using a nuclear weapon as a trigger?
EMP weapons simulate the electronic shock wave produced by a nuclear blast. They produce short bursts of intense energy that can disrupt electronic devices, such as computers and weapons systems.
Yep, that would be an act of nuclear war allright -- even if they managed to generate an EMP using a non-nuclear source, how would we know the difference, and know in time to stop a nuclear response, even assuming that we'd be inclined to hold back, which we wouldn't.
China also could use such weapons in an attack on Taiwan. “HEMP causes a substantial change in the ionization of the upper atmosphere, including the ionosphere and magnetosphere,” the report said. “These effects likely would result in the degradation of important war fighting capabilities, such as key communication links, radar transmissions and the full spectrum of electro-optic sensors," the report said. "Additional effects could include severe disruptions to civil electric/power and transportation. These effects cannot easily be localized to Taiwan and would likely affect the Mainland, Japan, the Philippines and commercial shipping and air routes in the region.”
Two could also play the game of one.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s military is planning to develop EMP weapons by 2016. The disclosure was included in a report to the South Korean parliament by a state-run defense institute known as the Agency for Defense Development. The report said EMP weapons have been under development since the mid-1980s. The first test firing of a device is set for 2008.
And where are they going to test that prototype?
Not over the Norks -- they don't have anything electronic, so you'd never know if it worked or not.
Posted by:Alaska Paul

#13  Could such a weapon be used to, for example, take down an aircraft? Surface/Air to Air?

Wouldn't even have to hit the target, just explode within a certain range.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2005-10-07 15:56  

#12  IIRC, there are conventional munitions that create an EMP by squeezing a magnetic field with explosives. But I'm too lazy to go look now.

Smaller EMP weapons could be deployed as artillery rounds or tactical missiles directly over target to blind defenses and disrupt electronics.
Posted by: SteveS   2005-10-07 15:42  

#11  Would you take a chance on starting a war with a weapon you'd never tested?
Posted by: Cralet Unereter9276   2005-10-07 15:08  

#10  The Chineese are not thinking that maybe they can strike Tiawan and possibly even part of Japan with such a weapon (we would think such a common balistic weapon strike scud type no nuke tip just conventional) but a launch to the West coast or even Hawia the missle would be detected early on and seen as a nuke (they wouldnt waste thier few Intercontinental missles on a non-accurate conventional strike on a air or naval base on the west coast or hawia), well before the EMP was in range. Counter missles would be inbound before it got mid-course. Exept maybe in the case we have another "peace-love-and-happiness" pres like Clinton who I doubt would retaliate against a full blown nuke strike on the homeland. He would need to investigate to confirm guilt first then of course ask the UN for authorization then make a limited non-over aggresive counter strike and then cry feeling the pain of the world crap. I would hope in that case some general at the underground bunker, would wisk his as8 into and just lock him in the room Then do what has to be done.
Posted by: C-Low   2005-10-07 15:07  

#9  That matt was not me (he's much smarter), but the comment about communications breakdowns in New Orleans was spot on. I hope to live the rest of my life without hearing the phrase "All circuits are busy" again.
Posted by: Matt   2005-10-07 14:50  

#8  The big vulnerability is the civilian infrastructure and the non-battlefield infrastructure for the military. We have a long way to go before we are EMP-hardened on these.
Posted by: rkb   2005-10-07 10:36  

#7  An EMP strike on this country would be devastating. Most, if not all electronic equipment would be destroyed. That means all computers, all radios, all bank records, all atms, all medical records stored on computers and all vehicles built after electronic fuel injection would stop working. Life as we know it would ground to a halt. Think about New Orleans on a country wide scale. What really lead to the break down there was a lose of communication. How would that be on a national level?

Our electronic infrastructure would be gone. How would we even move food and supplies from the country side into the cities?

I think they seriously looked at this in the 80s. I think I remember reading an article about it in popular science entitled the Chaos Factor.


Matt

Posted by: matt   2005-10-07 10:36  

#6  ..Rememeber that EMP is a function of burst strength and altitude - if it's just one weapon, it's gonna be a doozy, if it's anything more than one there will have to be a bunch of 'em, and there will be no mistaking what that is coming at us.
Keep in mind also that this nation's policy - Launch Under Attack - has never changed. The PRC can build all the EMP weapons it wants, but if they detonate over empty silos, it's not much good. Not to mention EMP weapons are not much good against Trident FBM boats - ONE of which can send the PRC back to the approximate tech level of the Ming Dynasty.
Let 'em think they have some magic bullet.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2005-10-07 07:59  

#5  Big mistake to think that use of EMP would go unpunished.

Why? The use of anthrax wasn't punished.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-10-07 07:45  

#4  High-altitude EMP done nuclear = high-yield device.

Things we can assume are rad hardened against EMP: strategic missiles and payloads, command and control centers at the strategic level and reaching down into some of the lower echelons.

Big mistake to think that use of EMP would go unpunished.
Posted by: lotp   2005-10-07 07:13  

#3  The non-nuclear EMP weapons I've read about in the open literature have a rather short range. In contrast a high altitude nuclear blast has EMP effects over a wide area.

It's not just electronics that's vulnerable, but the electrical power system as well. Some critical military systems are hardened against HEMP, but it is expensive. It might take 30 years to harden the civilian infrastructure, but we need to start doing it. (Like that will ever happen.)
Posted by: jolly roger   2005-10-07 07:09  

#2  I think this is an early clarification by the United States.

A surprise attack without operational electronic technology would be a major blow. There should always has to be a balance with the dependancy on technology and good old fashion fighting.
Posted by: Hupomoling Thaique7883   2005-10-07 02:42  

#1  Chicoms developing high altitude EMP weapon

Credit helping hand, Clinton, Sandy Burgler, Hughes Electronics Corp., and Loral Space & Communications Ltd sold gave them.

http: HERE
Posted by: Red Dog   2005-10-07 00:35  

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