Self-guided particle accelerator. Boom! This thing will fry half the city.
Corporal Hicks, feature film "Aliens"

Fantasy literature and cinema use a variety of yet existing types. These are various blasters, and lasers, and rail guns, and much more. In some of these areas, work is currently underway in various laboratories, but there has not yet been much success, and the mass practical application of such samples will begin at least in a couple of decades.

Among other fantastic classes of weapons, the so-called. ion guns. They are also sometimes called beam, atomic or partial (this term is used much less often due to the specific sound). The essence of this weapon is to accelerate any particles to near-light speeds with their subsequent direction towards the target. Such a beam of atoms, possessing colossal energy, can cause serious damage to the enemy even in a kinetic way, not to mention ionizing radiation and other factors. Looks tempting, doesn't it, gentlemen of the military?

As part of the work on the Strategic Defense Initiative in the United States, several concepts for intercepting enemy missiles were considered. Among others, the possibility of using ion weapons was also studied. The first work on the topic began in 1982-83 at the Los Alamos National Laboratory at the ATS accelerator. Later they began to use other accelerators, and then the Livermore National Laboratory was also occupied in research. In addition to direct research on the prospects for ion weapons, both laboratories also tried to increase the energy of particles, naturally with an eye on the military future of the systems.

Despite the investment of time and effort, the Antigone beam weapon research project was withdrawn from the SDI program. On the one hand, this could be seen as a rejection of an unpromising direction, on the other hand, as a continuation of work on a project that has a future, regardless of a deliberately provocative program. In addition, at the end of the 80s, Antigone was transferred from strategic missile defense to ship defense: the Pentagon did not specify why this was done.

In the course of research on the effects of beam and ion weapons on the target, it was found that a particle beam / laser beam with an energy of the order of 10 kilojoules is capable of burning anti-ship missile homing equipment. 100 kJ under appropriate conditions can already cause an electrostatic detonation of the rocket charge, and a beam of 1 MJ literally makes a nanosieve out of the rocket, which leads to the destruction of all electronics and to the explosion of the warhead. In the early 1990s, an opinion appeared that ion guns could still be used in strategic missile defense, but not as a means of destruction. It was proposed to shoot particle beams with sufficient energy at a "cloud" consisting of warheads of strategic missiles and decoys. As conceived by the authors of this concept, the ions were supposed to burn out the electronics of the warheads and deprive them of the ability to maneuver and aim at the target. Accordingly, by a sharp change in the behavior of the label on the radar after a salvo, warheads could be calculated.

However, in the course of the work, the researchers faced a problem: in the accelerators used, only charged particles could be accelerated. And this "small fry" has one inconvenient feature - they did not want to fly in a friendly bunch. Due to the charge of the same name, the particles repelled and instead of an accurate powerful shot, a lot of much weaker and scattered ones were obtained. Another problem associated with firing ions was the curvature of their trajectory under the influence of the Earth's magnetic field. Perhaps that is why ion guns were not allowed into the strategic missile defense system - it required firing at long distances, where the curvature of the trajectories interfered with normal operation. In turn, the use of "ion throwers" in the atmosphere was hampered by the interaction of the fired particles with air molecules.

The first problem, with accuracy, was solved by introducing a special reload chamber into the gun, located after the upper stage. In it, the ions returned to a neutral state and no longer repelled each other after leaving the "muzzle". At the same time, the interaction of bullet particles with air particles has slightly decreased. Later, during experiments with electrons, it was found that in order to achieve the lowest energy dissipation and ensure the maximum firing range, it is necessary to illuminate the target with a special laser before firing. Due to this, an ionized channel is created in the atmosphere, through which electrons pass with less energy loss.

After the introduction of the reload chamber into the cannon, a slight increase in its combat qualities was noted. In this version of the gun, protons and deuterons (deuterium nuclei consisting of a proton and a neutron) were used as projectiles - in the recharging chamber they attached an electron to themselves and flew to the target in the form of hydrogen or deuterium atoms, respectively. When hitting a target, an atom loses an electron, scatters the so-called. bremsstrahlung and continues to move inside the target in the form of a proton/deuteron. Also, under the action of the released electrons in a metal target, eddy currents may appear with all the consequences.

