Electromagnetic Pulse (8 page)

In the second stage, the power of the explosion is transitioned into electricity. This builds on previous weapons testing that convert explosive power into an electromagnetic pulse. In MAHEM, a ceramic material produces an intense electric current as the shockwave hits it, in a process known as electromagnetic braking. In contrast to a typical explosion, in which most of the energy is wasted, scientists claim MAHEM has superb energy conversion efficiency.

MAHEM technology has been developing slowly. It came to the public’s attention in 2008, when DARPA's plans for the next year included, "develop and conduct experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of a self-contained MAHEM in the form of an AT4 shoulder-mounted munition," (The AT4 is a small bazooka used by the US Army with a one-pound warhead). This amazing-sounding weapons tech got a flurry of attention back then, including mentions in
Popular Mechanics,
and was a popular weapon of choice in the video game
Call of Duty
.

Then, MAHEM disappeared from the public radar.

There is little information available, just a few tantalizing mentions in Pentagon documents of how the technology is coming along. A look at the Small Business Administration’s SBIR program—Small Business Innovation Research, reveals contract funding for several MAHEM related projects. One research project is investigating a dial-a-yield warhead that could be set to any blast level as needed. Another is a contract for the
Novel Light-weight Warhead for Breaching and Destroying Hardened Structures
— a shoulder-launched bunker-buster that was completed last year. The latest version is the Electromagnetic Explosive Warhead (EMEW), a MAHEM warhead for the US Army's Organic Precision Munitions program, which includes portable lethal drones. According to SBIR.com, EMEW provides
augmented explosion, selectable fragmentation, and controlled blast
. The pattern and direction of the effects are controllable enabling it to produce a blast wave with no fragments, like a giant stun grenade, to achieve non-lethal effects. The non-lethal effects comport with the Obama administration’s stated rules of engagement.

It is difficult to find information online about MAHEM. DARPA representatives claim their MAHEM program ended by 2013. Some online sources indicate the development is now under the auspices of the Army Research Laboratory. The veil of secrecy by the Pentagon looks like an attempt to prevent any technical details of MAHEM from getting out. The Pentagon may have underestimated the ability of the Chinese to conduct
cyber research
, with that term used loosely.

One source revealed a research document entitled,
Physical Modeling of Magneto Hydrodynamic Explosive Munition and Detonation Control
. The study was undertaken by the ministerial key laboratory at the Nanjing University of Science and Technology, one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions of education in China. The researchers describe, in some detail, how MAHEM works. This information appears to be based on the reverse-engineering of MAHEM by the Chinese scientists.

China is by far the world's largest producer of commercial drones, selling over a half a million this year, including popular models like the Phantom III. It is a small step from there to building small military drones, and MAHEM could take the striking power of small drones to another level.

If Pentagon watchers are accurate, MAHEM will be more effective than existing anti-tank weaponry while also being deadly against other targets, including small buildings, armed pick-up trucks, and electronics targeted by drone strikes.

CHAMP by Boeing

A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully defeated electronic targets with little to no collateral damage.

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory situated at Kirtland Air Force Base, in New Mexico, successfully tested the Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project —
CHAMP
, during a flight over the Utah Test and Training Range.

CHAMP, which renders electronic targets useless via an electromagnetic pulse, is a non-kinetic alternative to traditional explosive.

During the test, the CHAMP missile navigated a pre-programmed flight plan and emitted bursts of high-powered energy, effectively knocking out the target's data and electronic subsystems. CHAMP allows for selective high-frequency radio wave strikes against numerous targets during a single mission.

"This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare," said Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works. "In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive."

The action of the high-power microwave had the same effect as an electromagnetic pulse. A cruise missile, which was launched from a U.S. bomber, was pre-programmed to fly over a target and shoot a burst of high-power microwaves at a two-story building. It knocked out rows of personal computers and electrical systems that were shown in a video taken of the test. Following the first target, the cruise missile, then was guided to six other targets, resulting in knocking out all electronics.

The effects of a CHAMP are very similar to what would happen during an electromagnetic pulse caused by a high-altitude nuclear detonation or by a powerful solar storm, just on a much smaller, more focused scale. Unlike an EMP bomb, which are area weapons and indiscriminate as to who they target within their blast area, CHAMP is an EMP assassin that comes in and surgically eliminates an enemy’s war enabling technology, barely leaving a trace that it was there.

