Used directly to hit the target.

In the first case, the magnetic field is used as an alternative to explosives in firearms. In the second, the possibility of inducing high voltage currents and disabling electrical and electronic equipment as a result of the resulting overvoltage, or causing pain effects or other effects in humans, is used. Weapons of the second type are positioned as safe for people and serve to disable enemy equipment or lead to the incapacity of enemy manpower .; belongs to the category of non-lethal weapons.

The French shipbuilding company DCNS is developing the Advansea program, during which it is planned to create a fully electrified surface combat ship with laser and electromagnetic weapons by 2025.

Types of electromagnetic weapons

Defeat missiles and precision-guided munitions with EMP weapons

• anti-radar missiles with their own radar search radars;
• ATGM of the 2nd generation with control over an unshielded wire (TOW or Fagot);
• missiles with their own active armor search radars (Brimstone, JAGM, AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire);
• radio-controlled missiles (TOW Aero, Chrysanthemum);
• precision bombs with simple GPS navigation receivers;
• gliding munitions with their own radars (SADARM).

Using an electromagnetic pulse against the missile's electronics behind its metal case is ineffective. The impact is possible for the most part on the homing head, which can be large mainly for missiles with their own radar in its capacity.

Electromagnetic weapons are used to destroy missiles in the Afganit active defense complex from the Armata tank platform and the Ranets-E combat EMP generator.

Defeat by EMP weapons of means of conducting guerrilla warfare

EMPs are effective against guerrilla warfare weapons, as consumer electronics have no protection against EMPs.

The most typical objects of EMP damage:

• radiomines and mines with electronic fuses, including traditional amateur radio devices for terrorist and sabotage actions;
• unprotected from EMP portable infantry radio communication devices;
• consumer radios, cell phones, tablets, laptops, electronic hunting sights and similar electronic household appliances.

Protection against EMP weapons

There are many effective means of protecting radar and electronics from EMP weapons.

Measures are applied in three categories:

1. blocking the input of a part of the energy of an electromagnetic pulse
2. suppression induction currents inside electrical circuits their rapid opening
3. use of electronic devices insensitive to EMI

Means of resetting some or all of the EMP energy at the input to the device

As a means of protection against EMP, AFAR radars impose "Faraday cages" of cutting off EMP outside their frequencies. For internal electronics, simply iron shields are used.

In addition, a spark gap can be used as a means of discharging energy immediately behind the antenna.

Means of opening circuits in the event of strong inductive currents

To open the circuits of internal electronics in the event of strong induction currents from EMP, use

• zener diodes - semiconductor diodes designed to operate in breakdown mode with a sharp increase in resistance;

When people talk about electromagnetic weapons, they most often mean the disabling of electrical and electronic equipment by pointing at it. electromagnetic impulses(AMY). Indeed, currents and voltages resulting from a powerful impulse in electronic circuits lead to its failure. And the greater its power, the greater the distance any "signs of civilization" become worthless.

One of the most powerful sources of EMP is nuclear weapons. For example, American nuclear test in the Pacific Ocean in 1958 caused Hawaiian Islands disruption of radio and television broadcasts and power outages, and in Australia, disruption of radio navigation for 18 hours. In 1962, when at an altitude of 400 km. the Americans blew up a 1.9 Mt charge - 9 satellites “died”, radio communication was lost for a long time over a vast area Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the electromagnetic pulse is one of the damaging factors nuclear weapons.

But nuclear weapons are applicable only in a global conflict, and EMP capabilities are very useful in more applied military affairs. Therefore, non-nuclear EMP weapons began to be designed almost immediately after nuclear weapons.

Of course, EMP generators have been around for a long time. But creating a sufficiently powerful (and therefore "long-range") generator is not so easy technically. After all, in fact, it is a device that converts electrical or other energy into high-power electromagnetic radiation. And if a nuclear weapon has no problems with primary energy, then if electricity is used together with power sources (voltage), it will be more of a structure than a weapon. Unlike a nuclear weapon, delivering it "at the right time, to the right place" is more problematic.

And in the early 90s, reports began to appear about non-nuclear "electromagnetic bombs" (E-Bomb). As always, the source was the Western press, and the reason was the 1991 American operation against Iraq. The "new secret superweapon" was indeed used to suppress and disable Iraqi air defense and communications systems.