However, all the work of American scientists remained in the laboratories. Approximately by 1993, preliminary designs of anti-missile defense systems for ships were prepared, but things never went beyond them. Particle accelerators with combat-grade power were of such a size and required such an amount of electricity that a beam gun ship had to be followed by a barge with a separate power plant. A reader familiar with physics can calculate for himself how many megawatts of electricity are required to give even 10 kJ to a proton. The US military could not afford such expenses. The Antigone program was suspended, and then completely closed, although from time to time there are reports of varying degrees of reliability that talk about the resumption of work on the topic of ion weapons.

Soviet scientists did not lag behind in the field of particle acceleration, but they did not think about the military use of accelerators for a long time. The defense industry of the USSR was characterized by constant looking back at the cost of weapons, so the ideas of combat accelerators were abandoned without starting work on them.

On this moment there are several dozens of different charged particle accelerators in the world, but among them there is not a single combat one suitable for practical use. The Los Alamos accelerator with the recharge chamber lost the latter and is now used in other studies. As for the prospects for ion weapons, the very idea will have to be shelved for the time being. Until humanity has new, compact and super-powerful energy sources.

In the fictional universe of Star Wars, planetary ion cannons are actively used - ground-based or ship-based weapons capable of hitting enemy ships in low orbits. The use of a planetary ion gun does not cause physical damage to the ship, but disables its electronics. The disadvantage of the ion cannon is the small sector of fire, which allows you to defend areas of only a few square kilometers. Therefore, this type of weapon is used only to cover strategic objects (spaceports, planetary shield generators, large cities and military bases). The rate of fire of the ion cannon is 1 shot every 5-6 seconds, so for the full defense of the planet it is necessary to use a whole system of firing points and shields. An example of an ion planetary cannon is the “V-150 Planetary Defender” created at the shipyards of Kuat, which was used by the Alliance forces at the Hoth base. V-150 is protected by a spherical permacite shell. Powered by a reactor located 40 meters below the surface of the earth. Combat crew - 27 soldiers. It takes several minutes to open a spherical shell for a shot. It was the V-150 that disabled the Imperial Star Destroyer Avenger. Ion cannons are part of the armament of the Victory-class Star Destroyer. In the movie Aliens, this type of weapon is mentioned. The ion cannon is typical for computer games in the genre of global strategies: the Command & Conquer series (orbital-based), Crimsonland (manual version), Master of Orion, Ogame (non-manual)], Egosoft's X Universe, Bioware Corporation's StarWars line, Petroglyph Games (which developed the idea into an ion howitzer) and others. The ion cannon in these computer games appears in different guises: from hand weapons to an orbiter[. For example, in Command & Conquer, a powerful ion beam fired from an orbital station destroyed targets on the surface of the Earth. Due to its huge size, there was only one ion cannon, besides having a long reload time. It was a strategic weapon of the GDI (Global Defense Initiative). The use of an ion cannon caused ion storms in the atmosphere, disrupting communication and increasing ozone levels. However, in reality, an ion gun is only capable of penetrating a sufficiently rarefied planetary atmosphere, while a dense planetary atmosphere, such as the Earth’s atmosphere, is no longer capable of penetrating and, therefore, is unable to hit targets on the Earth’s surface (experiments conducted in 1994 in the United States determined the range of a beam weapons in an atmosphere of only a few kilometers). And in OGame, the ion weapon is part of the planetary defense. It has the advantage of a powerful force shield, the disadvantage of high cost and inferior to the battleship in terms of combat parameters]. The latest types of weapons are not limited to sources of electromagnetic radiation. Space vacuum makes it possible to use as a weapon material energy carriers moving at high speed: interceptor missiles, homing high-speed projectiles ($m\approx 1$ kg, $v \approx 10-40$ km/s), accelerated in electromagnetic accelerators, and microscopic particles (hydrogen, deuterium atoms; $v\sim c$), also accelerated by the electromagnetic field. All of these weapons are considered in connection with the Star Wars program.

