Box cutters, high flying geese and now this: a DIY electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon that can bring down a plane with a single microwave radio pulse blasted from the ground or even from the next seat over, according to experts.
The world's major military powers have tinkered with EMP warheads that broadcast radio-frequency shockwaves of hundreds of thousands of volts per meter. But now, any crackpot can build one of these "e-bombs" with low-cost equipment purchased online.
In analyzing electromagnetic weapons currently in development, the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel, discovered that there is plenty of information and affordable equipment available on the Net that could be used by terrorists to build a weapon strong enough to fry nearby electrical systems, including the ones keeping civil airliners aloft. Popular Mechanics estimated the cost of building just such a weapon at $400.
"These will become more of a threat as the electromagnetic weapons technology matures," Yael Shahar, the Institute's director warned in an interview with New Scientist. "Once it is known that aircraft are vulnerable to particular types of disruption, it isn't too much of a leap to build a device that can produce that sort of disruption. And much of this could be built from off-the-shelf components or dual-use technologies."
Compounding the problem is the increased use of carbon-fiber reinforced composite in aircraft fuselages, according to aviation officials. Composites, compared with metal, provide little defense against electromagnetic radiation.
"What's needed is extensive shielding of electronic components and the vast amount of cables running down the length of the aircraft," Shahar told delegates at the annual Directed Energy Weapons conference in London last month.
Government agencies are little more laid back. While the government is well aware of this security risk to civilian aircraft, it's considering the overall "balanced picture", said a spokesperson for the UK Department of Transport.
(Credit:
Sandia)
A Malibu, CA company is developing a new system to protect military communication gear from high-power microwave weapons, nuclear blast generated electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and the mythic, directed-energy "e-bomb".
One nuclear airburst can unleash the EMP equivalent to 100,000 volts per square centimeter, frying computer, radar and communication equipment within hundreds of miles. It's possible to protect electronic circuitry from EMP with something called a Faraday cage, or covering it up with 1 inch mesh, grounded, copper chicken wire as they've done with FEMA headquarters; problem is-nothing gets out either, which defeats the purpose when it comes to radio transmitters.
HRL Laboratories, LLC landed the government contract to design, test, and develop a "novel" receiver based on an innovative front end meant to protect electronic components from "over as large a fractional bandwidth as feasible".
Known as the Electromagnetic Pulse-tolerant Microwave Receiver Front-end, or EMPiRe, the program aims to produce a microwave receiver capable of surviving and operating in high energy electromagnetic environments, while maintaining high sensitivity, bandwidth and range, according to DARPA, which is funding the three-part, four year effort.
It does this by sensing incoming electrical fields through a high-performance, microwave photonic link and then providing a microwave-modulated optical signal to the shielded receiver, according to HRL.
"This front end will be designed to have wider bandwidth than existing technology and will achieve a much higher concentration of electromagnetic fields," said Dr. James Schaffner, HRL program manager. "The thermal effects of a high-energy attack will be insignificant because our sensor head absorbs negligible radio-frequency power."
This is good news for military commo jocks, but leaves your widescreen and factory installed GPS vulnerable to Goldeneye/Ocean's Eleven style electromagnetic pulse bomb attacks and even sun flares. Waddayawant? Call your congressman.
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