Thread: EMP waves

itstemo1 brought up an interesting idea in the physics forum about using a device to create EMP waves that wipe out every electronic device on earth. Sounded like a good Idea exccept for the amount of protection that you would need, but if you could get that kind of protection, then could it really work? I mean, like is it even possible to make an EMP wave that big without building a machine that is the size of the state of Texas?

And also what does everone else think about this style of attack from a millitary stand point? Like do you think any millitary shounld try to create weapons that can produce EMP waves, or is it completely worthless as for a millitary to have?

Protection from what? Destroying itself?


What possible good could come from something that annihilates electronics worldwide?

Seems dumb.

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

Protection from what? Destroying itself?

Yes, that and you would need protection for your own technology, like he said something about robots, but I was thinking more about current millitary tech.

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

What possible good could come from something that annihilates electronics worldwide?

Seems dumb.

It would send the world back to basically the stone age. And if you still have a working and tech advanced army you would have the advantage, by a lot. Were talking about the enemy wouldn't even be able to communicate. They might still have guns, they would be less sophistocated but they would still shoot and kill, but if a huge army is cut off from itsself then how much can they do?

gives the term 'collateral damage' a whole new meaning..

Isn't it possible to limit the EMP to a certain area instead of the entire world?

And besides, wouldn't this cause damage to the earth's gravitational field or cause some natural disaster?

A low yield nuke detonated in low earth orbit would cause havoc with all the communications satelites up there and would be cheaper than building a monster doomsday emp device - just a thought

Originally Posted by river_rat

A low yield nuke detonated in low earth orbit would cause havoc with all the communications satelites up there and would be cheaper than building a monster doomsday emp device - just a thought

But then the people of Earth would get pissed and actually be able to fight back. The point is to make us completely defenceless and take over the world...

It would send the world back to basically the stone age

"What a great idea," he said, low and sarcastically.

And if you still have a working and tech advanced army you would have the advantage, by a lot. Were talking about the enemy wouldn't even be able to communicate. They might still have guns, they would be less sophistocated but they would still shoot and kill, but if a huge army is cut off from itsself then how much can they do?

I'm not sure what you mean.
The NVA/VC in the second Indochina warhad a huge army, with very primative technology, and "did" quite a bit.

I suppose if you're interested in letting 7/8 of the world suffer in abject poverty, die of starvation, and live miserable existances just to prove your military might, then go for it chief.
I'll visit you in prision. Promise.

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

It would send the world back to basically the stone age

"What a great idea," he said, low and sarcastically.

And if you still have a working and tech advanced army you would have the advantage, by a lot. Were talking about the enemy wouldn't even be able to communicate. They might still have guns, they would be less sophistocated but they would still shoot and kill, but if a huge army is cut off from itsself then how much can they do?

I'm not sure what you mean.
The NVA/VC in the second Indochina warhad a huge army, with very primative technology, and "did" quite a bit.

I suppose if you're interested in letting 7/8 of the world suffer in abject poverty, die of starvation, and live miserable existances just to prove your military might, then go for it chief.
I'll visit you in prision. Promise.

What a downer... anywho, I amost think this world needs to get it's butts kicked. We've become too distant in terms of humanity, what we need is a massive threat such as this to unoite the world as one, even if it means we have to start over.

We've become too distant in terms of humanity

Yes, I feel the same way.
I wait, with pregnant anticipation, for the day when we can, once again, stone people for heresy; cut out the uterus of women when we decide, using our medieval medical technology during her yearly checkup, that serpents have invaded her reproductive organs; burn witches (she turned me into a newt!); farm dirt; live virtually lawlessly; make "cut it off" the most frequently used medical term; and, especially, poop outside.

You're a frickin' gold mine! Keep it up.

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

We've become too distant in terms of humanity

Yes, I feel the same way.
I wait, with pregnant anticipation, for the day when we can, once again, stone people for heresy; cut out the uterus of women when we decide, using our medieval medical technology during her yearly checkup, that serpents have invaded her reproductive organs; burn witches (she turned me into a newt!); farm dirt; live virtually lawlessly; make "cut it off" the most frequently used medical term; and, especially, poop outside.

You're a frickin' gold mine! Keep it up.

People lived and obviously enjoyed it in the past, I don't see why we can't too.. :P it'd be like a field trip through time

all i've heard thus far is talk of EMP's effecting electronics on a global scale. obviously the best protection is to the limit the blast radius of the pulse.

taking out one city a government would need to devote time and reasources to restoring power and keeping basic essentials and a degree of order in that city. this would put strain on frontline troops due to supply and troop diversions.

that and it really annoys people...

If you really want to create chaos create an antimatter bomb, put it on orbit and when it reaches a position between america and europe and detonate it. The EMP would be strong enough to wipe out every shred of technolgy and electronicly stored data we humans have. THE ENTIRE WORLD WOULD BE IN COMPLETE CHAOS. NOTHING WOULD WORK AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. and then its the perfect opritonity to launch a full scale invasion on the entire planet and bring a new order to this world. a order its never seen before. MY ORDER
I WOULD CONQUER EVERY COUNTRY ONE BY ONE WOULD THEY FALL TO KNEE BEFORE THEIR GRAND MASTER. ME
and every problem would be solved because there will be no free will. ONLY MY WILL

maybe i should go and look for a psykiatris

People lived and obviously enjoyed it in the past, I don't see why we can't too..