ELECTROMAGNETIC GUNS (EP) - They are also called high kinetic energy weapons, or electrodynamic mass accelerators. We note right away that they are of interest not only to the military. With the help of the EP, it is supposed to carry out the release of radioactive waste from the Earth beyond solar system , transportation from the surface of the Moon of materials for space construction, launch of interplanetary and interstellar probes. Preliminary calculations show that the delivery of goods into space using an EP will cost 10 times cheaper than using a shuttle ($ 300 per 1 kg, and not $ 3,000, like a shuttle). (unguided) or homing projectiles to destroy ICBMs taking off (perhaps still in the upper atmosphere) and warheads along the entire trajectory of their flight. The idea of ​​​​using EP dates back to the beginning of our century. In 1916, there was the first attempt to create an EP by putting on the gun barrel winding wires through which current was passed. The projectile, under the action of a magnetic field, was successively drawn into the coils, accelerated, and flew out of the barrel. In these experiments, projectiles with a mass of 50 g could only be accelerated to a speed of only 200 m/s. Since 1978, the United States began a program to create EP as a tactical weapon, and in 1983 it was reoriented to create strategic missile defense systems. Usually, a "railgun" is considered as a space EP - two conductive tires ("rails"), between which creates a potential difference. A conductive projectile (or part of it, for example, a cloud of plasma in the tail of the projectile) is located between the rails and closes the electrical circuit). The current creates a magnetic field, interacting with which the projectile is accelerated by the Lorentz force. With a current of several million amperes, a field of hundreds of kilogauss can be created, which is capable of accelerating projectiles with an acceleration of up to 105g. In order for the projectile to acquire the required speed of 10-40 km/s, an EP with a length of 100-300 m is required. The projectiles of such guns will probably have a mass of $\sim 1$ kg (at a speed of 20 km/s, its kinetic energy will be $\ sim 10 ^ 8 $ J, which is equivalent to an explosion of 20 kg of TNT) and will be equipped with a semi-active homing system. Prototypes of such projectiles have already been created: they have IR sensors that react to the rocket torch or to the radiation of an "illuminating" laser reflected from the warhead. These sensors control jet engines that create a lateral maneuver for the projectile. The entire system can withstand overloads up to 105g. Prototypes of EP, now created by American firms, fire projectiles weighing 2-10 g at a speed of 5-10 km / s. One of the most important problems in creating an EP is the development of a powerful pulsed current source, which is usually considered a unipolar generator (a rotor accelerated by a turbine to several thousand revolutions per minute, from which a huge peak power is removed by short circuit). Unipolar generators with an energy capacity of up to 10 J per 1 g of their own mass have now been created. When used as part of an EP, the mass of the power unit will reach hundreds of tons. As for gas lasers, the dissipation of thermal energy in the elements of the device itself is a big problem for EC. With modern execution technology, the efficiency of the EP is unlikely to exceed 20%, which means that most of the shot energy will be spent on warming up the gun. There can be no doubt that the recent development of high-temperature superconductors opens up excellent prospects for EC developers. The use of these materials is likely to lead to a significant improvement in the performance of the EA.

INTERCEPTOR MISSILES-It may seem that the strategy of "Star Wars" is completely based on new technical principles, but it's not. A significant proportion of efforts (about 1/3 of all appropriations) is spent on the development of traditional missile defense systems, that is, on the development of interceptor missiles, or, as they are also called, anti-missiles, anti-missiles. In connection with the progress of electronics and the improvement of the missile defense control system, anti-missiles are now increasingly equipped with non-nuclear warheads that hit an enemy missile by direct impact with it. To reliably hit a target, such missiles are equipped with a special umbrella-type striking element, which is a drop-down structure with a diameter of 5-10 m from a mesh or elastic metal tapes. layers of the atmosphere. Sometimes their warheads are equipped with a fragmentation-type explosive charge that disperses damaging elements like buckshot in space. They also do not refuse to use nuclear warheads in connection with the appearance of warheads capable of maneuvering in the atmosphere. To protect the mine launchers ICBMs have artillery and missile systems salvo fire, which create a dense curtain of steel cubes or balls at an altitude of several kilometers above the ground, which hit the warhead when it collides with it. space-based anti-missiles will be the first element of a strategic missile defense system actually deployed in space. The current US administration is well aware that it will not have time to fully implement its "Star Wars" plans. But so that there is no way back for the next administration, it is important to do something real now to move from words to deeds. Therefore, the possibility is being urgently discussed in the coming years of deploying in space a primitive missile defense system based on homing anti-missiles, which is not capable of fully fulfilling the task of "space umbrella over the country", but which provides some advantages in the event of a global nuclear conflict.