However, Academician Andrei Sakharov offered such weapons in our country back in the 1950s (even before he became a "peacemaker"). By the way, at the top creative activity(which does not fall on the period of dissidence, as many people think) he had a lot original ideas. For example, during the war years, he was one of the creators of an original and reliable device for testing armor-piercing cores at a cartridge factory.

And in the early 1950s, he proposed to “wash away” the US east coast with a wave of a giant tsunami, which could be initiated by a series of powerful sea nuclear explosions at a considerable distance from the coast. True, the command of the Navy, seeing " nuclear torpedo”, made for this purpose, flatly refused to take it into service for reasons of humanism - and even yelled at the scientist with a multi-deck fotian obscenity. Compared to this idea, the electromagnetic bomb is indeed a "humane weapon".

In the non-nuclear munition proposed by Sakharov, a powerful EMP was formed as a result of compression of the magnetic field of the solenoid by an explosion of a conventional explosive. Due to the high density of chemical energy in the explosive, this eliminated the need to use a source of electrical energy for conversion into EMP. In addition, in this way it was possible to obtain a powerful EMP. True, this also made the device disposable, since it was destroyed by the initiating explosion. In our country, this type of device began to be called an explosive magnetic generator (EMG).

Actually, the Americans and the British came up with the same idea in the late 70s, as a result of which ammunition appeared that was tested in a combat situation in 1991. So there is nothing "new" and "super secret" in this type of technology.

We (a Soviet Union occupied leading positions in the field of physical research) such devices were used in purely peaceful scientific and technological fields - such as energy transportation, charged particle acceleration, plasma heating, laser pumping, high-resolution radar, material modification, etc. Of course, there were research and in the direction of military application. Initially, VMGs were used in nuclear munitions for neutron detonation systems. But there were also ideas for using the "Sakharov generator" as an independent weapon.

But before talking about the use of EMP weapons, it should be said that the Soviet Army was preparing to fight in the conditions of the use of nuclear weapons. That is, under the conditions acting on the technique damaging factor AMY. Therefore, all military equipment was developed taking into account protection against this damaging factor. The methods are different - starting from the simplest shielding and grounding of metal cases of equipment and ending with the use of special safety devices, arresters and equipment architecture resistant to EMI.

So to say that there is no protection from this "wonder weapon" is also not worth it. And the range of EMP ammunition is not as large as in the American press - radiation propagates in all directions from the charge, and its power density decreases in proportion to the square of the distance. Accordingly, the impact also decreases. Of course, it is difficult to protect equipment near the point of detonation. But there is no need to talk about an effective impact on kilometers - for sufficiently powerful ammunition it will be tens of meters (which, however, is larger than the impact zone of high-explosive ammunition of a similar size). Here the advantage of such a weapon - it does not require a point hit - turns into a disadvantage.

Since the time of the Sakharov generator, such devices have been constantly improved. Many organizations were engaged in their development: Institute high temperatures Academy of Sciences of the USSR, TsNIIKhM, MVTU, VNIIEF and many others. The devices have become compact enough to become combat units of weapons (from tactical missiles and artillery shells to sabotage weapons). Improved their characteristics. In addition to explosives, rocket fuel began to be used as a source of primary energy. VMGs began to be used as one of the cascades for pumping microwave generators. Despite the limited ability to hit targets, these weapons occupy an intermediate position between fire weapons and electronic countermeasures (which, in fact, are also electromagnetic weapons).

Little is known about specific examples. For example, Alexander Borisovich Prishchepenko describes successful experiments in disrupting the attack of P-15 anti-ship missiles by detonating compact VMGs at distances up to 30 meters from the missile. This is, rather, a means of EMP protection. He also describes the "blinding" of magnetic fuses anti-tank mines, which, being at a distance of up to 50 meters from the place where the VMG was detonated, stopped working for a significant time.

As EMP ammunition, not only "bombs" were tested - rocket-propelled grenades to blind active protection systems (KAZ) of tanks! The RPG-30 anti-tank grenade launcher has two barrels: one main, the other of small diameter. A 42 mm Atropus rocket equipped with an electromagnetic warhead is fired in the direction of the tank a little earlier than the HEAT grenade. Having blinded KAZ, she allows the latter to calmly fly past the “thinking” protection.

