Lights Out, Champ

[Chas.]

"A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully defeated electronic targets with little to no collateral damage."

http://www.boeing.com/Features/2012/10/ ... 22_12.html

[Mescalero]

Wow!

[J Miller]

Hmmmmm ........................

Joe

[Hobie]

Hmmmmm ........................

Joe

Yep, look for one coming to a town near you....

[Mescalero]

That is what I am afraid of.

[Grizz]

that cuts both ways.

the iranians have ship launch icbm technology and could deliver a nuclear generated electrical pulse from the stratosphere that would take down about EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT of America's generating and computing power in seconds. we'd catch up to them in the dark ages. no more blogs, email, electricity, cars, radios, t.v., or what have you. just instant chaos.

maybe the billion rounds of pistol ammo the alphabet agency purchased will help out with the aftermath, putting the peons out of their misery per the script, eh?

Grizz

[FWiedner]

that cuts both ways.

the iranians have ship launch icbm technology and could deliver a nuclear generated electrical pulse from the stratosphere that would take down about EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT of America's generating and computing power in seconds. we'd catch up to them in the dark ages. no more blogs, email, electricity, cars, radios, t.v., or what have you. just instant chaos.

maybe the billion rounds of pistol ammo the alphabet agency purchased will help out with the aftermath, putting the peons out of their misery per the script, eh?

Grizz

The potential effect of EMP is not inconsiderable, but is over-hyped.

[Grizz]

I am so relieved to hear that. I guess I can get all my stuff out of their faraday cages now, eh?

[AJMD429]

The potential effect of EMP is not inconsiderable, but is over-hyped.

I've heard that as well, but . . .

. . . how does anyone really know for sure what the potential impact would be. . . ???

I'd be interested to hear the 'truth' but don't know that I'd be able to tell if it was indeed an accurate assessment, since I'm not exactly a 'grid' expert. I've had friends in the power industry say on the one hand that it is a horrific threat, and others say it isn't.

I certainly hope it is over-hyped, because once you think out the international, strategic, and political outcome, an EMP could do permanent harm in that the 'outside' world would be able and eager to quickly pounce on us - and it would likely make the worst despots we've seen look honest and gentle in comparison.

[KirkD]

Well if you can stick that in a missile, you can mount it on ships to blind incoming guided missiles by frying their electronics. That is in a small package. A disreputable person could stick that in a vehicle and drive around and cause a lot of problems. I've started to think that it might be a good thing to have a vehicle that does not depend upon any electronics. I also think it is worth considering how to function if all your electronics suddenly became non-functional. 'It is always good to think ahead', as my Dad used to say.

[Old Savage]

Imagine what they have that they are not telling us about.

[olyinaz]

The bad guys will no doubt also have this tech deployed within a decade. Should make you feel real comfy flying in the new breed of all-electric jets.

http://news.yahoo.com/faa-review-boeing ... nance.html

Saddle up!

Oly

[Mescalero]

Makes me feel real good about my 1941 Willys and all the spare parts I have for it.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Sailboats and steam engines are always cool. So are leverguns with open sights. Better brush up on my semaphore for when all the cell phones go kaput. Going back to 19th century tech has a certain romantic appeal to it.

[M. M. Wright]

10-4 on the steam engines and sailboats. Guess my old Harley would still run too and a couple of my tractors. Hmmm, maybe I should keep a points distributor for my hot rod pickup.

[KirkD]

The bad guys will no doubt also have this tech deployed within a decade. Should make you feel real comfy flying in the new breed of all-electric jets.

That is a good point. I'd like to know how well commercial airliners can handle this sort of attack. It obviously can be built into a very small portable package. I think of all those jets which, shortly after leaving the runway, are only a thousand feet or so above highways and cities where those little packages could be used and then immediately moved.

[J Miller]

Well, going back to the 19th century may have it's appeal, but not suddenly. It would be nice to have a bit of warning to get out of the city before the lights go out.

No heat, no food, no communications, no or very few vehicles running would = total anarchy, riots, famine, deaths ( from multiple causes ) and then who knows what.

Now, if every political entity loosed these things at once and threw the entire world back to the 19th century .....

Joe

Hmmm, I wonder what happens to the nuke bombs in their silos when their peripheral electronics gets toasted? Do they just sit there or what?

[.45colt]

One of My Favorite Sci-Fi movies is comeing true in My Lifetime.WOW.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/the-day-t ... ood-still/

[olyinaz]

The bad guys will no doubt also have this tech deployed within a decade. Should make you feel real comfy flying in the new breed of all-electric jets.

That is a good point. I'd like to know how well commercial airliners can handle this sort of attack. It obviously can be built into a very small portable package. I think of all those jets which, shortly after leaving the runway, are only a thousand feet or so above highways and cities where those little packages could be used and then immediately moved.

Bingo. Electric airliners are hardened against "EMP" for sure, but what they're talking about here is a kind of tech that goes beyond the EMP that we've known about since readings were confirmed following the first blast in New Mexico. This is a kind of tech that is designed specifically to overcome the defenses of standard EMP hardened assets. And that's the problem. If we can figure it out, others can too.

The only jet airliner planned far into the future that still remains hydro-mechanical for flight controls is the 737 Max. I am NOT a "change is bad" kind of guy, but I do think that this is a serious issue that has yet to be significantly addressed in the public safety arena.

Oly

[Mescalero]

I spent my whole working career ( almost ) in aircraft.
I will not get on a fly by wire of any kind.

[bmtshooter]

Rest assured that those who developed this weapon in order to make a profit also know its weaknessess. They will have a way to defeat it for additional profit of course.