BEAM WEAPONS - A powerful beam of charged particles (electrons, protons, ions) or a beam of neutral atoms can also be used as a weapon. Research on beam weapons began more than 10 years ago with the aim of creating a naval combat station to combat anti-ship missiles (ASMs). In this case, it was supposed to use a beam of charged particles that actively interact with air molecules, ionize and heat them. Expanding, heated air significantly reduces its density, which makes it possible for charged particles to spread further. A series of short pulses can form a kind of channel in the atmosphere, through which charged particles will propagate almost unhindered (a UV laser beam can also be used to "pierce the channel"). A pulsed electron beam with a particle energy of $\sim 1$ GeV and a current strength of several thousand amperes, propagating through an atmospheric channel, can hit a rocket at a distance of 1-5 km. With a "shot" energy of 1-10 MJ, the rocket will receive mechanical damage, with an energy of $\sim 0.1$ MJ, the warhead may be detonated, and with an energy of 0.01 MJ, the electronic equipment of the rocket may be damaged.However, use beams of charged particles in space for missile defense purposes is considered unpromising. Firstly, such beams have a noticeable divergence due to the Coulomb repulsion of like-charged particles, and secondly, the trajectory of a charged beam is bent when interacting with the Earth's magnetic field. When administering sea ​​battle this is not noticeable, but at distances of thousands of kilometers, both of these effects become quite significant. To create a space missile defense system, it is considered appropriate to use beams of neutral atoms (hydrogen, deuterium), which, in the form of ions, are preliminarily accelerated in conventional accelerators. A fast-flying hydrogen atom is rather weakly connected system: it loses its electron upon impact with atoms on the surface of the target. But the fast proton formed in this case has a great penetrating power: it can hit the electronic "stuffing" of the rocket, and under certain conditions even melt the nuclear "stuffing" of the warhead. Since beam weapons are basically associated with electromagnetic accelerators and concentrators electrical energy, it can be assumed that the creation of industrial high-temperature superconductors will accelerate the development and improve the performance of these weapons.
http://www.astronet.ru/db/msg/1173134/ch3.html

Military expert, director of the analytical publication "Orthodox Rus" Konstantin Dushenov in his author's article spoke about the development by Russia most powerful weapon on new physical principles - "beam weapons". According to Dushenov, this weapon will be the most powerful of all available in the arsenal of any state. The expert notes that at the moment the developments are so secret that even their appearance known to a very small circle of military specialists. Now the Russian Federation is doing everything possible to develop such weapons, since their creation will make Russia the undisputed leader in armament for decades to come. This will be a real revolution in the field of warfare. The so-called "beam weapon", says the expert, is a special kind of weapon. The principle of its operation is to form a beam of particles (electrons, protons, ions or neutral atoms), which will reach near-light speeds with a special accelerator. In addition, kinetic energy will be used to destroy objects. In the 90s, the United States tried to test such weapons, but their experience was unsuccessful, and development ceased. Russia, Dushenov believes, has moved much further in this matter, given the availability of a unique technology - a compact modular three-dimensional linear reverse wave accelerator. Similar technology is used in the work of the modern rover. It is equipped with a neutron gun, created in Russia. This is a clear example of the fact that Russians have such technologies, and they are being modernized every year. The expert noted that the "beam weapon" is several times more powerful than the laser one, since the laser is a stream of intense light and does not contain charged particles. The "beam weapon" uses protons. And they are monsters compared to laser photons. It's just unparalleled power. For example, a proton generator is capable of increasing the power of a nuclear reactor by 1000 times with one pulse, which will lead to an instantaneous explosion. In conclusion, Dushenov noted that military experts do not lose hope that this weapon will be included in the 2025 state arms program.