A little digression, I will say that this is a fairly relevant direction. We came up with KAZ (“Drozd” was also installed on the T-55AD). Later, "Arena" and the Ukrainian "Barrier" appeared. By scanning the space surrounding the vehicle (usually in the millimeter range), they shoot small submunitions in the direction of incoming anti-tank grenades, missiles, and even shells that can change their trajectory or lead to premature detonation. With an eye on our developments, in the West, in Israel and South-East Asia such complexes also began to appear: Trophy, Iron Fist, EFA, KAPS, LEDS-150, AMAP ADS, CICS, SLID and others. Now they are getting the widest distribution and are beginning to be regularly installed not only on tanks, but even on light armored vehicles. Countering them becomes an integral part of the fight against armored vehicles and protected objects. And compact electromagnetic means are suitable for this purpose as well as possible.

But back to electromagnetic weapons. In addition to explosive magnetic devices, there are directional and omnidirectional EMP emitters that use various antenna devices as the radiating part. These are no longer disposable devices. They can be used over a considerable distance. They are divided into stationary, mobile and compact portable. Powerful stationary high-energy EMP emitters require the construction of special facilities, high-voltage generator sets, and large antenna devices. But their possibilities are very significant. Mobile emitters of ultrashort electromagnetic radiation with a maximum repetition rate of up to 1 kHz can be placed in vans or trailers. They also have a considerable range and sufficient power for their tasks. Portable devices are most often used for various tasks ensuring security, disabling communications, intelligence and explosive devices at short distances.

The capabilities of domestic mobile installations can be judged by the export version of the Ranets-E complex presented at the LIMA-2001 arms exhibition in Malaysia. It is made on the MAZ-543 chassis, has a mass of about 5 tons, provides a guaranteed defeat of ground target electronics, an aircraft or guided munition at ranges up to 14 kilometers and disturbances in its operation at a distance of up to 40 km.

From unclassified developments, MNIRTI products are also known - "Sniper-M", "I-140/64" and "Gigawatt", made on the basis of car trailers. They are, in particular, used to develop means of protection for radio engineering and digital systems military, special and civilian purposes from the defeat of EMP.

A little more should be said about the means of electronic countermeasures. Moreover, they also belong to radio frequency electromagnetic weapons. This is so as not to create the impression that we are somehow unable to deal with precision weapons and "omnipotent drones and combat robots." All these fashionable and expensive things have a very vulnerable spot- electronics. Even relatively simple tools can reliably block GPS signals and radio fuses, which these systems cannot do without.

VNII "Gradient" serially produces a station for jamming radio fuses of shells and missiles SPR-2 "Mercury-B", made on the basis of armored personnel carriers and regularly in service. Similar devices are produced by Minsk "KB RADAR". And since up to 80% of Western field artillery shells, mines and unguided rockets and almost all precision-guided munitions are now equipped with radio fuses, these fairly simple means make it possible to protect troops from destruction, including directly in the zone of contact with the enemy.

Concern "Constellation" produces a series of small-sized (portable, transportable, autonomous) jamming transmitters of the RP-377 series. With their help, you can jam GPS signals, and in a standalone version, equipped with power sources, you can also place transmitters in a certain area, limited only by the number of transmitters.

Now an export version of a more powerful GPS jamming system and weapon control channels is being prepared. It is already a system of object and area protection against high-precision weapons. It was built on a modular principle, which allows you to vary the areas and objects of protection. When it is shown, every self-respecting Bedouin will be able to protect their settlement from "high-precision methods of democratization."

Well, returning to the new physical principles of weapons, one cannot help but recall the developments of NIIRP (now a division of the Almaz-Antey Air Defense Concern) and the Physico-Technical Institute. Ioffe. Investigating the impact of powerful microwave radiation from the earth on air objects (targets), the specialists of these institutions unexpectedly received local plasma formations, which were obtained at the intersection of radiation flows from several sources. Upon contact with these formations, air targets underwent huge dynamic overloads and were destroyed.

The coordinated work of microwave radiation sources made it possible to quickly change the focus point, that is, to retarget at a tremendous speed or to accompany objects of almost any aerodynamic characteristics. Experiments have shown that the impact is effective even on warheads of ICBMs. In fact, this is not even a microwave weapon, but combat plasmoids.

Unfortunately, when in 1993 a team of authors submitted a draft air defense / missile defense system based on these principles to the state for consideration, Boris Yeltsin immediately proposed a joint development to the American president. And although cooperation on the project (thank God!) did not take place, perhaps this is what prompted the Americans to create the HAARP (High freguencu Active Auroral Research Program) complex in Alaska.