You can poop outside without destroying the world.

the destruction of the entire planet is much more satsfying than just letting it be

SPAM ALERT!!!!!

LOL !!

Just send the waves AWAY from the machine (erm.. has to make waves to take certain direction then.. )

And then the machine self wil be the last to get some.

yes, i´ll build it into a machine orbiting the planet. i´ll use the most sofisticated antimatter reactor to charge the weapon up and fire it at the planet. The blast will be powerfull enough to create a EM shockwave capable to rip every electron from its atom. and there by disintergrating everything. MOHAHA

The best effect I see right now from this is the DEATH of myspace. This alone would be enough to bring stupid little 12 and 13 year olds to thier kne...well it would kill them. Then all that would be left is adults, and the loss of television would be their death. That pretty much sums it all up.

What an awesome idea

Originally Posted by river_rat

A low yield nuke detonated in low earth orbit would cause havoc with all the communications satelites up there and would be cheaper than building a monster doomsday emp device - just a thought

I agree !

But a nuke going off at 5,000 or 10,000 feet, its EMP surge would fry any circuit boards, radio's, communications, transformers, automobile and truck diodes, and control modules, computer systems & servers, bringing everything to a stop.
Think of any airplane in flight, in range off the blast, that fly by wire and all electronics, it's engines would cut out. As would exposed boats and water craft.
All TV stations and satellite beacons would be down also.
Maybe a '60's to '75's cars or trucks, would be driveable after minor electrical repairs, being non-digital controlled. All fuel would have to be hand pumped. The only retaliation coming from nuclear submarines if you had them, and could contact them. From a self powered remote site.

Did anybody ever see the series "Dark Angel"

That show was about a genetically engineered solider, but the premise of the show was an America which had been hit by a terrorist EMP blast.

Besides, we already have all the knowledge to rebuild. It would take a long time, but not as long as full on devlopment. It might be a useful tool during a World War type scenario, in a specific area to limit the casualities, or destruction of an entire city's population, but I doubt it would keep humanity in the stone age for hundreds of years.

Shielded electronics already exist, I'm sure some would survive, in any case. Most likely the ones we'd least want to survive would. (Nuclear Launch Systems, and so on)

Originally Posted by CaveatLector

Protection from what? Destroying itself?


What possible good could come from something that annihilates electronics worldwide?

Seems dumb.

Companies might make their stuff more resistant to such things. It would be a two fold good move. Because what would protect from an attack would also protect from an accident.

The United States of American invented the Turtle Submarine during the revolution. Yet the Germans took us by surprise in two wars with it.

Law makers are suicidal addicts. You either remove them or prepare to survive the chaos they create.


Sincerely,


William McCormick

Yes, you can detonate a nuke 300 miles above the US and cripple 3/4 of the country and yes it is possible to make an EM Bomb to cripple a city but you do know that you can make an EM Pulse for lets say only 100 metres\yards.

Why not use an EMP generator for checkpoints in Iraq. If some truck runs a blockade full of explosives EMP his ass. Then you have someone to interrogate and you save lives. Lets see them try to talk themselves out of driving a truck load of explosives.

However I dont think that they have used an EMP generator near a truck of explosives so I dont know if the explosives would go off.

However if they do Terrorist and if they dont you search the truck and replace some wiring and they are on their way :P

Originally Posted by Dark.Star

Did anybody ever see the series "Dark Angel"

That show was about a genetically engineered solider, but the premise of the show was an America which had been hit by a terrorist EMP blast.

Besides, we already have all the knowledge to rebuild. It would take a long time, but not as long as full on devlopment. It might be a useful tool during a World War type scenario, in a specific area to limit the casualities, or destruction of an entire city's population, but I doubt it would keep humanity in the stone age for hundreds of years.

Shielded electronics already exist, I'm sure some would survive, in any case. Most likely the ones we'd least want to survive would. (Nuclear Launch Systems, and so on)

Could you see someone doing this as a money making scheme? They "just so happen" to own the only EMP shielded microprocessor factories in the world when the EMP bursts hit?

Nobody ever catches the "terrorists" responsible. A man with a beard poses as Osama Bin laden in order to film a video taking responsibility, and the whole thing gets blamed on Al Quaida.

Originally Posted by kojax

Nobody ever catches the "terrorists" responsible. A man with a beard poses as Osama Bin laden in order to film a video taking responsibility, and the whole thing gets blamed on Al Quaida.

Alluding to 9/11 conspiracy junk again. Off topic.

I'm just pointing out the strategic significance that having a ready made scapegoat available to our national security. It's a ready made source of plausible deniability that can be used to the advantage of our less obvious enemies.

For example, I wouldn't be surprised if Russia is supplying a lot of the weapons to Taliban fighters in Afghanistan right now. We opened the door by supplying them with a lot of weapons in the 80's that either resembled, or had actually been captured/stolen from Soviet armories. (In order to make our own involvement deniable.) So I'm just saying: plausible deniablity is a serious strategic advantage, one we should be reluctant to concede.

An emp device that large is not pratical, first of all the radiation generated from such device would be too dangerous, as well as the radio waves and other harmful waves, it would suck up too much electricity, and could easily be messed with with a computer, as well as not being that efective, another useless invention.