Beam weapons hit their target with a stream of relativistic atoms or subatomic particles, resulting in damage from both direct heat and intense exposure to radiation. It requires long and bulky boosters, which limits its deployment to large spacecraft or fixed installations. Particle beams pose a radiation hazard to all living beings and not to radiation-resistant electronics in the vicinity of the impact point, but in the atmosphere and near the path of the beam. Electronic weapons Electron beams are most often used in the atmosphere as generators of EMP and electromagnetic interference. Highly relativistic electrons have a fairly large range in air, and ionization, heating, and partial evacuation of the beam channel can significantly increase it. The current arising in the beam intensely compresses it, but the scattering of electrons by air molecules greatly reduces the range of the weapon. In the earth's atmosphere at sea level, it does not exceed a few hundred meters. At high altitudes or in a thin atmosphere, it expands significantly, sometimes reaching several kilometers. An electron beam in air looks like a geometrically straight blue-white lightning surrounded by a blue halo of Cherenkov radiation from scattered electrons of the primary beam. Scattered electrons and bremsstrahlung produce a high level of radiation both near the point of impact and in the immediate vicinity of the beam path.
Electron beam weapons have a minimum length of over a meter and a range of about 200 meters in air at sea level on Earth. Larger accelerators can accelerate electrons to higher energies and have a longer range. The upper limit is two kilometers for accelerators over ten meters in length. Electron accelerators are usually long linear structures. But electron beams are easily controlled using magnets, and this allows you to quickly redirect the beam without turning the entire accelerator. In the vacuum of space, highly charged electrons repel each other and the beam rapidly loses focus. In addition, electrons are deflected by the planetary magnetic field and magnetic fields in solar wind, as a result of which their trajectories become chaotic. Proton guns Proton guns are usually used in a vacuum. Protons are preliminarily accelerated to ultrarelativistic speeds. Once the beam exits the accelerator, it is neutralized by introducing an electron beam to eliminate the Coulomb scattering. This avoids beam defocusing due to repulsion and neutralizes the effect of external magnetic fields. The scattering of a neutralized proton beam is determined by the thermal velocity of the protons. Neutralization inevitably heats the beam due to the energy of recombination with electrons, and after leaving the accelerator, they begin to move away from each other at a speed of 15 km/s. The higher the proton energy, the longer the beam scattering time. Proton accelerators are usually circular, from several hundred meters to several tens of kilometers in diameter. Even the largest proton accelerators do not give them enough energy to compete in range with X-ray lasers and, therefore, X-ray lasers dominate the niche of long-range energy weapons. Proton weapons are usually used in combat in planetary orbits, as well as for strikes on the planetary surface. Like electron beams, proton beams can be manipulated with magnets until neutralized. In addition, the beam can exit from multiple ports around the perimeter of the accelerating ring, allowing for quick retargeting of weapons. Rays of relativistic protons have an extraordinary penetrating power. Typically, they travel through a meter or so of solid or liquid matter before creating a shower of muons, which themselves can penetrate many meters of solid or liquid matter. This cascading radiation creates extremely high levels of radiation that destroy all forms of biological life and even unprotected electronics. The only defenses against proton weapons are thick layers of radiation-inert materials or radiation-resistant control systems. Fortunately, defenses that are effective against protons are more effective against any other weapon. In the atmosphere, proton beams lose energy for ionization and direct collisions with the nuclei of air atoms, which limits their range to several hundred meters in the earth's atmosphere. This is comparable to the range of electron beams in air, but the electron accelerator is much more compact. Efficient plasma accelerators make it possible to create much more compact proton and electron beam accelerators. Various means for cooling the proton beam after neutralization can significantly increase the radius of its action. Since wake plasma accelerators are inefficient and poorly collimated, laser cooling is used to reduce the scattering of neutralized proton beams.
Exotic Particle Weapon Beams of accelerated neutrons are able to pass through several tens of centimeters of solid matter with little loss, but are quickly absorbed by any material containing hydrogen (including water, wax, oil, and biological tissues), heating it intensely. Neutron beams also create residual radioactivity if they encounter nuclei of heavy elements. The efficiency of a neutron beam slightly exceeds that of a proton beam, the range in air and the penetrating power are approximately the same. However, since neutrons are neutral particles, they cannot be accelerated. Muon beams can penetrate miles of air, giving them a very long range in the atmosphere. However, since muons are unstable particles, they completely decay after flying several tens of kilometers in any medium, which makes their use in space battles impossible. Modern technology can create low-intensity uncollimated neutron and muon beams. Usually such beams are used for research, but there is no known method for producing a highly concentrated, collimated, efficient beam suitable for use as a weapon.

