Emp

Is it true that an EMP fired 5 miles above American Ground can cripple the US and fry our US computers. I mean, without computers, most of our cars wouldn't be able to run, our power plants would shut down, and we wouldn't be able to fire our nukes. We'd be thrown into the stone ages and millions of people would not be able to survive. Does China have such a powerful EMP and can it fire a missile to the ideal location without it being shot down? If so then electronic warfare is much more terrifying than I thought. I used to think that all I had to fear from it was hackers hacking into our banks and messing with our money.

The EMP you're talking about is likely a nuclear weapon. Doing so would mean nuclear war. Even if it isn't nuclear, such an ICBM, once fired, is indistinguishable from a nuclear tipped ICBM, so the likely response would be nuclear anyway. An EMP attack like that is not only an act of war, but total war against enemy population. It opens a can of worms that leads to a long and enervating debate.

Yeah, but to think just one weapon can cause so much damage.....

It would be good for punishing someone that doesn't have nukes?

goldenpanda said:

It would be good for punishing someone that doesn't have nukes?

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It could only work if they're pretty far away from China.

When fighting against a nuclear state, throwing a couple of EMPs at their nuclear silos and frying the electric circuits so they can't launch missiles is a good deterrant, albeit a bit risky. Wars between nuclear powers are highly unlikely, though, unless the world is overpopulated and cannot sustain itself.

If you throw ballistic missiles against a nuclear power, expect a nuclear exchange. Like you said, use it or lose it.

But I am asking whether it is feasible and possible to send one stealth fighter or stealth missile, reach a destination, explode one or a couple EMPs at 500 miles above ground, and only send them to the stone ages but cripple their nuclear forces as well.

If the emp works and can cover such a range like in this picture



there won't be many nuclear exchanges.

EMP is overrated, for the simple reason it can be defeated by a Faraday cage. A Faraday cage is a cage made of electrically conducting material which intercepts and traps electromagnetic interference. That means if you surround yourself with metal it practically blocks it out.

Look at the PCs. The case and the frame serves as the Faraday cage. Many things around us are natural Faraday cages without even intending to be so. For example, a building with an internal structure of rebards and steel girders. For this reason, cars, ships, planes and tanks are all Faraday cages.

On Jan 9, Professor Wenhua Huang was rewarded with the 1st class National Award for Sci-Tech Progress for his achievement on research of anti-missle weapon system applying High Power Microwave (HPM). This system was tested and verified to be successful in Nov, 2010, which can be fired to neutralize ASM's multi-type electro-equipments, including seekers, data chains and GPS. Traditionally, this award is the highest one which can be awarded to an individual by the Chinese government.