Weapons based on the new physical principles of the earthquake. Creation of weapons in the United States on new physical principles. Directed Energy Weapon

Major General of the Engineering and Technical Service I. ANUREYEV, Professor, Doctor of Military Sciences

Scientific and technological progress has always had a decisive influence on the methods of warfare and its nature. But this role of his has never manifested itself so quickly, so comprehensively and with such consequences as in our days. Scientific advances and discoveries have led to the creation of such powerful means of warfare that have changed the existing for a long time views on the role of various types of armed forces in the war, forced to reconsider the basic provisions of tactics, operational art and strategy.

What scientific achievements of our time have had such a decisive impact on military affairs? These should primarily include the discovery of ways to use nuclear energy, the development of rocket technology, mathematics and computer technology, radio electronics, automation, chemistry, metallurgy, and instrumentation. A special place belongs to physics, which must also be included in this list. Not to mention the fact that military affairs owe the appearance of nuclear weapons to it, the creation of all models of military equipment and weapons without exception is based on the use of various physical laws.

As is known, physics studies the most general forms of motion of matter - mechanical, thermal, electromagnetic, and others, and their mutual transformations. At present, this science includes sections: mechanics, molecular physics, the doctrine of oscillations and waves, the doctrine of electricity, the theory of the electromagnetic field, optics, nuclear physics. The boundaries between physics and some other natural sciences are not sharply delineated. Recently, vast border areas have appeared between physics and chemistry, astronomy, earth science and other areas of knowledge.

The successes of physics and chemistry, along with the successes of other natural sciences, have had an exceptional big influence to the development of a materialistic worldview. Dialectical materialism made the widest possible use of physical discoveries to substantiate its propositions.

The impetus for the development of physics, like all other sciences, was the demands of practice that arose in the process of the historical development of social formations. Major discoveries of the late 17th and early 18th centuries were made under the influence of developing technology and military science.

The founder of Russian physics and chemistry, M. V. Lomonosov, closely combined scientific work with the requirements of practice. His numerous and varied researches on optics, electricity, meteorology, on the nature of liquid and solid bodies were most closely connected with practical needs. Many examples from the history of the development of physics show that often very abstract (abstract), at first glance, physical discoveries eventually found the most diverse application in technology and military affairs.

The discovery in 1831 by Faraday of electromagnetic induction created the conditions for widespread use in technology and in military affairs of electrical phenomena. Various electrical machines, means of control, control, measurements appeared, which had a revolutionary effect on technology in general and military equipment in particular.

The periodic law of D. I. Mendeleev not only played an outstanding role in the development of the theory of the atom and the nature of chemical phenomena, but also became a guide in the decision huge amount practical problems of chemistry and physics. On the basis of this law and the subsequent successes of physics, it was possible to discover elements capable of participating in fission and fusion (compound) reactions, which subsequently led to the creation of the very powerful weapon destruction - nuclear weapons.

In the second half of the last century, the English scientist Maxwell created a general theory of the electromagnetic field. Based on this theory, he came to the conclusion about the possibility of propagation of electromagnetic energy in the form of waves. Maxwell's discovery was used by A. S. Popov to create a radiotelegraph. This outstanding invention of the Russian scientist led to an exceptionally powerful development of troop communications, the creation of various radio engineering systems, and the emergence of radar - the technical basis of the radio engineering troops of air defense. On account of radio engineering, there are many other military means that the army and navy are equipped with.

The studies of the Russian scientist A. G. Stoletov on active electric phenomena played a large role in the study of the photoelectric effect (a physical phenomenon consisting in the fact that under the action of visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, X-rays, and also gamma rays on a substance, its electrical properties). The photoelectric effect is widely used in modern technology (television, automation, sound films, etc.). Television devices and systems have found the widest application in military affairs. They are used in control systems of various combat means, serve as information sensors, and are used to communicate space objects with the Earth.

Of great importance for military affairs is such a branch of physics as optics. It arose as a doctrine of light in connection with the study of a person's ability to see the surrounding space. Subsequently, physics expanded the field of study, and the word "light" began to be used to denote an objective phenomenon occurring outside of us, which, acting on the eye, causes a subjective visual sensation. At present, physics speaks of "light" as a wide set of objective phenomena that are uniform in nature and are reduced to the propagation of short electromagnetic waves. Thus, the electromagnetic theory of light was born. She showed the unity of light and electromagnetic phenomena and gave a new proof of the basic position of dialectical materialism about the deep interconnection of all natural phenomena.

Soviet physicists have played an important role in the development of modern optics. A. F. Ioffe and N. I. Dobronravov made a number of experiments on the elementary photoelectric effect and obtained important results confirming the law that light energy is absorbed in separate portions, the magnitude of which is proportional to the frequency of light vibrations. S. I. Vavilov developed a method that makes it possible to visually detect changes in weak light fluxes due to their discontinuous structure. D. S. Rozhdestvenskii developed the theory of spectra with his work on anomalous dispersion and on the theory of atoms.

