[Apologies for the anonymous cross posting from a wireless list for
professionals. steve]
>At 8:39 -0700 5/3/01, someone wrote:
>>From: someone
>>To: someone-else
>>Subject: Re: Simple RF Weapon Can Fry PC Circuits
>>Date: Thu, 3 May 2001 08:39:06 -0700
>>MIME-Version: 1.0
>>
>>>>"Our whole nation is vulnerable," says David Schriner, a weapons specialist
>>>>and engineer who codesigned the radio frequency device.
>>
>>David Schriner has been warning about susceptibility of infrastructure
>>and aircraft to high power RF disruption for some time.
>>
>>Here's the URL of his testimony I quoted:
>>
>>http://www.house.gov/jec/hearings/radio/schriner.htm
>>
>>In addition to wiping out electronic circuitry, weapons-level RF
>>emissions could cause ignition in materials (see, for example,
>>http://www.rfterrorism.com).
>>
>>After hearing a lengthy lecture on the subject, I was persuaded that RF
>>disruption could well have been the cause of the TWA 800 disaster. Some
>>kind of explosion took place on the plane, caused by some ignition
>>source. Numerous witnesses sighted a missile, which was photographed.
>>Some concluded that the missile hit the plane, which the Defense
>>Department strongly denied (probably correctly). It conceded that a
>>substantial military exercise was taking place in the area.
>>
>>Harvard's Elaine Scarry argued that RFI emissions from the many military
>>craft and vessels in the area unintentionally affected the TWA plane. The
>>true picture may have been different but may still have implicated RF.
>>
>>As presented, the puzzle fit together this way. The military exercise was
>>one involving the firing of a high-power microwave (HPM) weapon at a
>>cruise missile, as part of a DoD test to determine the susceptibility of
>>the cruise missile's electronics to malfunction when hit by a very strong
>>RF pulse.
>>
>>The HPM was fired from the Energy Department's Brookhaven Laboratory
>>(http://www.bnl.gov). The cruise missile was launched from a Navy vessel
>>and was intended to be retrieved from the water after the test, for later
>>disassembly and examination.
>>
>>When it performs such exercises, the Defense Department alerts New York
>>airport authorities and only specific flight paths for civilian aircraft
>>are allowed during a time window. Such an alert occurred and has been
>>documented. But TWA 800 deviated from the prescribed flight path and time
>>window.
>>
>>The HPM beam, intended for the cruise missile, was said to have
>>illuminated the TWA plane too, causing electrical surges and ignition in
>>its fuel tank. The peculiar burnouts in the circuits and parts found
>>suggested electromagnetic pulse exposure, or power surges.
>>
>>Revealing the truth would require the government to acknowledge the
>>existence of the classified RF weapon. And who knows how accurate the aim
>>is or how narrow the beamwidth of these broadband terawatt rigs. (Dare I
>>say they are UWB?) There could be massive citizen opposition -- think of
>>Vieques.
>>
>>This is not the same scenario as the claims that a missile containing a
>>HPM warhead was shot at the plane. I can't think of any government
>>motivation for shooting this civilian plane, but testing a missile's
>>vulnerability to an RF weapon would seem much more plausible.
steve
