1.
THE E-BOMB : A WEAPON
OF ELECTRICAL MASS
DESTRUCTION
By :
Awanish Kumar Singh
10104EN059
Critic:
Jeetendra Kumar Meena
10104EN075

2.
INTRODUCTION:




Future warfare campaigns will require more suitable
weapons to achieve shock effect over large target sets
with small attacking forces.
Electromagnetic bombs (E-bombs) can perform such
a role
Developed by Dr Carlo Kopp, Associate Fellow
AIAA and freelance Defense Analyst.
It can destroy Power Grids, Electronics and
Communication System along an entire coast but
spare human and other living species.

3.
E-BOMB TECHNOLOGY BASE:
Power source : Battery, Capacitor bank
 Explosively pumped Flux Compression
Generator (FCG).
 High Power Microwave Device
 Antenna


4.
FCG :


FCG can produce tens of Mega Joules in tens to
hundreds of microseconds.
Peak current of an FCG is 100X that of a typical
lightning stroke.

5.
FCG INTERNALS:




Armature - copper tube / fast explosive
Stator - helical heavy wire coil
Initiator - plane wave explosive lense
Jacket - prevents disintegration due magnetic
forces

6.
FCG OPERATION:
A switch connects the capacitors to the stator
which provides starting current
 A fuse mechanism ignites the explosive material.
 As the explosion makes its way through the
cylinder, the cylinder comes in contact with the
stator winding. This creates a short circuit, cutting
the stator off from its power supply.
 The moving short circuit compresses the magnetic
field, generating an intense electromagnetic burst.


7.
HIGH POWER MICROWAVE
(HPM) DEVICES:
The fundamental idea behind the HPM is to
amplify the resulting electromagnetic burst
into high power microwave
(e.g. Vircator, Klystrons, Magnetrons etc)

8.
DAMAGE MECHANISMS:

Low frequency pulses produced by FCG create high
voltage spikes on fixed wiring infrastructure

Microwave radiation from HPM devices can couple
directly through ventilation grilles, gaps between
panels, poor interface shielding - producing a spatial
standing wave inside the equipment cavity

9.
COUPLING MODES:
Front Door Coupling through antennas.
 Destroys RF semiconductor devices in transmitters
and receivers
Back Door Coupling through power/data cabling,
telephone wiring
 Destroys exposed semiconductor devices

10.
EXAMPLE SCENARIO:

10 Giga Watt 5 GHz HPM E-bomb initiated at
several hundred meters altitude

Footprint has diameter of 400 - 500 meters with
field strengths of kilovolts/meter

11.
DEFENCE AGAINST E-BOMBS:

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
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convert computer rooms in to Faraday cages
use optical fibers for data
isolate power feeds with transient arrestors
use electromagnetic “air lock”
shielding must be comprehensive

12.
MILITARY APPLICATIONS OF THE
E-BOMB
1) Electronic Combat: The objective is to paralyse the
opponent’s C3S and ADS as quickly as possible
2) Strategic Warfare: Implemented according to
Warden’s Five Ring model
3) Punitive Missions: The E-bomb is a useful punitive
weapon as it can cause much economic and military
damage with no loss of civilian life

13.
ADVANTAGES:
Not lethal to humans
 Negligible collateral damage
 High tempo campaigns become easy due to the
powerful “shock” effect of using a WEMD
 No mass media coverage of bombing casualties
(broadcast equipts destroyed)


14.
LIMITATIONS:

Means of implementing E-Bombs are difficult.

Means of delivery constrain the accuracy of
weapon.

Atmospheric propagation of waves.

Difficult kill assessment.

15.
CONCLUSIONS:



E-bomb is a Weapon of Electric Mass Destruction.
E-bombs are a non-lethal weapon
The critical issues for the next decade are the
deployment of E-bombs and the hardening of
fundamental infrastructure

16.
REFERENCES:

The Electromagnetic Bomb - a Weapon of Electrical Mass
Destruction by Carlo Kopp, Defence Analyst (1997)
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/cc/apje
mp.html
 E-Bomb – FAQ by Carlo Kopp (2012)
http://www.ausairpower.net/E-Bomb-FAQ.html
 How E-Bombs Work by Tom Harris
http://science.howstuffworks.com/e-bomb.htm
 E- Bomb by Jim Wilson and Edwin Herder
http://www.radiobergen.org/terrorism/e_bomb.htm

17.
THANK YOU!