Electronic Bomb Tested In
Sweden
ClariNews
January 23, 1998
STOCKHOLM (AFP) - The Swedish military has bought and
tested a Russian electronic bomb using high-power microwave signals to
knock out the computers of jet fighters and nuclear power plants, the
Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet reported Wednesday.
"Russia is among the best in the world when it comes to
manufacturing this type of electronic weapon," said Anders Kallenaas
of the Swedish National Defence’s Research Institute (FOA).
The high-power microwave (HPM) bomb is stored in a
briefcase and emits short, high-energy pulses reaching 10 gigawatts --
equal to 10 nuclear reactors.
It has a range of a dozen meters, and larger models
stored in vans can reach as far as a few hundred meters, according to
the paper. The target can be destroyed without alerting anyone.
The tests conducted by the Swedish military have shown
that the silent weapon -- which does not explode -- can have
disastrous effects, especially if it falls into the hands of
terrorists.
The HPM bomb can be bought on the Russian market for
"several hundreds of thousands kronor" (less than 100,000 dollars) and
has already been bought by the Australian military among others,
Svenska Dagbladet said.
The bomb presents a threat to the Swedish military, in
particular to the JAS 39 Gripen jet fighter that it is trying to
export. It can also knock out the electronic systems of nuclear or
electric power plants, banks, trains, or even a simple telephone
switchboard.
The bomb has also been developed into a pistol which can
be used to knock out a single computer or vehicle.
The Swedish military has reportedly considered employing
trained hackers to combat the problems posed by the new technology,
though this could have legal implications.
According to defence experts questioned by Svenska
Dagbladet, the HPM bomb has not yet been used. However, during the
Gulf War, the US air force used other techniques to short-circuit
Iraqi electricity cables. Since then, HPM bombs have been installed on
cruise missiles.