The E-bomb - A Weapon of

Electrical Mass Destruction

 OUTLINE:
l Introduction.
l E-bomb technology base.
l Physics of the FCG.
l External sources.
l FCG internals.
l FCG operations.
l Coupling modes.
l Damage mechanism.
l Advantages over ordinary bomb.
l Conclusion.
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 Introduction:
l It is a Future weapon i.e. they are a more
suitable weapon than conventional weapon
to achieve shock effect over large target sets
with small attacking forces.
l Electromagnetic bombs (E-bombs) can
perform such a role.
l The objective is to paralyze the enemy’s
communication systems as quickly as
possible.

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Power supply Pulse
co-axial
capacitor FCGs shaping
bank network
battery

Vircator
tube

Electromag Microwave
netic pulses antenna

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 E-bomb Technology Base:

l Power source - Explosively pumped Flux

Compression Generator (FCG).

l FCG invented by Los Alamos Labs during

the 1950s.

l Peak current of an FCG is 1000 X that of a

typical lightning stroke.
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 The Physics of the FCG:

- FCG transfers mechanical energy into the

magnetic field

- Peak currents of Mega Amperes demonstrated

in many experiments

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 FCG start current is provided
by an external source:

l High voltage capacitor bank

l MHD (magneto hydrodynamic) device

l Any device that generate mega amperes

current pulse.

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 FCG Internals:
l Armature - Copper tube / fast explosive
l Stator - Helical heavy wire coil
l Initiator - Plane wave explosive lense
l Jacket -Prevents disintegration due to magnetic
forces

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 FCG Operation:
l External power source pumps FCG winding
with start current.
l When start current peaks, explosive lense
fired to initiate explosive burn.
l Explosive pressure expands armature and
creates moving short
l Moving armature compresses magnetic
field

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 Coupling Modes:
Front Door Coupling through antennas.
l Destroys RF semiconductor devices in
transmitters and receivers
Back Door Coupling through power/data
cabling, telephone wiring
l Destroys exposed semiconductor devices
l Punches through isolation transformers.

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 Damage Mechanisms:
l Low frequency pulses produced by FCG
create high voltage spikes on fixed wiring
infrastructure.
l 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.

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 Maximising Bomb Lethality:
Lethality is maximized by maximizing the
power coupled into the target set.

l Maximize peak power and duration of

warhead emission (using powerful FCG).

l Maximize coupling efficiency into target

set.

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 Defenses Against E-bombs:
l Destroy the delivery vehicle or launch
platform

l Electromagnetically harden important

assets.

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 E-bomb Advantages in
Strategic Warfare
l Not lethal to humans.
l Negligible collateral damage.
l No mass media coverage of bombing
casualties (broadcast equipment destroyed)
will reduce the threshold for the use of
strategic air power and missile forces

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 Conclusions:
l High payoff in using E-bombs against
fundamental infrastructure, resulting in
substantial paralysis.
l E-bombs will become a decisive capability
in Strategic Warfare and Electronic Combat.
l E-bombs are a non-lethal weapon.
l The critical issues for the next decade are
the deployment of E-bombs and the
hardening of fundamental infrastructure.

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 References:
l http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/e-
bomb
l http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-
3403300249.html
l http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/e-
bomb-electromagnetic-bomb
l http://www.enotes.com/e-bomb-reference/e-
bomb
l http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/aerospac
e/military/ebombs-what-is-the-threat
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THANK YOU !!!