The studies carried out on it since 1997 are declaratively "purely peaceful". However, I personally do not see any civil logic in the studies of the impact of microwave radiation on the Earth's ionosphere and air objects. One can only hope for the traditional failed history of large-scale projects for Americans.

Well, we should be glad that traditionally strong positions in the field of fundamental research, the interest of the state in weapons based on new physical principles. Programs on it are now a priority.

Russia is developing radio-electronic munitions designed to disable enemy equipment due to a powerful microwave pulse, an adviser to the first deputy general director recently said. Such statements, often containing extremely scarce information, look like something from the realm of fantasy, but they are heard more and more often, and not by chance. The United States and China are intensively working on electromagnetic weapons, where they understand that promising technologies for remote action will radically change the tactics and strategy of future wars. Is modern Russia capable of responding to such challenges?

Between the first and second

The use of electromagnetic weapons is considered part of an element of the US "third offset strategy", which involves the use of the latest technologies and control methods to achieve an advantage over the enemy. If the first two "compensatory strategies" were implemented during the Cold War solely as a response to the USSR, then the third is directed mainly against China. The war of the future involves limited human participation, but it is planned to actively use drones. They are controlled remotely, it is precisely such control systems that should be disabled. electromagnetic weapons.

Speaking of electromagnetic weapons, they primarily mean equipment based on powerful microwave radiation. It is assumed that it is capable of suppressing, up to the complete incapacitation of enemy electronic systems. Depending on the tasks to be solved, microwave emitters can be delivered on rockets or drones, installed on armored vehicles, aircraft or ships, and also be stationary. Electromagnetic weapons usually operate for several tens of kilometers, electronics are affected in the entire space around the source or target located in a relatively narrow cone.

In this sense, electromagnetic weapons represent a further development of electronic warfare. The design of microwave radiation sources varies depending on the damaging targets and methods. Thus, compact generators with explosive compression of the magnetic field or emitters with focusing electromagnetic radiation in a certain sector can serve as the basis for electromagnetic bombs, while microwave emitters installed on large equipment, such as aircraft or tanks, operate on the basis of a laser crystal.

Let them talk

The first prototypes of electromagnetic weapons appeared in the 1950s in the USSR and the USA, however, it was possible to start producing compact and not very energy-consuming products only in the last twenty or thirty years. In fact, the United States started the race, Russia had no choice but to get involved in it.

Image: Boeing

In 2001, it became known about the work on one of the first samples of electromagnetic weapons mass destruction: The American VMADS (Vehicle Mounted Active Denial System) system made it possible to heat a person's skin to a pain threshold (about 45 degrees Celsius), thus actually disorienting the enemy. However, in the end, the main goal of advanced weapons is not people, but machines. In 2012, a rocket with electromagnetic bomb, and a year later was tested ground system electronic suppression of drones. In addition to these areas, laser weapons and railguns close to electromagnetic weapons are being intensively developed in the United States.

Similar developments are underway in China, where, moreover, they recently announced the creation of an array of SQUIDs (SQUID, Superconducting Quantum Interference Device, superconducting quantum interferometer), which allows detecting submarines from a distance of about six kilometers, and not hundreds of meters, as traditional methods. The US Navy experimented with single SQUID sensors rather than arrays for similar purposes, but the high noise level led to the fact that the use of promising technology was abandoned in favor of traditional means of detection, in particular sonar.

Russia

Russia already has samples of electromagnetic weapons. For example, the remote demining vehicle (MDR) "Foliage" is an armored car equipped with a radar for searching for mines, a microwave emitter for neutralizing the electronic filling of ammunition and a metal detector. This MDR, in particular, is intended to accompany cars along the route. missile systems Topol, Topol-M and Yars. "Foliage" has repeatedly been tested, in Russia until 2020 it is planned to adopt more than 150 such vehicles.

The effectiveness of the system is limited, since only remotely controlled fuses (that is, with electronic filling) are neutralized with its help. On the other hand, there is always the function of detecting an explosive device. More complex systems, in particular "Afganit", are installed on modern Russian vehicles of the Armata universal combat platform.

In recent years, more than ten electronic warfare systems have been developed in Russia, including Algurit, Mercury-BM and the Krasukha family, as well as the Borisoglebsk-2 and Moscow-1 stations.