On the basis of the achievements of science, a powerful optical industry arose. The subtlest optical phenomena studied in physics have found the widest application in technology and military affairs. These are various guidance and control systems, control and measurement devices, elements of automatic systems and much more. The scope of the achievements of optics is expanding every day.

But, of course, the development of nuclear physics was of particular importance for military affairs. Opening ways combat use nuclear energy was the result of a long study of the objective properties of the nature around us, a generalization of numerous newly established facts. It became possible thanks to the achievements of modern physics, as a result of which the doctrine of the structure of the atom, radioactivity and isotopes, and artificial fission of nuclei was developed.

Let's take this example. The elementary particles that make up the nucleus of an atom move at high speeds. For example, the speed of alpha particles is 20,000 km/sec, and their kinetic energy is 200 million times greater than the energy of a gas molecule at room temperature. It is impossible to study the motion of particles with such velocities comparable to the speed of light by methods of classical mechanics. For these cases, the provisions of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics are applicable.

The most important law of the theory of relativity is the law of the relationship between mass and energy. Its essence is as follows: the internal energy of the body is equal to the rest mass multiplied by the square of the speed of light. Prior to the establishment of this law, it was possible to use only an insignificant fraction of internal energy (thermal energy, energy of chemical reactions). Achievements in the field of nuclear physics, the development of quantum mechanics (the science of the laws of motion of elementary particles) made it possible to discover and extract atomic energy. People have an almost inexhaustible supply of energy. As is known, imperialism used this outstanding achievement of physics primarily for military purposes, which forced the Soviet Union to create atomic weapon. Thus, atomic bombs based on the fission reaction of heavy nuclei of uranium-235, uranium-233 and plutonium-239 appeared in the arsenal of modern armed forces.

Following the fission reaction, a reaction was obtained for the synthesis of hydrogen isotopes - deuterium and tritium with the transformation of their nuclei into heavy helium nuclei. Such reactions can proceed at very high temperatures, on the order of 10–15 million degrees. Similar temperatures occur during nuclear processes on the Sun and stars, which release huge thermal energy. On Earth, thermonuclear reactions are still carried out at the time of the explosion of thermonuclear bombs. Thus another outstanding discovery physics led to the creation of even more powerful weapons mass destruction- thermonuclear weapons. In our country, the most powerful thermonuclear bombs with a TNT equivalent of 50 and even 100 mgt have been created. They have colossal destructive power and can cause severe radioactive contamination over vast areas.

During the Second World War, the most common large-scale ammunition was high-explosive aerial bombs, which were equipped with about 0.5 tons of explosive - TNT. If 200 million of these bombs were placed in one place and exploded, the shock wave would be the same as the explosion of one modern thermonuclear bomb of 100 megatons. However, it must be borne in mind that in this case new powerful damage factors appear - penetrating radiation and radioactive contamination of the area. The explosion of one medium-sized thermonuclear bomb in a large industrial area with high density population could lead, as noted in the press, to the death of 1.5 million people. Subsequently, another 0.5 million people may die from the harmful effects of radioactive contamination.

Calculations have been cited in the foreign press showing that, for example, eight thermonuclear bombs with a yield of 3-5 megatons are enough to disable West Germany.

And here is what the American scientist Pauling writes: “In total, about a billion people live in areas that are likely to be hit by strong nuclear strikes. Within 60 days of the atomic strike

500-750 million people may die.” It is difficult to say what guided Pauling in his calculations. But if he is at least half right, then this also speaks of the enormous destructive power of thermonuclear weapons.

Modern armies are now also armed with small-caliber nuclear weapons, which are fundamentally changing the nature of combat. Our army now has a large assortment of nuclear weapons. The need for such a weapon is dictated by the following circumstances. It is difficult to use high-yield nuclear charges on the battlefield. They strike large areas, and it is impossible to use them in direct contact with the enemy without the risk of hitting friendly troops.

As noted in the foreign press, nuclear charges of 100 tons or less were tested in the United States. The action of such a charge is 200 times weaker than the explosion of the bomb dropped by the Americans in 1945 over Hiroshima.

What do small-caliber nuclear weapons give tactically? The shock wave of their explosion at a small distance causes only moderate destruction of brick buildings. Light radiation can cause second-degree burns, and penetrating radiation, although it leads to radiation sickness, is not in a dangerous form.

Small-caliber nuclear munitions can be used even when friendly troops are in direct contact with the enemy. They are capable of destroying or reliably suppressing anti-tank strongholds and artillery firing positions. As a result of such strikes, gaps are formed in the enemy's defenses, which can be used by the attackers to dismember the enemy's battle formations and infiltrate into his rear. The battle takes on an exceptionally maneuverable, fleeting character.

