Iran trying to get a EMP bomb?

[audtatious]

AZ Rep Trent Franks is addressing the House and is talking about Iran trying to build a Nuke with EMP (electo-magnetic pulse) capabilities with us and others as the targets.

Anyone heard anything at all about this?

[Cold_Zero]

I always thought that a non Nuclear EMP weapon would make a great weapon on today's battlefield. I always thought that EMP went along with a nuclear blast. Never realized you could have a nuclear blast without an EMP.bud

[audtatious]

I think they design it more for the EMP purpose instead of the damage.

Then again, I dunno as I only saw some of what he was saying.

[Jacobus77]

Both of you are correct. A low-level nuke explosion maximizes damage, but EMP is inherent in a nuke and is more effective the farther up it goes bang (depending on its power). The idea of using one at higher altitude to blow everything electronic and return the target, in this case America, to the 1800s has been around since the cold war. As the most electronically dependent major power, we're the most vulnerable. So the Iranians have been working on short-range delivery systems and doing test explosions (conventional for now) at altitude, which I'd suspect would be primarily aimed at knocking out defenses of our military in the Middle East, and also that of Israel. It could do some serious damage here if they have strategic launch points, but a comprehensive knockout hit would more likely have to come from their recent ally, Russia. The threat has been around for decades. This is just the latest on it. I think I wanna live underground. I think I want my garage underground. Am I paranoid now? Shhh. They might hear.

Here's a congressional hearing from four years ago that relates:http://commdocs.house.gov/comm...0.HTM

[marlin29311]

EMP is inherent to nuclear explosions - aka, you can't have a nuclear explosion without an emp being sent out. Generally, the emp is never noticed because of the fact that the explosion destroys everything that would ever need an electrical current.

I'm still not worried. What's the point in worrying about this anymore? Iran has been working on nukes and the like for years now. If they're going to try and blow us up, its going to happen and no one is going to warn us and there's almost nothing you and I could really do. In this case, I'm just placing my faith in the armed forces of the US to make sure that it never reaches our soil...

[Jimefam]

I'm really not concerned about a nuclear threat from another country. Thanks M.A.D. just look at india and pakistan, as much as they hate each other neither one would dare us a nuke. The threat is terrorlst getting their hands on one.

[Encryptshun]

I think and EMP, strategically deployed on Wall Street, might just be good for the economy.

[S13_love]

I'm still not worried. What's the point in worrying about this anymore? Iran has been working on nukes and the like for years now. If they're going to try and blow us up, its going to happen and no one is going to warn us and there's almost nothing you and I could really do. In this case, I'm just placing my faith in the armed forces of the US to make sure that it never reaches our soil...

I dont think it will ever reach our soil...so im not worried. Not only that but I dont think a country would be even that stupid enough to use a nuclear weapon or emp type thing on on the most powerful country on the planet anyways.