JASSM-ER by Raytheon

The AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) is a long-range missile developed and produced by Lockheed Martin. This conventional, air-to-ground and precision standoff missile was designed primarily for the U.S. Air Force. The one-ton class weapon offers high capability and precision in destroying stationary, as well as mobile targets.

The JASSM, and the extended range version, JASSM-ER, have the flexibility to be integrated into various platforms such as B-1, B-2, B-52, F-16, and F-15E aircraft and is currently deployed on Australia's F/A-18A/B aircraft and Finland's F/A-18 C/D aircraft. It offers enhanced survivability, lethality, and a long-range precision strike to the warfighter, during day and night operations.

The JASSM flies automatically through a predetermined route by using the onboard navigation system that includes an Anti-Jam Global Positioning System.

CHAMP has cleared all of the necessary hurdles for deployment, so it needs a proper platform for use against the enemy. JASSM-ER is a logical platform for CHAMP, as it can be launched by both bombers and fighters, and is a proven design that has already evolved into a highly advanced anti-ship missile. Also, it is smart and stealthy, able to actively detect threatening radars, and evade or attack them, making it survivable against the world’s most capable air defense systems.

Conclusions

Electromagnetic bombs are
weapons of electrical mass destruction
with applications across a broad spectrum of targets, spanning both the strategic and tactical. The use of EMP technology in advanced weaponry offers a very high payoff in attacking the fundamental information processing and communication facilities of an adversary. The massed application of these weapons will produce physical paralysis in any target system, thus providing a decisive advantage in the conduct of electronic warfare.

EMP weaponry can cause hard electrical kills over larger areas than conventional explosive weapons of similar mass. Also, they offer substantial economies in force size for a given level of inflicted damage and are thus a potent force multiplier for appropriate targets. The non-lethal nature of electromagnetic weapons makes their use far less politically damaging than that of conventional munitions, and therefore, broadens the range of military options available.

It is incumbent upon Washington, to appreciate both the offensive and defensive implications of electromagnetic pulse technology. Failure to consider the consequences of the proliferation of EMP technology, and to take measures to safeguard our vital assets and critical infrastructure from possible future attack, could be catastrophic for the Unites States.

PART FOUR
THE THREAT IS REAL

Chapter Eight
Components of a Credible EMP Attack

Based upon what we know, could AN EMP bring down the U.S. Power Grid
?

A high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) attack upon our nation’s critical infrastructure would have devastating consequences for the U.S.

Such an attack would have the effect of collapsing the electric grid and other critical infrastructure for months or years, including unprotected military and civilian electronics. The U.S. missile defense system is capable of defending against a nuclear missile from the north. If such an attack were to come from the south, we would be unprepared, according to experts. Iran is regarded as already having nuclear missiles capable of making an EMP attack against the U.S. North Korea is rapidly developing orbiting satellites that could potentially launch an EMP attack from space. Recently, critical NORAD operations have been moving back into Cheyenne Mountain, which is EMP hardened.

While this is considered prudent, the American people are largely unprotected from the ramifications. It’s estimated that in the event of a yearlong nationwide blackout, ninety percent of Americans would perish from starvation, disease, and societal chaos, according to members of the Congressional EMP Commission, which published its last unclassified report in 2008, the executive summary of which is found in Appendix C.

Experts claim that the Obama Administration has not acted on the EMP Commission’s proposed executive order to protect national infrastructure considered essential, to provide for defense against an EMP attack. Hardening the national electric grid would cost several billion dollars, an insignificant amount when compared to the potential loss of life following an EMP attack. Congress has also failed to act on the recommendations of its own EMP commission, to protect the electric grid and other civilian infrastructure that depend on a viable electric grid—such as communications, transportation, and banking—that are essential to the economy. Several bills have gained bipartisan support in the House but died in the Senate. Fortunately, states are not waiting for the federal government, with Texas being among the states that have an initiative underway to deal with an EMP attack.

As is often the case, legislation gets caught up in the politics, and lack of action on the EMP Commission’s recommendations is no exception. Over the past decade, there has been an ongoing debate over whether the threat posed by an EMP is real. This debate heated up in 2015 when bipartisan support arose for a national commitment to address the EMP threat, by hardening the national infrastructure.