How can EMI be weaponized?

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be an unwanted and disruptive aspect of electronic system designs. It can also be amplified and weaponized.

EMI is being weaponized in purpose-built high-power microwave (HPM) tactical systems that devastate electronics without the side effects of physical destruction. The initial weapons have been deployed, and a roadmap has been outlined for future technological developments.

For now, operating specifics like frequency, power level, and pulse rates are classified. The primary elements of an HPM are a high-power microwave generator and an antenna that focuses the energy on the target. These systems use microwave pulses to deliver high peak energy and maximize the impact.

Another important factor is frequency optimization. For maximum effectiveness, the pulsed energy must be in-band with the target frequency, and narrowband transmissions must be used. This requires accurate intelligence on the target, its operating characteristics, and frequencies.

CHAMP deployment & next-gen

The US Air Force has reportedly deployed at least 20 Counter-Electronics High Power Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) missiles worldwide. B-52 bombers delivered the missiles, but other platforms, such as the B-1B, could launch them. CHAMP can be carried in the JASSM-XR stealth cruise missile, which has a 1,000-pound capacity and a range of up to 1,800 km (Figure 1).

Figure 1. B-1B launching a JASSM stealth cruise missile that can be used as a CHAMP platform. (Image: *FlightGlobal*)

The microwave energy from CHAMP missiles can penetrate underground bunkers and command centers. In addition, these cruise missiles can selectively target individual buildings in a compound or city.

The High-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike Weapon (HIJENKS) has been designed to replace CHAMP. As a second-generation platform, HIJENKS is smaller and has higher power than CHAMP.

In August 2022, HIJENKS completed performance validation and live-fire engagement testing at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) China Lake Test Range. The emergence of aerial drones as major weapon platforms has made developing high-power ground-based HPM systems urgent.

Ground-based HPM

The Counter-Electronic High-Power Microwave Extended-Range Air Base Defense (CHIMERA) is a ground-based HPM system designed to defeat airborne threats like swarms of drones. It targets multiple medium-to-long-range targets. As a ground-based system, it’s more powerful than its airborne counterparts, and it can be operated in coordination with other directed energy weapons, such as high-energy lasers (HELs) (Figure 2).

In January 2024, RTX, formerly Raytheon, and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) reported completing a three-week field test of the CHIMERA weapon system elements at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Prototypes of the complete CHIMERA system are expected to be delivered in fiscal years 2024 and 2026.

What’s next?

HPMs are one part of the overall efforts to field direct energy weapons (DEWs) and are being developed in parallel with other technologies like HELs. Common goals include increasing the power and efficiency of the systems and reducing their size and weight while at the same time improving beam quality.

Research is ongoing regarding the power levels needed to successfully engage various types of targets, such as drones, rockets, artillery, mortars, small boats, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic weapons. Current plans call for increasing the power levels from about 150 kW today to 500 kW by 2030 and exceeding 1 MW further in the future (Figure 3).

emi — Figure 3. The DEW technology development roadmap calls for increasing energy levels by an order of magnitude in the foreseeable future. (Image: *Congressional Research Service*)

Summary

EMI can devastate electronic system operation, especially when weaponized as an HPM system. Initial HPM systems have been deployed, and more are under development. Their capabilities continue to improve and are expected to be widely used within five years.