Beam weapon

A powerful beam of charged particles (electrons, protons, ions) or a beam of neutral atoms can also be used as a weapon. Research on beam weapons began with work on the creation of a naval battle station to combat anti-ship missiles (ASMs). In this case, it was supposed to use a beam of charged particles that actively interact with air molecules, ionize and heat them. Expanding, heated air significantly reduces its density, which makes it possible for charged particles to spread further. A series of short pulses can form a kind of channel in the atmosphere, through which charged particles will propagate almost unhindered (a UV laser beam can also be used to "pierce the channel"). A pulsed electron beam with a particle energy of about 1 GeV and a current strength of several thousand amperes, propagating through an atmospheric channel, can hit a rocket at distances of 1–5 km. With a "shot" energy of 1-10 MJ, the rocket will receive mechanical damage, with an energy of about 0.1 MJ, a warhead may be detonated, and with an energy of 0.01 MJ, the electronic equipment of the rocket may be damaged.

However, the practical creation of space-based beam weapons encounters a number of problems that have not been solved even at the theoretical level, associated with a large beam divergence due to the Coulomb repulsive forces and with strong magnetic fields existing in space. The curvature of the trajectories of charged particles in these fields makes their use in beam weapon systems generally impossible. In naval combat, this is imperceptible, but at distances of thousands of kilometers, both effects become very significant. To create a space missile defense system, it is considered expedient to use beams of neutral atoms (hydrogen, deuterium), which are preliminarily accelerated in the form of ions in conventional accelerators.

A fast-flying hydrogen atom is a rather weakly bound system: it loses its electron when it collides with atoms on the target surface. But the fast proton formed in this case has a great penetrating power: it can hit the electronic "stuffing" of the rocket, and under certain conditions, further melt the nuclear "stuffing" of the warhead.

The accelerators being developed at the US Los Alamos Laboratory specifically for space anti-missile systems use negative ions hydrogen and tritium, which are accelerated by electromagnetic fields to speeds close to the speed of light, and then "neutralized" by passing through a thin layer of gas. Such a beam of neutral hydrogen or tritium atoms, penetrating deep into a rocket or satellite, heats the metal and disables electronic systems. But the same gas clouds created around a rocket or satellite can, in turn, turn a neutral beam of atoms into a beam of charged particles, from which it is not difficult to protect. The use of so-called powerful "fast-burning" accelerators (boosters) to accelerate ICBMs, which shorten the acceleration phase, and the choice of flat trajectories for missiles make the very idea of ​​using particle beams in missile defense systems very problematic.

The damaging factor of beam weapons is a highly directed beam of charged or neutral high-energy particles - electrons, protons, neutral hydrogen atoms. A powerful flow of energy carried by particles can create an intense thermal effect in the target material, shock mechanical loads, is capable of destroying the molecular structure of the human body, and initiating X-ray radiation.

The defeat of various objects and a person is determined by radiation (ionizing) and thermomechanical effects. Beam tools can destroy the shells of aircraft hulls, hit ballistic missiles and space objects by disabling on-board electronic equipment. It is assumed that with the help of a powerful electron flow, it is possible to detonate ammunition with explosives and melt the nuclear charges of the warheads of the ammunition.

To impart high energies to the electrons generated by the accelerator, powerful electric sources are created, and to increase their “range”, it is supposed to apply not single, but group impacts of 10–20 pulses each. The initial impulses will, as it were, break through a tunnel in the air, through which the subsequent ones will reach the target. Neutral hydrogen atoms are considered very promising particles for beam weapons, since the beams of its particles will not be bent in the geomagnetic field and repelled inside the beam itself, thereby not increasing the divergence angle.

The use of beam weapons is distinguished by the instantaneous and suddenness of the damaging effect. The limiting factor in the range of this weapon is the particles of gases in the atmosphere, with the atoms of which the accelerated particles interact, gradually losing their energy.

The most probable objects of destruction of beam weapons can be manpower, electronic equipment, various weapons systems and military equipment.

Work on accelerating weapons based on charged particle (electron) beams is being carried out in the interests of creating air defense systems for ships, as well as for mobile tactical land installations.

Beam weapon installations have large mass-dimensional characteristics; they can be placed permanently or on special mobile equipment with a large payload.

In their plans to re-equip the armed forces in order to increase their power, mobility and expand combat capabilities, Western experts attach great importance to the creation of means of armed struggle based on electrodynamic mass accelerators or electric guns, the main feature of which is the achievement of hypersonic velocities of destruction, including without the use of special combat units. Expected improvement performance characteristics expressed in an increase in the range of fire and advance of the enemy in duel situations, as well as in increasing the probability and accuracy of hits when firing unguided and guided hypervelocity munitions, which should destroy the target with a direct hit. In addition, systems of hypervelocity kinetic weapons, in comparison with conventional counterparts, can reduce the number of crew or combat crew (for example, for a tank crew - by half).

