US Building State of the Art Nukes!

Anna, I agree with you for the most part. Large scale bombs are really impractical. EMP has some environmental factors plus you can shield from it. However, I would go out on a limb here and state that the current military EMP devices and their capablities are never going to be postd on Wiki or the net for that matter. Way too sensative an issue. Remember we've known about and worked on EMP related effects since the 50's and most of what is publically known is very old tech. So the EMP tech could be very practicle

True. But then EMP has a set of limitations that physics cannot hide. If it was a simple "touch this one off" situation then it would have been done already. As I recall nothing was destroyed or damaged beyond repair durring the 50's nuclear tests so it may not be as damaging, even though it may cause TV's to flicker or lights to dim abit. *Least to what I have read so far*

Originally posted by Annachie
True. But then EMP has a set of limitations that physics cannot hide. If it was a simple "touch this one off" situation then it would have been done already. As I recall nothing was destroyed or damaged beyond repair durring the 50's nuclear tests so it may not be as damaging, even though it may cause TV's to flicker or lights to dim abit. *Least to what I have read so far*

that would be because 1950's tech was vacuum tube based not transistor based, Vacuum tubes are far more resliliant to EMP.
The US military though would have protected their transistors with advanced forms of Faraday cages.

Excellent point. They did notice the affect but the vacuum tube systems are more resiliant.

Though how can a force protect itself from an EMP blast if they are not 100% sure it even exists at the time? Afterall they only discovered teh affects durring testing and may not have had a full spread on the whats/whos/hows

THey were intriuged enough from the initial descovery to put a lot of effort into working it out. This was 50 years ago...at least. They most very likely have very advanced EMP type bombs. Some using Nuclear Principles. Other countries are pretty aware of other countries doings regarding research, spys, espionage and that sort of stuff. The US lets stuff slip out all the time on accident to spys. Alot of citizens sell out military secrets here too, sadly.

SO yeah they can prepare a little against the idea of an EMP assult, but it will still be pretty devestating to the inferstructure.

If memory serves I remember a Scientific Magazine talking about EMP and how a EMP Pulse bomb could be made for as little as $400. This was way back in mid 90's however so I'm sure with inflation the current military can make one for 2.5-mill

[edit on 10-11-2006 by Annachie]

Originally posted by Annachie
If memory serves I remember a Scientific Magazine talking about EMP and how a EMP Pulse bomb could be made for as little as $400. This was way back in mid 90's however so I'm sure with inflation the current military can make one for 2.5-mill

i seem to remember the same article. However the power of such a weapon would be very minimal. To date only nuclear weapons create an EMP powerfu enough to knock out a city. The conventioanl EMP weapons might be abe to blckout out a city block but not much more.

I believe that the EMP caused by nuclear weapons typically happens when they are detonated high in the atmosphere: it is an interaction between the weapon and Earth geophysics.

I'm not convinced that small ground-level tactical nuclear weapons have any such behavior.

Originally posted by mbkennel
I believe that the EMP caused by nuclear weapons typically happens when they are detonated high in the atmosphere: it is an interaction between the weapon and Earth geophysics.

I'm not convinced that small ground-level tactical nuclear weapons have any such behavior.

You're right, the higher up the warhead is the bigger the EMP fallout is. A sizable nuclear warhead detonated between 250-300 miles above the CONUS would take out most of North America as well as the space based assets over that area. This is why the southwestern US wasn't affected by detentions at the Nuclear Test Site.

Originally posted by doctorfungi
What would you rather... 10,000 nukes that are old and unstable which may cause defunctioning or health risks - or 10,000 safer, newer, more stable nukes.

Unfortunatley, 0 nukes is no longer an option

well, that still doesn't mean the US has to build another 10000 nukes!

aren't 1000 nukes enough to level a country?

the government to should at least trying to decrease the number of nuke they have, if not 1000, well at least reduce to 2000 or 3000.... not another 10000 nukes!

[edit on 11/13/2006 by warset]

Just some thoughts on "Nukes."

1. They get dirty. The radioactive components "rust" for lack of a better term. You must maintain the purity of your fissionable elements.

