Incorporation of EMP's in Fiction Films
EMP attacks are commonly seen in science fiction movies.
For example:
Other movies that include EMPs include:
For example:
- A 1950s science-fiction film called War of the Worlds shows the effects on human life as we know it after an EMP attack hits a certain area.
- In this film, when aliens visit earth, they are accompanied by an intense electrical storm that generates an electromagnetic pulse.
- Cars will not be able to start.
- The electricity and the phone lines will go out.
- All electronic devices will have their circuits fried.
Other movies that include EMPs include:
Not Just Science Fiction
- Although EMPs frequently appear in science-fiction movies, and people most only hear about EMPs when fiction is involved, an EMP itself is not science fiction.
- Currently, terrorists are conspiring to detonate (cause to explode) a nuclear warhead above the continental United States, unleashing an EMP of catastrophic proportions and thrusting our 21st century information society into darkness (since all electronic devices will have to be disposed of and replaced). This will effectively reverse the advancement of our modern society, which relies heavily on technology.
EMP's Used as Weapons
- As stated before, an Electromagnetic Pulse or EMP is a pulse of electromagnetic radiation caused by the rapid acceleration of charged particles. When an EMP is set off above the surface of the Earth, it has the potential for mass destruction. A EMP could be the result of a nuclear explosion. EMPs knock out almost all electrical components of our everyday lives. The EMP could be used as a weapon to take out enemy’s weapons, stop communications, and stop motor vehicles making warfare almost impossible for the enemy. Countries have been working to weaponize EMPs, not just as guns, but also as bombs. Many countries are trying to modernize their armed forces with this new technology. To see the effects of an EMP on a car and a remote controlled helicopter see the video below.
- An EMP will only work on a car if the car was made after the 1970s because cars made before are not controlled by a microprocessor (heart of the car) and would not be “killed” by the EMP. Police are also working on a EMP gun to put an end to deadly car chases. This technology can be use in multiple ways.
- EMP explosions are no longer used in science fiction just as weapons. Today they are being developed to use as weapons all over the world. The U.S. Navy is using EMP technology to create a EMP powered Railgun. The railgun can shoot a rail through six pieces of half inch steel. Here is a video of a railgun in action.
Another weapon that has already been tested, and is considered the gateway to EMP weapons is Starfish Prime. Starfish Prime was launched 240 miles above the Earth’s surface 900 miles away from Hawaii. Like most EMPs, Starfish Prime was produced from a nuclear explosion. The explosion produced heat, light, X-rays, gamma rays, and electrons and heavy ions. Starfish Prime was only a test of EMP weapons, but the engineers who ran it found that it was bigger than expected. The video below is of Starfish Prime.
EMP's Used as Guns
- While most people think Phaser are a thing of fantasy, they are becoming reality. EMP phasers create a burst of EMPs by a generator, then the EMP is fired through the EMP proof barrel. This creates a beam of energy shooting out of the gun. Here are videos that show the Phasers of Star Trek, similar to the EMP gun.
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History of EMP's Being Used as Weapons
- EMP bombs were popularly known by 1991; however, the concept of EMP weaponry has been known for a long time, since the time it was discovered in the 1050s.
- From the 1960s to the 1980s, the U.S. researched the possibility of a nuclear based EMP attack from a low earth orbit position. This idea dates back to the research conducted on nuclear weapons in the 1950s.
- In 1958, American tests on hydrogen bombs were conducted, and they yielded surprising results.
- Researchers concluded that the electrical disturbance was due to the Compton effect, which was that photons of electromagnetic energy could knock loose electrons from atoms with low atomic numbers.
- In a 1958 test, researches concluded that there are photons in the blast of gamma radiation which knocked a large number of electrons free from oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere. This flood of electrons interacted with the Earth’s magnetic field to create a violently fluctuating electric current, which included a powerful magnetic field.
- The resulting electromagnetic pulse induces intense electrical currents in all conductive materials over a wide area, including pipelines, railway tracks, power lines, and other items.
- The effect can be so intense as to cause not only blackouts, but bursting of pipelines, fracturing of rails, and arcing from long fences as well as the creation of wildfires.
- During the cold war with the former USSR, the U.S. intelligence service feared the Soviet Union would launch a nuclear missile and detonate about 50 kilometers (30 miles) above the U.S. to achieve the same effect on a larger scale. They feared the resulting electromagnetic burst would knock out electrical equipment across the U.S.
- In 1991, the first wartime use of EMP was deployed.
- Today, the U.S. intelligence is giving more concern to non-nuclear EMP devices, such as EMP bombs, since these are more easily fabricated, and can even be made from spare parts and war surplus items.
- Although these weapons would not affect as wide an area (since they would not blast photons as high above the Earth), they could still be used to create total blackouts on a more local level, which was seen in Baghdad in 1991.
General Usages of EMP's as Weapons
- An electromagnetic pulse weapon is said to be far more dangerous and potentially more lethal than a nuclear bomb.
- Russians have published their research and experiments on the creation of their EMP weapons.
- China also currently has EMP weapons.
- China’s military has developed electromagnetic pulse weapons that Beijing is planning to use against U.S. aircraft carriers in any future conflict over Taiwan.
- For use against Taiwan, China’s EMP weapons are designed to detonate at a much lower altitude (about 30 to 40 kilometers). This is to ensure that the EMP effects are confined to just Taiwan and its immediate vicinity, and so the damaging effects of the EMP to electronics will be minimized on China’s mainland.
- Other countries such as the U.S., Israel, and North Korea have invested in this technology.
- Basically, any nuclear capable nation with an atmospheric delivery system can create their own EMP weapons.
- Scientists have developed a way to produce an EMP weapon without fissionable material.
- They are non-nuclear devices that are smaller than nuclear fueled pulse generators; however, their effect can be just as effective
- The power in these devices are supplied by a bank of capacitors.
- Currently, several countries are working to produce (or have already produced) weaponized EMP bombs.
- An EMP does not need to re-enter the atmosphere (unlike other deadly ballistic missiles owned by several countries). This poses a great threat to the world since our current defensive systems are designed to target a potential warhead as it re-enters the atmosphere. Therefore, an EMP attack would effectively obliterate and nullify our defensive systems.
- A weaponized EMP is designed to detonate high in the atmosphere.
- The explosion that occurs from an electromagnetic pulse attack releases certain energies that diffuse and radiate among a large area that is underneath it. The higher up the explosion occurs, the farther the radiation can extend beyond the curve of the horizon.
Most examples of EMP's used as weapons involve the point-source form of EMP; however, other forms of EMP (such as focused beam) are also used by countries.
For example:
For example:
- In 1991, EMP bombs were mounted on cruise missiles and used in Desert Storm to “soften” the principle target, Baghdad, in Iraq.