Acoustic (infrasonic) weapons.

Acoustic (infrasonic) weapons are based on the use of directed radiation of infrasonic vibrations with a frequency of several hertz (Hz), which can have a strong effect on human body. The ability of infrasonic vibrations to penetrate concrete and metal barriers should be taken into account, which increases the interest of military specialists in these weapons. The range of its action is determined by the radiated power, the value of the carrier frequency, the width of the radiation pattern and the conditions for the propagation of acoustic vibrations in a real environment.

When considering the problem of creating and damaging effects of acoustic weapons, it should be taken into account that they cover three characteristic frequency ranges: infrasonic region - below 20 Hz, audible - from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, ultrasonic - above 20 kHz. This gradation is determined by the characteristics of the impact of sound on the human body. It has been established that hearing thresholds, pain levels and other negative impacts on the human body increase with decreasing sound frequency. Infrasonic vibrations can cause a state of anxiety and even horror in people. According to scientists, with a significant radiation power, a sharp violation of the functions of individual human organs can occur, damage to it of cardio-vascular system and even death.

According to studies conducted in some countries, infrasonic vibrations can affect the central nervous system and digestive organs, causing paralysis, vomiting and spasms, leading to general malaise and pain in the internal organs, and at higher levels at frequencies of a few hertz - to dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness, and sometimes to blindness and even death. Infrasonic weapons can cause people to panic, lose control of themselves and an irresistible desire to hide from the source of damage. Certain frequencies can affect the middle ear, causing vibrations that cause sensations akin to motion sickness, motion sickness. By selecting a certain frequency of radiation, it is possible, for example, to provoke massive myocardial infarctions in the personnel of the troops and the population of the enemy.

According to press reports, work on the creation of infrasonic weapons is being completed in the United States. The conversion of electrical energy into low-frequency sound energy occurs with the help of piezoelectric crystals, the shape of which changes under the influence of electric current. Prototypes of infrasonic weapons have already been used in Yugoslavia. The so-called "acoustic bomb" produced sound vibrations of very low frequency.

In the United States, research is underway to create infrasound systems based on the use of large loudspeakers and powerful sound amplifiers. In the UK, infrasound emitters have been developed that affect not only the human hearing aid, but are also capable of causing resonance internal organs, disrupt the work of the heart, up to death. To defeat people in bunkers, shelters and combat vehicles, acoustic "bullets" of very low frequencies are tested, which are formed by superimposing ultrasonic vibrations emitted by large antennas.

Electromagnetic weapons.

The impact of electromagnetic weapons on a person and on various objects is based on the use of a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP). Prospects for the development of these weapons are associated with the widespread use of electronic technology in the world, which solves very important tasks, including in the field of security. For the first time, electromagnetic radiation capable of damaging various technical devices became known during tests. nuclear weapons when this new one was discovered physical phenomenon. It soon became known that EMP is formed not only during a nuclear explosion. Already in the 50s of the XX century in Russia, the principle of constructing a non-nuclear "electromagnetic bomb" was proposed, where, as a result of compression of the magnetic field of the solenoid by an explosion of a chemical explosive a powerful EMP is generated.

At present, when the troops and infrastructure of many states are saturated with electronics to the limit, attention to the means of its destruction has become very relevant. Although electromagnetic weapons are characterized as non-lethal, experts classify them as strategic, which can be used to disable objects of the state and military control system. Thermonuclear munitions with an increased EMP output have been developed, which will be used in the event of a nuclear war.

This confirms the experience of the war in the zone Persian Gulf in 1991, when the United States used Tomahawk cruise missiles with warheads to suppress the EMP of enemy electronic equipment, especially air defense radars. At the very beginning of the war with Iraq in 2003, the explosion of one EMP bomb disabled the entire electronic system television station in Baghdad. Studies of the impact of EMR radiation on the human body have shown that even with its low intensity, various disorders and changes occur in the body, especially in the cardiovascular system.

IN last years significant progress has been made in the development of stationary research generators that produce high magnetic field strengths and maximum currents. Such generators can serve as a prototype of an electromagnetic gun, the range of which can reach hundreds of meters or more. The current level of technology allows a number of countries to adopt various modifications of EMP - ammunition that can be successfully used in the course of combat operations.