Achievements in nuclear physics made it possible to carry out a controlled nuclear reaction. On its basis, various nuclear power plants were created. The military use of controlled nuclear reactions led primarily to the creation of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines with nuclear weapons. The use of nuclear power plants on foreign boats made it possible, as noted, to increase the speed of the underwater course to 50 km / h. Atmospheric air is not needed for the operation of nuclear power plants, therefore, with their appearance, submarines became submarines in the full sense of the word. They may not float to the surface for a long time.

In the future, according to foreign experts, we should expect the use of nuclear engines on missiles, which will dramatically improve their tactical and technical properties. Nuclear power plants and nuclear power sources for spacecraft for various purposes will be of great importance.

Nuclear weapons have acquired strategic importance thanks to the creation of perfect carriers of them - missiles. Modern ballistic and global missiles are capable of delivering powerful nuclear weapons to any region of the globe. To cover a distance of, say, 10 thousand km, an intercontinental ballistic missile needs only 25-30 minutes. It is hardly possible to hide from her blow. And the Soviet global missiles completely crossed out the concept of geographical invulnerability. Their blow is inevitable. The combination of nuclear weapons and missiles determined the nature of the future war as a nuclear missile war on an intercontinental scale.

The most important discoveries and achievements of physics used in the creation of modern rocket technology include the deep development of aerodynamics, gas dynamics and rocket dynamics. At present, these scientific directions are already independent, extremely complex and voluminous sciences with many branches. But fundamentally, they all belong to the physical sciences, their foundations are laid in mechanics, a branch of physics that studies the simplest of all forms of motion - mechanical motion.

Without the development of aerodynamics, the creation of modern combat aircraft and cruise missiles. The development of jet aviation became possible due to the emergence of gas dynamics, the basis of high-speed aerodynamics and the theory of jet engines. Its founder is the outstanding Russian scientist Academician S. A. Chaplygin. Back in 1902, he established the basic dependences for the movement of gases with high subsonic and supersonic velocities. The results of the achievements of gas dynamics have found practical application in the creation of modern jet aviation and rocket technology.

The flight speeds of modern military aircraft are now 2-3 times the speed of sound propagation. But, as it turned out, this is not the limit. A further increase in flight speed caused the emergence of a new branch of aerodynamics - hypersonic aerodynamics. This science will make it possible to study in detail the motion of gas at high supersonic speeds. The military use of hypersonic aerodynamics is likely to lead to the creation of new aircraft. It is believed abroad that they can be new perfect carriers of nuclear weapons, as well as powerful means of anti-aircraft and missile defense.

Flights of ballistic missiles and spacecraft at altitudes of 100–150 nm in a highly rarefied atmosphere required a thorough study of the laws of motion of aircraft in conditions where gas molecules have a long mean free path, hundreds of meters and even several kilometers. It is no coincidence that experimental and theoretical aerodynamics of highly rarefied gases is rapidly developing at the present time. It allows you to calculate the motion parameters of ballistic missiles during their movement at the end of the active part of the trajectory and during entry into the atmosphere, to study the laws of motion of orbital aircraft, and helps to more accurately determine the lifetime of spacecraft in orbit.

When rockets and other aircraft move at high speeds in the atmosphere, even rarefied, extremely high temperatures occur, which lead to strong heating of the walls of the apparatus. The problem of "kinetic" heating is very acute in aviation and rocket technology. It is necessary to find new materials and coatings that can withstand high temperatures. The study of the movement of bodies at very high heating temperatures showed that in the so-called boundary layer (a thin layer of air near the walls of the aircraft) electromagnetic phenomena occur, which must also be taken into account. The study of electromagnetic phenomena in the boundary layer is carried out by a new branch of aerodynamics - magnetohydrodynamics.

And finally, about rocket dynamics. Its foundations were created by the outstanding Russian scientist K. E. Tsiolkovsky. In his famous work “Investigation of world spaces with rocket instruments” (1903), the great scientist established the basic laws of rocket motion and derived his famous formula for calculating the speed of a multi-stage rocket. This is currently a "desktop" formula for any rocket scientist. As a result of the development of aerodynamics, rocket dynamics and other areas of physics, the use of the achievements of chemistry, radio electronics, metallurgy, instrument making, it became possible to create models of military rocket technology. It is currently the most important weapon system.

This type of weapon is characterized by high combat effectiveness over the entire range of ranges, from several tens to several hundred kilometers. Operational-tactical missiles are reliable in operation and do not require much time to prepare for launch. They can also carry nuclear weapons. This opens up great opportunities for defeat. nuclear strikes any enemy objects on the battlefield. The accuracy of missile guidance today is such that a missile, having flown over 12,000 km, deviates from a given point by no more than one kilometer.