2. "Dial-A-Yield" is an old idea. Originally there WAS a dial you could set to change the output. You could vary the impurities in the weapon to change the output and either boost it or subdue it. In the 1970's they switched to inflight programmibility. If target A is gone, you can change the output for target B.

3. The EMP in the article you could build for $400.00 is not nuclear, it was electrical. When I was 14 years old, I had a bank of capacitors I would charge up to discharge. I would create a loud boom and blink off everything in the area. Just a toy but the same principle.

4. The government has studied all of the emissions, waves, shocks, and blasts to come up with different uses for the different asects of a nuclear weapon. That is why they have the "Neutron" bomb, EMP, bunker busters, etc.

5. As far as the limited life components in a nuclear weapon, they are replaced on a regular schedule, so that is not the problem and the reason to replace the weapons.

6. What it boils down to is the plutonium and uranium corrodes and develops impuraties. I think the oxygen would provide a damping effect. Plus, now warfare is fought more surgical, why kill an entire town and destroy all the buildings, when all you want to do is kill one man or destroy one weapons depot? It is a waste of resources and provides you with a countryside you have to feed.

Thats awsome!!! you created a bank that discharged and made EMPs strong enough to know out your house lights!!! Thats really rad.

Question,

Could you make a disposable version of that. You know one that could be dropped off the back of my car and say discharge under the persuing cop car? Not that I would use it to escape once they have they lights on. I'm thinking right when they pull up behind you to run your tags. Slip one of thoes babies out and zap...What happened to our power? Must have been a freak coincidence. They are stuck on the side of the road, the camera hasn't been turned on yet cause they haven't decided to pull me over. And they would have to abort and deal with their cop car that just miracleusly shorted. Could Ya build me something like that?

That magazine was either a 2000 or 2001 issue of Popular Science, or Popular Mechanics.
Most likely the former.

Question? Is this what you are looking for?
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[edit on 13-11-2006 by charlesmelissa]

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
Could you make a disposable version of that. You know one that could be dropped off the back of my car and say discharge under the persuing cop car?

You would be better off with a small radio jammer. If he built it too strong it would take your car out too.

Yeah good point Jim. I could incriminate myslef by shorting my car too. That why I've come up with my latest crazy invention...The car Tazer! Same EMP bomblet but instead it shoots out two darts with super sticky gel to stick to cars undercarraige. It then directly applies juice to short out the car. I don't think it would tag the people inside. THe radio jammer won't work against the all incriminating video camera, or would it...hmmm. Back to the drawing board.

Almost got my jerry rigged cans of motor oil to spill out the back set up, but thats just to keep people from riding my butt in the canyons.

Originally posted by BASSPLYR
Yeah good point Jim. I could incriminate myslef by shorting my car too. That why I've come up with my latest crazy invention...The car Tazer! Same EMP bomblet but instead it shoots out two darts with super sticky gel to stick to cars undercarraige. It then directly applies juice to short out the car. I don't think it would tag the people inside. THe radio jammer won't work against the all incriminating video camera, or would it...hmmm. Back to the drawing board.

Almost got my jerry rigged cans of motor oil to spill out the back set up, but thats just to keep people from riding my butt in the canyons.

You sound like one of the guys I used to work with. He got a ticket for not having his license plate light working. We both worked as designers for a commercial lighting company then. We dug around in the samples box we had untill we found a small strong pure white lamp and proceeded to hook it into his car. We were kind of surprised when we found out that the redlight cameras couldn't read his license plate. The light washed out the numbers even in daylight. Don't ask how we found it out but we did.

Cool Posts- I am still laughing.

Yeah I have a driving record. And the cops know me from experiance...
But on the bright side it runs in my family. Cops have literally called my sister leadfoot over the PA system. when they were pulling her over. High five! Very nice

Industrial streangth lights you say....hmmm. How much juice can my alternater make, and how much for a heavy duty inverter. Hmmmm.

Whats that officer? You just tried to pull over a car on the highway,right before this rest stop a minute ago and he blinded you with 5000 watt lights! that crazy who would do such a thing! Did you get an ID on the car? Everything was too bright and all you saw were a bunch of purple spots! Thats horrible...well, I hope you catch the guy. Have a nice life!

Not too crazy an idea...or not crazy enough....hmmmm