I'm reading about this remarkable defensive weapon the day after Putin plunged all of Kyiv into darkness, and wonder how long it will take for Ukraine to have these microwave guys into place around major cities.
I'm glad you at least took some of the boys-with-toys glee out of the room by mentioning counter-measures. My first thought was: if Russia doesn't have this technology already (MASERs were the latest frontier back in the 1950s, and isn't it obvious that Havana Syndrome is caused by microwaves, probably triangulated?), then they can just buy a few of these MWs from China, who certainly IS working on those “layered spectrum effects, waveform agility, and kinetic-electromagnetic tactics” like it's the cure for cancer (except it's probably a cause of cancer). Since it's Ukraine who currently has the upper hand in the drone race, then anything that can defeat quadcopters wholesale is a serious problem for the good guys.
My second thought was: “Oh, that's why Russians have started to attack on bicycles!”
Thirdly: Chain mail will have its day again as a portable Faraday cage!
Fourth, a counter-counter-measure: there must be some conical metal dish that can just bounce microwaves back to the enemy, amirite? Then my thermopyles started acting up, ran out of ideas.
Unlike the Iron Beam by the IDF, the atmospheric conditions are different. Does especially fine sand disperse the signal? If so, can it be narrowed from, say, 500 meters to 50 meters to power through?
I'm reading about this remarkable defensive weapon the day after Putin plunged all of Kyiv into darkness, and wonder how long it will take for Ukraine to have these microwave guys into place around major cities.
Great article and video, as always.
I'm glad you at least took some of the boys-with-toys glee out of the room by mentioning counter-measures. My first thought was: if Russia doesn't have this technology already (MASERs were the latest frontier back in the 1950s, and isn't it obvious that Havana Syndrome is caused by microwaves, probably triangulated?), then they can just buy a few of these MWs from China, who certainly IS working on those “layered spectrum effects, waveform agility, and kinetic-electromagnetic tactics” like it's the cure for cancer (except it's probably a cause of cancer). Since it's Ukraine who currently has the upper hand in the drone race, then anything that can defeat quadcopters wholesale is a serious problem for the good guys.
My second thought was: “Oh, that's why Russians have started to attack on bicycles!”
Thirdly: Chain mail will have its day again as a portable Faraday cage!
Fourth, a counter-counter-measure: there must be some conical metal dish that can just bounce microwaves back to the enemy, amirite? Then my thermopyles started acting up, ran out of ideas.
The real world equivalent of Beastie Boy's "Sabotage".
Good education!
Unlike the Iron Beam by the IDF, the atmospheric conditions are different. Does especially fine sand disperse the signal? If so, can it be narrowed from, say, 500 meters to 50 meters to power through?