The Russian military is already being supplied with aerodynamic targets with a built-in electronic warfare system capable of simulating a group missile raid, thereby disorienting enemy air defenses. In such missiles, instead of a warhead, special equipment is installed. Within three years, they will equip the Su-34 and Su-57.

“Today, all these developments have been transferred to the level of specific experimental design projects for the creation of electromagnetic weapons: shells, bombs, missiles carrying a special explosive magnetic generator,” says Vladimir Mikheev, adviser to the first deputy general director of the Radioelectronic Technologies concern.

He clarified that in 2011-2012, a complex of scientific research was carried out under the code "Alabuga", which made it possible to determine the main directions for the development of electronic weapons of the future. Similar developments, the adviser noted, are being carried out in other countries, in particular in the United States and China.

Ahead of the planet

Nevertheless, in the development of electromagnetic weapons, so far it is Russia that occupies, if not a leader, then one of the leading positions in the world. Experts are almost unanimous on this.

“We have such regular ammunition - for example, there are generators in the combat units of anti-aircraft missiles, there are also shots for hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers equipped with such generators. In this direction, we are at the forefront in the world, similar ammunition, as far as I know, is still in supply foreign armies no. In the USA and China, such equipment is now only at the testing stage, ”notes the editor-in-chief, a member of the expert council of the military-industrial complex board.

According to CNA (Center for Naval Analyzes) analyst Samuel Bendett, Russia leads the way in electronic warfare, and the US has lagged far behind in the past 20 years. The expert, speaking recently in Washington, DC, to government officials and representatives of the military industry, emphasized Russian complex suppression of GSM communication RB-341V "Leer-3".

Apart from magnetic accelerators masses, there are many others weapon types that use electromagnetic energy to function. Consider the most famous and common types of them.

Electromagnetic mass accelerators.

In addition to "gauss guns", there are at least 2 types of mass accelerators - induction mass accelerators (Thompson coil) and rail mass accelerators, also known as "rail guns" (from the English "Rail gun" - rail gun).

The operation of the induction mass accelerator is based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. A rapidly increasing electric current is created in a flat winding, which causes an alternating magnetic field in the space around. A ferrite core is inserted into the winding, on the free end of which a ring of conductive material is put on. Under the action of an alternating magnetic flux penetrating the ring, an electric current arises in it, creating a magnetic field of the opposite direction relative to the winding field. With its field, the ring begins to repel from the winding field and accelerates, flying off the free end of the ferrite rod. The shorter and stronger the current pulse in the winding, the more powerful the ring flies out.

Otherwise, the rail mass accelerator functions. In it, a conductive projectile moves between two rails - electrodes (from where it got its name - a railgun), through which current is supplied. The current source is connected to the rails at their base, so the current flows, as it were, in pursuit of the projectile and the magnetic field created around the current-carrying conductors is completely concentrated behind the conductive projectile. In this case, the projectile is a current-carrying conductor placed in a perpendicular magnetic field created by the rails. According to all the laws of physics, the Lorentz force acts on the projectile, directed in the direction opposite to the rail connection point and accelerating the projectile. A series of serious problems- the current pulse should be so powerful and sharp that the projectile would not have time to evaporate (after all, a huge current flows through it!), but an accelerating force would arise that accelerates it forward. Therefore, the material of the projectile and the rail should have the highest possible conductivity, the projectile should have as little mass as possible, and the current source should have as much power and lower inductance as possible. However, the peculiarity of the rail accelerator is that it is capable of accelerating ultra-small masses to super high speeds. In practice, rails are made of oxygen-free copper coated with silver, aluminum bars are used as projectiles, a battery of high-voltage capacitors is used as a power source, and before entering the rails, they try to give the projectile as much initial speed as possible, using pneumatic or gunshot guns.

In addition to mass accelerators, electromagnetic weapons include sources of powerful electromagnetic radiation such as lasers and magnetrons.