[KirkD]

Electric airliners are hardened against "EMP" for sure, but what they're talking about here is a kind of tech that goes beyond the EMP

Makes me wonder why I have to turn off my dinky little cellphone everything we take off and land.

[Mescalero]

Because there are so many cell phones out there, different make, models& new ones coming all the time.
With the sophisticated electronics in aircraft & the varied cell phones out there, the big fear is "cross talk " ie that a signal from the phone might trigger a response from the plane.
Take off & landing are the most critical times of any flight.
It is a small price to pay for your safety.
The assertion that modern civilian aircraft are nuclear hardened is a new one on me,blueprints have a symbol to signify nuclear hardening, not everyone knows it or what it means.
I have only seen it on one aircraft ( that is not military ) and I am enjoined from speaking about it.

[Ji in Hawaii]

Growing up my dad had a 1960 Mercedes Benz 190D with 1.9 liter diesel engine. Back then certain parts of the small town I grew up in would flood every rainy season Jan/Feb and the streets would have anywhere from 12 to 24 inches of water covering them. I just remember all the spark ignition engines dead in the water on side of road but dad's diesel would just push right through the deepest sections without skipping a beat with it's compression ignition and mechanical injectors being impervious to water and the damage it does to spark ignition gasoline/petrol engines. Don't know how a sophisticated modern diesel would do with all it's electronic controls but a simple old diesel like dad's I think would do just fine in a EMP or flood situation.

[J Miller]

Because there are so many cell phones out there, different make, models& new ones coming all the time.
With the sophisticated electronics in aircraft & the varied cell phones out there, the big fear is "cross talk " ie that a signal from the phone might trigger a response from the plane.
Take off & landing are the most critical times of any flight.
It is a small price to pay for your safety.
The assertion that modern civilian aircraft are nuclear hardened is a new one on me,blueprints have a symbol to signify nuclear hardening, not everyone knows it or what it means.
I have only seen it on one aircraft ( that is not military ) and I am enjoined from speaking about it.

You know I had a thought, but it went phffffffffffft and gone.

Ji,

I think thats the answer. Either get an older pre electronic ignition vehicle or an older pre electronic diesel vehicle. Or ........... a horse.

Joe

[Catshooter]

Rest assured that those who developed this weapon in order to make a profit also know its weaknessess. They will have a way to defeat it for additional profit of course.

You mean like the vast & effective defenses this country has against nuclear warheads? Other than MAD, I sure have never seen nor heard of any and there's been lots of years to develop them.

Be nice to have your faith in the powers that be. From where I sit, 90% of government interest, effort and money go to all things destructive in nature.


Cat

[jeepnik]

that cuts both ways.

the iranians have ship launch icbm technology and could deliver a nuclear generated electrical pulse from the stratosphere that would take down about EIGHTY-FIVE PERCENT of America's generating and computing power in seconds. we'd catch up to them in the dark ages. no more blogs, email, electricity, cars, radios, t.v., or what have you. just instant chaos.

maybe the billion rounds of pistol ammo the alphabet agency purchased will help out with the aftermath, putting the peons out of their misery per the script, eh?

Grizz

Yea, they could. But then I imagine Iran would be glowing for the forseeable future. Remember MAD, it worked once, and I don't think the leaders in Iran are quite ready for their 70 virgins.

[olyinaz]

Because there are so many cell phones out there, different make, models& new ones coming all the time.
With the sophisticated electronics in aircraft & the varied cell phones out there, the big fear is "cross talk " ie that a signal from the phone might trigger a response from the plane.
Take off & landing are the most critical times of any flight.
It is a small price to pay for your safety.
The assertion that modern civilian aircraft are nuclear hardened is a new one on me,blueprints have a symbol to signify nuclear hardening, not everyone knows it or what it means.
I have only seen it on one aircraft ( that is not military ) and I am enjoined from speaking about it.

The electronics thing is mostly overblown, but because it has been documented on a few very rare occasions the prohibitions will no doubt continue. As far as I know, in every case the problem was with a piece of gear that was malfunctioning, and every instance that I know of was nuisance in the cockpit (radio noise, the guidance indicators wavering a bit etc.) vs. "we followed the indications exactly until we broke out of the clouds and were staring at a hill side". THAT would suck big time, but as far as I know that's never happened. But as you say, having to turn them off for take off and landing is a small price to pay......until you find yourself flying Gestapo Air with Major Hocksteder's wife as your flight attendant who then decides to "call the question" 45 minutes out from landing and barks at you to turn your tunes and noise canceling headsets off. Never fly without a stack of gun rags to drool, uh, I mean read!

Regarding "hardened", we have been assured by our own engineering folks as well as Boeing and Airbus factory reps, but I think I'm talking about commercial grade vs. the "we'll have to kill you if you talk about it" mil-spec grade you mention above. I'm told that El Al does custum upgrades on all of their aircraft also, but I've not seen or confirmed it.

Oly

[Grizz]

Yea, they could. But then I imagine Iran would be glowing for the forseeable future. Remember MAD, it worked once, and I don't think the leaders in Iran are quite ready for their 70 virgins.

I guess you missed the post-it-note about who is running the country now. it's the bow down to the muz bhd crowd that didn't have the testicles to save the Benghazi heroes, and busted the two officers who tried to.

They for sure are not gonna have the gonads to glassify any of our mortal enemies. They are all in fact building up as fast as they can with your tax dollars.

In addition to which, achmina......jab has already done the math and finds the idea of a nuclear strike against his country very acceptable as long as he gets what he wants out of it.

Sorry you missed that news item, returning you now to the regular programming.

Grizz