Yes, depending on your perspective, it may sound crazy, dystopian, or maybe just like Sci-Fi but it is a real functional weapon. Although it was originally tested way back in 2012 this weapon is now a reality. It is called, CHAMP which stands for Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project and the U.S. has deployed 20 of them.
You may have heard of Electromagnetic Pulse aka. EMP which can result from Nuclear explosions and destroy electronics for miles outside the actual blast area. Well, CHAMP is like that except without the BOOM (or the radiation) or the fire and destruction. The EMP is totally harmless to people, animals or buildings.
Basically, CHAMP is a cruise missile which can be loaded on a B-52 bomber but it doesn’t actually explode. Instead, the CHAMP missile is launched and flies over an area emitting an electromagnetic pulse which destroys all the electronics within its target zone. This includes cameras, cellphones, and computers. But more importantly it also includes military hardware like surveillance systems, artillery guidance systems, and radar systems. CHAMP missiles are virtually impossible to shoot down because they can fry the electronics of anything that tries to track them. Champ is so powerful it can actually fry electronics inside hardened mountain bunkers (as long as they are connected to outside utilities via cables).
Recently President Trump was quoted as saying, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran.” People have assumed that he was either boasting or talking about conventional weapons… but what if he was talking about CHAMPS? He could easily send Iran back to the stone age without killing a single person. Which I think would certainly meet the meaning of his statement.
A blast over Tehran could shut the city down for a long time. Imagine the chaos created when virtually everything stops working? Power plants, internet, government buildings, traffic lights, all phone service, even cars with electronic ignition… everything stops instantly. It would be like Hiroshima all over again except no one dies (except possibly due to car crashes). Instantly the government would have millions of very unhappy people wondering why their government “poked the bear”. My guess is that the U.S. would demonstrate it on a small scale first and give Iran a chance to change their mind before resorting to shutting down major cities. But Iran should not assume that Trump is bluffing when he says a war with the U.S. would be the official end of Iran.
Note: Interestingly, according to Forbes Magazine, on March 26th President Trump issued an “Executive Order on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses” in an effort to assess the risks of such an attack to critical U.S. infrastructure. So if we are adding EMP weapons to our arsenal it would make sense that we would also be working on defenses from EMP weapons.
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