http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/john-mcafee-10-year-old-internet-access-could-acquire-emp-destroy-entire-city-1522869In my last article for IBTimes UK I spoke about how EMP (electromagnetic pulse) generators could destroy America, or any country, in fact. As a result, I suggested that President Obama's recent declaration on gun control was ridiculous. In response to this, my inbox was rife with comments such as: "No average citizen could build an EMP generator, but anyone can buy a gun." And: "How can destruction of our electronics kill people?" I need to enlighten, as best I can, my reading public. Anyone can buy an EMP generator on Amazon for less than $300 (£200) – and I must point out that there are valid uses for EMP generators in a contained environment – that could not bring down America, but it could certainly destroy every electronic device in your neighbour's home (and yours as well unfortunately). But the Amazon device that I referenced is way overpriced for its limited capabilities.
For less than $450, anyone (with a fifth-grade education) could build a device in less than half an hour that could destroy all of the electronics in a 20-storey office building – permanently. There are more than 50,000 sites on the internet that provide detailed plans, for free, on how to build an EMP generator that can destroy everything from a single cell phone, to a moving car, to an entire city. To be fair, destroying all of the electronics in a city, say, the size of Cincinnati, assuming one purchased cheap Chinese components, would cost upwards of $60,000. But a few people, chipping in their savings, might easily be able to raise such funds. I don't know for sure. But I do know that if someone had the funds, and the desire, and two to three days of assembly time to spare, it would be a piece of cake.
How does an EMP generator work?Electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) are created by sudden, short bursts of an electromagnetic field. Capacitors are designed to create a sudden burst of electricity. Combined with a directional, high gain antenna, they can create an EMP. Up until recently, capacitors were generally measured in terms of microfarads (millionths of a farad) – the farad being the measure of the amount of electricity stored in the capacitor. Beginning a few years ago, however, the Chinese began creating capacitors that have reached 3,000 farads and 350 volts. Just one, combined with a high-gain directional antenna, could disable a speeding car from more than 100ft away. If these capacitors were purchased in volume, they could be combined in parallel or in series to create an EMP device that could fit in a small suitcase capable of taking out a high-rise office building – at a cost less than $500. A van full of them could take out the vast majority of a medium-sized city, causing havoc to power stations, water processing plants, communications, transportation and other vital infrastructure.
