ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPONS

BY

SATYAJIT DALBEHERA

(1SG07EE045)

TECHNICAL SEMINAR PRESENTATION ON

INTRODUCTION

Desert Storm Counter-C3 operations relied on air power and precision guided munitions.

Future campaigns will require more suitable weapons to achieve shock effect over large target sets with small attacking forces.

Electromagnetic weapons can perform such a role.

Electromagnetic weapon is a weapon of electrical mass destruction(WEMD)

BASIC PRINCIPLE

THE EMP EFFECT The Electromagnetic Pulse is in effect an

electromagnetic shock wave. This pulse of energy produces a powerful

electromagnetic field, particularly within the vicinity of the weapon burst.

The field can be sufficiently strong to produce short lived transient voltages of thousands of Volts (i.e.kilovolts) on exposed electrical conductors, such as wires, or conductive tracks on printed circuit boards, where exposed.

TECHNOLOGY BASE OF E-WEAPON

Key technologies which are extant in the area are

Explosively pumped Flux Compression Generators (FCG)

Explosive or propellant driven Magneto-Hydrodynamic (MHD) generators.

A range of HPM devices, the foremost of which is the Virtual Cathode Oscillator or Vircator.

THE PHYSICS OF FCG

Fast explosive compresses a magnetic field

Compression transfers mechanical energy into the magnetic field

Peak currents of Mega Amperes demonstrated in many experiments

FCG OPERATION

External power source pumps FCG winding with start current

When start current peaks, explosive lense fired to initiate explosive burn

Explosive pressure expands armature and creates moving short

Moving armature compresses magnetic field

HIGH POWER MICROWAVE(HMP) SOURCES

Higher lethality than low frequency FCG fields, many device types

Relativistic KlystronsMagnetronsSlow Wave DevicesReflex TriodesVirtual Cathode Oscillators (vircators)

VIRCATOR PHYSICS

Relativistic electron beam punches through foil or mesh anode.

”Virtual” cathode formed by space charge bubble behind anode.

Peak power of tens of GW for 100s of nsec.

Anode typically melts in about 1 usec.

Cheap and simple to manufacture.Wide bandwidth.

OPERATION OF E-WEAPONS

MODES OF COUPLINGFRONTDOOR COUPLINGBACKDOOR COUPLING

TARGETING THE E-BOMBGLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM(GPS)EMITTER LOCATING SYSTEM(ELS)DUE TO UNINTENTIONAL EMISSION(UE)

DEPLOYING THE E-BOMBCRUISE MISSILE AIRFRAMECONVENTIONAL AIRCRAFT

LETHALITY OF E-WEAPONS

DAMAGE INFLICTED ON ELECTRONICS EQUIPMENTS

SMALL SIZE-VULNERABILITYTHERMAL BREAKDOWN FAILUREOVERALL EFFECT

EFFECT ON HUMAN BEINGS

USE OF PACEMAKER OR ANY OTHER ELECTRONIC IMPLANTSIDE LOBE OF BEAM

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

GPS GUIDED BOMB KITS

GENERAL ARRANGMENT

PROTECTION AGAINST E-WEAPON

FARADAY CAGEE-BUNKERSSITE HARDENINGUSE OF MOTOR POWER ISOLATORS FOR MAINS POWER DISTRIBUTION

APPLICATION OF E-WEAPONS

These E-Weapons are basically used in military sectors,they are used in

Electronic combatStrategic warfareTheatre warfarePunitive missions

E-WEAPON ADVANTAGES IN STRATEGIC WARFARE

Not lethal to humansNegligible collateral damage High tempo campaigns possible due

the powerful “shock” effect of using a WEMD

No mass media coverage of bombing casualties (broadcast eqpt destroyed) will reduce the threshold for the use of strategic air power and missile forces

LIMITATIONS OF E-WEAPONS

WEAPON IMPLEMENTATIONMEANS OF DELIVERYKILL ASSESSMENT

CONCLUSION

E-Weapon is a WEMDHigh payoff in using E-Weapons against

fundamental infrastructure, resulting in substantial paralysis

E-Weapons will become a decisive capability in Strategic Warfare and Electronic Combat

E-Weapons are a non-lethal weaponThe critical issues for the next decade are

the deployment of E-Weapons and the hardening of fundamental infrastructure

REFERENCES

AAP1000 - RAAF, DI(AF) AAP1000, The Air Power Manual, Second Edition, RAAF APSC, Canberra,

1994 AAP1003 - RAAF, DI(AF) AAP1003, Ch.8 The Law of Aerial

Targeting, Operations Law for RAAF Commanders, First Edition, RAAF APSC, Canberra, 1994 AFM1-1 - Basic Aerospace Doctrine of the United States Air Force,

Air Force Manual 1-1, Volume 1, March 1992. CAIRD85 - Caird R.S. et al, Tests of an Explosive Driven Coaxial

Generator, Digest of Technical Papers, 5th IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, pp.220, IEEE, New York, 1985. DIXON84 - Dixon R.C., Spread Spectrum Systems, John Wiley and

Sons, New York, 1984. FANTHOME89 - Fanthome B.A., MHD Pulsed Power Generation,

Digest of Technical Papers, 7th IEEE