30 October 2012: It’s known as CHAMP, or the Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project, and it was publicly unveiled in a test over the Western Utah Desert on October 16, 2012. It’s a missile that emits a high power microwave pulse at a specific target, rendering any electronics inside the target area useless. People within the target area are reportedly unharmed by the weapon.
During the test, the missile focused its laser like beam at a two-story building that had numerous computers running inside. A television camera was also set-up to record the events.
The energy directed at the target building not only rendered the computers useless, but also “knocked off” the television cameras.
While weapons like this have existed and even been used for some time, this appears to be a more refined tactical EMP type weapon. The weapons program is a joint effort between the U.S. Air Force Directed Energy Directorate team, Raytheon Ktech and Boeing Phantom Works. After the test was deemed successful, Keith Coleman, CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works, said “Today we turned science fiction into science fact.”
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