8.2 Modern Space Weapons: Technical Possibilities and Limitations
765
for commercial activity in space—these areas will constantly expand, their number
(as well as the number of protected objects) will constantly grow, and an entire system
of such prohibited areas (American, Chinese, Russian, European, Indian, etc.) may
appear in the near-Earth space; even accidental (caused by mistakes of navigational
equipment) entrance of non-military objects into such areas will pose a real threat to
space objects of other countries as well as the owner of this anti-missile shield.
Moreover, if we consider the possibility of entrance of meteorites and other free
space objects (as well as remains of non-functional artificial satellites of the Earth,
fragments of exploded [3] rockets and satellites and space debris, the quantities of
which are now measured in hundreds of thousands), this possibility may turn into
reality very soon. In accordance with the rules and laws of machine logic, each such
intrusion is the breach of sovereignty of the protected area of the object, and its
protection will be triggered immediately.
It is clear that in response to each such act of breach of sovereignty, the security
systems of SBS will invariably be automatically triggered (the human response is
unacceptable here—too little time is allotted both for registering the fact of aggression
and for protective actions in response), the results of which can be formulated as in
the famous army joke—“shoot first and then ask for the password.”
Triggering of the automatics of the active protection system of the station shall
inevitably be accompanied by combat activation of this station registering the act of
attack, which automatically launches the combat management system (this is what
it was designed for).
The other party (in fact, all the other parties entering the open space) inevitably
shall detect the fact of activation of missile defense of a potential enemy by technical
means and must believe that this enemy is preparing the first nuclear missile, laser
or disarming strike, and shall take urgent measures to ensure the corresponding
response of its offensive strategic weapons.
Even civil experts realize that the chain reaction of incident escalation described
above will occur so quickly that it will leave no temporal chances for diplomatic
(political) settlement of the crisis that came out of the blue.
8.3 Ground Microwave Weapons
8.3.1 Main Damaging Factors and Methods of Effect
of Microwave Radiation on Radioelectronic Equipment
It is well known that microwave pulses of high power can cause failures of elements
of any electronics, including first of all semiconductor elements [3, 4]. Degrading
effects on electronic elements can be reversible and irreversible. Hereinafter, the
term “destruction of an element” shall mean its irreversible failure. Unfortunately,
extensive engineering experience in protecting electronics from electromagnetic
radiations [A. Belous, «High Velocity Microparticles in Space», Springer Nature
765
for commercial activity in space—these areas will constantly expand, their number
(as well as the number of protected objects) will constantly grow, and an entire system
of such prohibited areas (American, Chinese, Russian, European, Indian, etc.) may
appear in the near-Earth space; even accidental (caused by mistakes of navigational
equipment) entrance of non-military objects into such areas will pose a real threat to
space objects of other countries as well as the owner of this anti-missile shield.
Moreover, if we consider the possibility of entrance of meteorites and other free
space objects (as well as remains of non-functional artificial satellites of the Earth,
fragments of exploded [3] rockets and satellites and space debris, the quantities of
which are now measured in hundreds of thousands), this possibility may turn into
reality very soon. In accordance with the rules and laws of machine logic, each such
intrusion is the breach of sovereignty of the protected area of the object, and its
protection will be triggered immediately.
It is clear that in response to each such act of breach of sovereignty, the security
systems of SBS will invariably be automatically triggered (the human response is
unacceptable here—too little time is allotted both for registering the fact of aggression
and for protective actions in response), the results of which can be formulated as in
the famous army joke—“shoot first and then ask for the password.”
Triggering of the automatics of the active protection system of the station shall
inevitably be accompanied by combat activation of this station registering the act of
attack, which automatically launches the combat management system (this is what
it was designed for).
The other party (in fact, all the other parties entering the open space) inevitably
shall detect the fact of activation of missile defense of a potential enemy by technical
means and must believe that this enemy is preparing the first nuclear missile, laser
or disarming strike, and shall take urgent measures to ensure the corresponding
response of its offensive strategic weapons.
Even civil experts realize that the chain reaction of incident escalation described
above will occur so quickly that it will leave no temporal chances for diplomatic
(political) settlement of the crisis that came out of the blue.
8.3 Ground Microwave Weapons
8.3.1 Main Damaging Factors and Methods of Effect
of Microwave Radiation on Radioelectronic Equipment
It is well known that microwave pulses of high power can cause failures of elements
of any electronics, including first of all semiconductor elements [3, 4]. Degrading
effects on electronic elements can be reversible and irreversible. Hereinafter, the
term “destruction of an element” shall mean its irreversible failure. Unfortunately,
extensive engineering experience in protecting electronics from electromagnetic
radiations [A. Belous, «High Velocity Microparticles in Space», Springer Nature