emp satellite

how come we don't have a emp satellite? wouldn't that be cool for a weapon; shoot it at your enemy and disable all their electronics in a given area (like up to a mile or two). this could be a huge benefit in the wars of today.

p.s. deny hate

Storing the rediculous amount of energy to be released from space and create a viable ME field on the target location would require an utterly massive satelite.

The only truely viable and compact enough ME weapons to date are nukes. But as you might know, they usualy do a bit more then create just an ME field ..

alright, well then on a smaller scale. like just enough to cover a facility and disable its electronics. for like a secret op project. whoever said the ME had to be visible? im really new to the subject i just thought it would be a good idea and wondered why we hadn't done it yet. let me know

The problem is more in getting the energy from space to the ground target, not to have it visible, large scale or whatever.

Energy tends to desipate into the air and space on the path from point of origin to destination.

With bomb/projectile based EMP's, the point of origin and the destination are close to one and other giving as a result that the energy isn't desipated.

You could make a satelite system that fires EMP missiles, but well, thats pritty much what the Star Wars space shield could be equiped to do. And the only reason the US wasn't able to pull that one of is because noone else on the planet would alow the weaponization of space.

Im sure i read somewhere about the US developing an EMP bomb for use over a small target area...
Did the US not use something exotic to disable Serbian power stations during the Kosovo conflict..iirc it was something like filaments that caused an overload when it was dropped on power cables,but didnt destroy the infrastructure....apologies for any errors ;-)

This link goes into the concept of an EMP bomb based on the Mk84 :-

www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil...

[edit on 23-11-2005 by bmdefiant]

The HEMP bomb is just that, and a single on could knock out electrical power and most electronic systems over most of America.

It is the real reason the gov fears smaller states getting nukes and missiles.

They could destroy America with just a few nukes, or maybe cause collapse with a single one.

High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments

Nuclear Weapon EMP Effects

WorldNetDaily: Iran plans to knock out US with 1 nuclear bomb

America's Vulnerability to a Different Nuclear Threat



Sleep Well......

thematrix said:
Storing the rediculous amount of energy to be released from space and create a viable ME field on the target location would require an utterly massive satelite.

Actually, the word used by the original poster was

V I A B LE = Capable of success or continuing effectiveness; practicable: a viable plan; a viable national economy.

and not

V I S I B L E = Possible to see; perceptible to the eye: a visible object.

Just thought I would point that out.

- One Man Short ®

[edit on 23-11-2005 by One Man Short of Manhood]

The HEMP bomb

The HEMP Bomb! I've heard it all now. Whats that gonna do? Get everybody buzzed? Make them laugh to death?

Look out everyone here comes the giant buzz bomb! Sorry for the mirth, but that is darned funny. I will read your links when I quit coughing.

Whats that gonna do?

Destroy most if not all of the electrical power plants, and distributions systems in America along with computers and most other sensitive electronic devices.

It other words it could send us back to the stone age.

Not other nation is as vulnerable.

You all know that we can't continue with our way of life without electrical power, and computers.

It is actually fairly easy to build a EMP bomb, there are tons of articles on DIY EMP bombs, I read quite a few, just google it. But you do need conventional explosives though.

Originally posted by COWlan
It is actually fairly easy to build a EMP bomb, there are tons of articles on DIY EMP bombs, I read quite a few, just google it. But you do need conventional explosives though.

Those are called Explosively Pumped Electromagnetic Flux Compression Generator Bombs

[edit on 23-11-2005 by ArchAngel]

Originally posted by COWlan
It is actually fairly easy to build a EMP bomb, there are tons of articles on DIY EMP bombs, I read quite a few, just google it. But you do need conventional explosives though.

Guys, this thread isn't about the viability of EMP weapons in general, but "an EMP satellite" as the poster of the thread stated.

An EMP missile launching satelite would be the only viable solution at the moment. And if the US didn't build Star Wars, they at least have plans for a satelite network that can provide a large EMP missile launching platform.

The extra features the Star Wars system could be fitted with, aside ICBM interception, are imho more likely the reason why the rest of the world was so against it.

Fitting the system with EMP or tactical nukes instead of ICBM intercepting rockets would give the US the capability to strike wherever, whenever all over the world within no time. Either with tactical nukes, EMP's or even bio or chemical weapons.

The most common idea about EMP satelites would be what we've seen in many movies, where the satelite would fire a big beam or pulse to a target area. This is what I said is not viable, because of the massive energy storage requirements.

An EMP missile launching satelite would be the only viable solution at the moment.

What about the HEMP Bomb?

It would need no rocket other than the one used to launch it into low earth orbit.

You would simply detonate it when it was over the target.

The problem with the idea is that if it accidentally went off while over your land it would be catastrophic.

That would still be a missile launching satellite with the HEMP as a missile warhead or stage wouldn't it?

Originally posted by thematrix
That would still be a missile launching satellite with the HEMP as a missile warhead or stage wouldn't it?

You said missile launching satelite.

You would not need to launch it from the satellite.

For a large one it needs to be hundreds of miles above the target....

HEMP is the effect of a nuclear blast in space, or very high in the atmosphere.

Again, the thread isn't about the EMP weapons in general but Satellite based EMP weapons.

Originally posted by thematrix
Again, the thread isn't about the EMP weapons in general but Satellite based EMP weapons.

A nuclear bomb in low earth orbit with a remote detonator is an EMP Satellite.

Just a few minor points to make on this issue.

I would think, the main point of an EMP bomb would be to disable the military equipment.

If that is the point, it will not work.
The US, as well as all 1st world modern militarizes have what are called "hardened" electronics.
What that means is they are designed and shielded to make them survive a nuclear blast/EMP bomb.

If the point is to destroy a countries infrastructure-it will work great.
An EMP/nuclear weapon will destroy all transistors.
That means all computers and everything that runs on them will stop.
What that means is no: Electricity-grid is run/controlled by computers
, water, natural gas, gasoline-as they all depend on electricity and computer controls, cars, trucks, planes, trains 4 the same reason.

Basically it can send a country back to the pre-electricity industrial ages.

The James Bond movie 'Golden-eye' revolved around a sattelitte capable of emitting an electro magnetic pulse. Cool movie...

The US probably has an EMP satelite or some other kind of satelite-based weapon system that we don't know about. The rule for military technology is that if they say they have it now it's what they had 5 years ago. Do you think an EMP satellite could be used to destroy nuclear missiles in their boost phase?


I personally think that the Golden-eye weapon is impractical but you could have something like in die another day.