Everyone knows the laser. It consists of a working body in which an inverse population of quantum levels by electrons is created during a shot, a resonator for increasing the range of photons inside the working body and a generator that will create this very inverse population. In principle, an inverse population can be created in any substance, and in our time it is easier to say what lasers are NOT made of. Lasers can be classified according to the working fluid: ruby, CO2, argon, helium-neon, solid-state (GaAs), alcohol, etc., according to the mode of operation: pulsed, cw, pseudo-continuous, can be classified according to the number of quantum levels used: 3-level , 4-level, 5-level. Lasers are also classified according to the frequency of the generated radiation - microwave, infrared, green, ultraviolet, x-ray, etc. The laser efficiency usually does not exceed 0.5%, but now the situation has changed - semiconductor lasers (solid-state lasers based on GaAs) have an efficiency of over 30% and today can have an output power of up to 100 (!) W, i.e. comparable to powerful "classical" ruby ​​or CO2 lasers. In addition, there are gas-dynamic lasers that are least similar to other types of lasers. Their difference is that they are capable of producing a continuous beam of enormous power, which allows them to be used for military purposes. In essence, a gas-dynamic laser is a jet engine, in which there is a resonator perpendicular to the gas flow. The incandescent gas leaving the nozzle is in a state of population inversion. It is worth adding a resonator to it - and a multi-megawatt photon flux will fly into space.

Microwave guns - the main functional unit is the magnetron - a powerful source of microwave radiation. The disadvantage of microwave guns is their excessive danger of use even compared to lasers - microwave radiation is well reflected from obstacles, and in the case of shooting indoors, literally everything inside will be exposed to radiation! In addition, powerful microwave radiation is deadly for any electronics, which must also be taken into account.

On our site on circuitry, topics related to electronic weapons- Gauss guns, radio frequency jammers and so on. And what about our army, which has billions of dollars of budgets - how far have military developers managed to advance towards creating weapons of the future? We will consider a small overview of the samples that are already in service now. Pulse electromagnetic weapons are a real, already being tested, type of weapons of the Russian army. America and Israel are also conducting successful developments in this area, but they have relied on the use of EMP systems to generate the kinetic energy of a warhead. In our country, we took the path of a direct damaging factor and created prototypes of several combat complexes at once - for the ground forces, air force and navy. Today, our Alabuga, having exploded at a height of 300 meters, is able to turn off all electronic equipment within a radius of 3 km and leave a military unit without means of communication, control, and guidance of fire, while turning all the enemy equipment into a pile of useless scrap metal. This is a rocket, the warhead of which is a high-frequency high-power electromagnetic field generator. But before talking about the use of EMP weapons, it should also be said that the Soviet Army was preparing to fight in the conditions of the use of the damaging EMP factor. Therefore, all military equipment was developed taking into account protection against this damaging factor. The methods are different - starting from the simplest shielding and grounding of metal cases of equipment and ending with the use of special safety devices, arresters and equipment architecture resistant to EMI. So to say that there is no protection from him is also not worth it. And the range of EMP ammunition is not so large - its power density decreases in proportion to the square of the distance. Accordingly, the impact also decreases. Of course, it is difficult to protect equipment near the point of detonation.

Jammer electronics

For the first time, the world saw a real-life prototype of electromagnetic weapons at the LIMA-2001 arms exhibition in Malaysia. An export version of the domestic Ranets-E complex was presented there. It is made on the MAZ-543 chassis, has a mass of about 5 tons, provides a guaranteed defeat of ground target electronics, an aircraft or a guided munition at ranges up to 14 kilometers and disruption in its operation at a distance of up to 40 km. Despite the fact that the first-born made a splash in the world media, experts noted a number of its shortcomings. Firstly, the size of an effectively hit target does not exceed 30 meters in diameter, and secondly, the weapon is disposable - reloading takes more than 20 minutes, during which the miracle cannon has already been shot 15 times from the air, and it can only work on targets in an open terrain, without the slightest visual obstruction. Perhaps for these reasons, the Americans abandoned the creation of such directional EMP weapons, concentrating on laser technologies. Our gunsmiths decided to try their luck and try to "bring to mind" the technology of directed EMP radiation.

Other developments of NIIRP are also interesting. Investigating the impact of powerful microwave radiation from the ground on air targets, the specialists of these institutions unexpectedly received local plasma formations, which were obtained at the intersection of radiation flows from several sources. Upon contact with these formations, air targets underwent huge dynamic overloads and were destroyed. The coordinated work of microwave radiation sources made it possible to quickly change the focus point, that is, to retarget at great speed or to accompany objects of almost any aerodynamic characteristics. Experiments have shown that the impact is effective even on warheads of ICBMs. In fact, this is not even just a microwave weapon, but combat plasmoids. Perhaps this is what prompted the Americans to create the HAARP (High freguencu Active Auroral Research Program) complex in Alaska, a research project to study the ionosphere and auroras. Note that for some reason that peaceful project has funding from the Pentagon's DARPA agency.

