EMP anti-drone weapons: Yes, but what about those nearby?

 

I note that the Pentagon is looking to develop an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) weapon to disable drone swarms.

Faced with the reality that drones are reshaping the modern battlefields in Ukraine and Gaza, the Pentagon has been tasked with finding a budget-friendly solution to eliminate these 'flying IEDs.' While missiles are too expensive, and laser beams are a distant dream, the next best cost-effective weapon US military officials are eyeing up could be electromagnetic pulse weapons to counter drone swarms.

. . .

The service outlined the drone-killing features of the new EMP weapon it is seeking:

"The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/RI) is conducting market research to seek information from industry on the landscape of research and development (R&D) for available Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) solutions towards countering multiple Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). EMP solutions could be ground and/or aerial based that provide effective mitigation against Department of Defense (DoD) UAS groups 1, 2, and smaller group 3 aircraft." 

. . .

The proposed EMP weapon would be able to neutralize drones with a directed EMP blast to damage the electronic parts - this is a much cheaper solution than missiles that cost tens of thousands of dollars, if not hundreds of thousands, a piece.

There's more at the link.

This sounds like a very good idea from a military perspective, just as an anti-aircraft defense using laser beams or other directed energy weapons would be much more economical than one firing missiles (see, for example, Israel's "Iron Beam" system).  So far, so good . . . but EMP weapons are no respecters of persons or property.  What if your home, or your vehicle, is caught in the spread of such a weapon when it discharges?  Say goodbye to every microchip and integrated circuit you own.  Your car dies, your fridge, your washing-machine, probably your switchboard and everything electrical in your home as well - and none of them will come back on once the pulse dissipates.  The damage will be permanent.  The only fix will be to replace every affected component, appliance and vehicle.

You may say, "Well, I live far from every likely combat area, so that won't affect me."  Think again.  If it affects, say, 5% or 10% of those people in a country, the demand from those areas for replacement parts and equipment will be sudden and overwhelming.  It'll suck in everything available everywhere, and then some.  That means the rest of us will no longer be able to get the parts and services we need in lesser quantities to repair normal damage (e.g. power surges, lightning strikes, and so on).  The orders we place for those parts will be added to those needed for the EMP-affected areas, and will probably be given a lower priority.  Sucks to be us, I guess.

There's also the factor that such attacks will likely be more widespread than typical "front-line" warfare.  Drones can be sent anywhere at any time.  An enemy might smuggle drones into the USA, then launch a sudden, unexpected drone swarm attack on a major city (Washington D.C., anyone?), or a major economic target (a nuclear power plant, a series of transportation hubs, or whatever).  That would expose many "behind-the-lines" areas to EMP damage, with all the consequences I mentioned above.  Let that happen in more than one or two places and the attackers will have struck a crippling blow against any modern economy.  To take just one example, what if the Internet goes down?  I don't believe our current economy and system of government could function in its absence.  Administration, banking, shopping . . . all would be interrupted.  Chaos would ensue.

It's worth thinking beyond the obvious when one reads snippets of news like that.  It might be a very effective weapon.  It might also disrupt the very society it's intended to defend.

Peter