Electronics in service with the Russian army

To understand what place the topic of electronic warfare occupies in the military-technical strategy of the Russian military department, it is enough to look at the State Armaments Program until 2020. Of the 21 trillion rubles of the total budget of the SAP, 3.2 trillion (about 15%) is planned to be directed to the development and production of attack and defense systems using sources of electromagnetic radiation. For comparison, in the Pentagon's budget, according to experts, this share is much less - up to 10%. In general, the interest of the state in weapons based on new physical principles has noticeably increased. Programs on it are now a priority. And now let's look at those products that have reached the series and entered service over the past few years.

Krasukha-4 mobile electronic warfare systems suppress spy satellites, ground-based radars and AWACS aviation systems, completely block radar detection for 300 km, and can also inflict radar damage on enemy electronic warfare and communications equipment. The operation of the complex is based on the creation of powerful interference at the main frequencies of radars and other radio-emitting sources.

The TK-25E sea-based electronic warfare system provides effective protection for ships of various classes. The complex is designed to provide electronic protection of the object from radio-controlled weapons of air and ship-based by creating active interference. The interface of the complex with various systems of the protected object is provided, such as a navigation complex, a radar station, automated system combat control. The TK-25E equipment ensures the creation various kinds interference with a spectrum width from 60 to 2000 MHz, as well as impulse misleading and imitation interference using signal copies. The complex is capable of simultaneously analyzing up to 256 targets. Equipping the protected object with the TK-25E complex reduces the probability of its destruction by several times.

The multifunctional complex "Mercury-BM" has been developed and produced at KRET enterprises since 2011 and is one of the most modern electronic warfare systems. The main purpose of the station is to protect manpower and equipment from single and salvo fire of artillery ammunition equipped with radio fuses. It should be noted that up to 80% of Western field artillery shells, mines and unguided rockets and almost all precision-guided munitions are now equipped with radio fuses, these fairly simple means make it possible to protect troops from damage, including directly in the zone of contact with the enemy.

Concern "Sozvezdie" produces a series of small-sized (autonomous) jamming transmitters of the RP-377 series. With their help, you can jam GPS signals, and in a standalone version, equipped with power sources, you can also place transmitters in a certain area, limited only by the number of transmitters. Now an export version of a more powerful GPS jamming system and weapon control channels is being prepared. It is already a system of object and area protection against high-precision weapons. It was built on a modular principle, which allows you to vary the areas and objects of protection. From unclassified developments, MNIRTI products are also known - "Sniper-M", "I-140/64" and "Gigawatt", made on the basis of trailers. They are used to develop means of protecting radio engineering and digital systems for military, special and civilian purposes from EMP damage.

Useful theory

The element base of the RES is very sensitive to energy overloads, and the flow of electromagnetic energy of a sufficiently high density can burn out semiconductor junctions, completely or partially disrupting their normal functioning. Low frequency EMO creates an electromagnetic pulse

radiation at frequencies below 1 MHz, high-frequency EMO is affected by microwave radiation - both pulsed and continuous. Low-frequency EMO affects the object through pickups on wired infrastructure, including telephone lines, cables external power supply, submission and removal of information. High-frequency EMO directly penetrates the object's electronic equipment through its antenna system. In addition to affecting the enemy's RES, high-frequency EMO can also affect the skin and internal organs person. At the same time, as a result of their heating in the body, chromosomal and genetic changes, activation and deactivation of viruses, transformation of immunological and behavioral reactions are possible.

The main technical means of obtaining powerful electromagnetic pulses, which form the basis of low-frequency EMO, is a generator with explosive compression of the magnetic field. Another potential type of high level low frequency magnetic energy source could be a magnetodynamic generator driven by propellant or explosive. When implementing high-frequency EMO, such electronic devices as broadband magnetrons and klystrons, gyrotrons operating in the millimeter range, virtual cathode generators (vircators) using the centimeter range, free electron lasers and broadband plasma-beam lasers can be used as a generator of high-power microwave radiation. generators.

Thus, in the future, the victory will definitely go to those who will be able to develop and implement the most advanced radio-electronic methods of warfare. And it remains for us to follow the developments of specialists and try, if not to surpass, then at least repeat some simple designs in home radio amateur laboratories. According to expert.ru