Physics in last years She also achieved a lot in the field of the doctrine of electricity and magnetism, the theory of the electromagnetic field, electromagnetic waves and other sections. This led to the emergence of such independent sciences as, for example, radiophysics and electronics. They have become the basis of modern achievements in the field of radio electronics, telemechanics, automation, computer technology, without which the development and use of modern military equipment is unthinkable.

The outstanding scientific achievement of the remarkable Russian scientist A. S. Popov, who discovered the principle of radio communication and the phenomenon of reflection of electromagnetic waves, the subsequent discoveries of physicists in the field of radar and radio physics of ultrashort waves led to the rapid introduction of various radio engineering and radio electronic systems in the army. They now form the basis of communication systems, night vision equipment, detection of aircraft and missiles in flight, control of the flight of cruise and ballistic missiles, and are used to interfere with enemy radio control equipment.

Radar has gained particular importance in military affairs. It has become the most important tool in creating an effective anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense. Modern radars, as noted in the foreign press, are able to find a target (aircraft, missile) at a distance of 5000 km or more.

Great opportunities are opening up thanks to advances in solid state and semiconductor physics. Equipment for communication, radar, guidance becomes more reliable in operation, compact in size. Electronic devices based on semiconductors are not afraid of shocks, shaking and can last 5-10 times longer than conventional radio tubes. The equipment becomes more convenient and miniature. Already, compact semiconductor radars have appeared in the arsenal of the armies, easily carried by one or two soldiers. There are separate types of radios that can be placed in a helmet.

However, this is not all. Achievements in molecular electronics make it possible to create equipment of truly microscopic dimensions. It can be collected on special very thin films or on so-called solid circuits. They are called solid because the entire circuit of the device is hidden inside a solid substance - a crystal.

A few words about another new direction in physics - quantum radiophysics. Her successes open up ways to obtain high-intensity electromagnetic oscillations in narrow beams. Such devices are called lasers in foreign literature. According to the American press, with the help of lasers, it was possible to obtain a power of the order of 1-3 million watts in a pulse. It is estimated that laser radios will be capable of simultaneously transmitting thousands of television programs and telephone conversations. Some foreign experts are trying to use quantum generators to create a new type of weapon - beam, which is supposedly capable of destroying manpower and equipment.

We have examined the main directions in which physics - a science that is truly limitless in its possibilities - influences modern military affairs. As you can see, this influence is huge, and, undoubtedly, it will continuously increase. The same is true for other areas. modern science. This obliges Soviet soldiers to comprehensively study not only the type of equipment that is entrusted to them, but also master the basics of all scientific and technical knowledge related to progress in military affairs. Broad knowledge will help the soldiers to better understand their role and place as armed defenders of the motherland, to carry out tasks related to the further strengthening of the defense might of our country with great effect.

The exposition of the military-technical forum "Army-2016", held in September in the Moscow region, demonstrated samples of ultra-modern weapons, mainly radio-electronic, created on new physical principles. Most of these exhibits were closed to the public and were shown exclusively to specialists with the necessary forms of access to state secrets. But the very fact of demonstrating such developments allows us to conclude that the enterprises of the Russian defense industry are working and have even made great progress in the field of creating such weapons. What kind of weapon is this? And what new physical principles underlie its creation? The very concept of “weapons based on new physical principles” (ONFP) is very arbitrary, since in most cases known physical principles are used, only their use in weapons is new. In the military-political The dictionary “War and Peace” says: “... At the beginning of the 21st century, this type of weapon includes laser, accelerator, microwave, infrasound, geophysical, cyber weapons, and so on. According to their striking properties, these weapons (at least some of their types) should be classified as weapons of mass destruction. Its use can lead to a new revolutionary and dangerous leap in military affairs. "Despite the complexity of the development and production of some of these types of weapons, experts consider them quite promising, since in most cases they have stealth and suddenness of use, the ability to paralyze the command and control system , disable personnel and equipment. Most often, ONFP is classified as follows. laser weapons- a special type of promising directed energy weapon based on the use of laser radiation to kill people and disable military equipment (primarily optoelectronic reconnaissance and weapon control systems). Currently, only low-energy laser devices are used. Along with this, the possibility of forceful destruction by a laser beam of structural elements of military equipment, including the hulls of ballistic missiles and other aircraft, was experimentally tested. However, the appearance of samples of this type of weapon in service with the troops and the fleet is still problematic due to its bulkiness, high energy consumption and other negative operational factors. In 2010-2011, the US Navy tested a solid-state laser designed to protect ships from small ships. In addition, airborne, ground-based and space-based combat lasers are being developed. Boost weapon(beam) - a possible promising type of weapon based on the use of flows or beams of elementary particles (hydrogen, helium, lithium atoms, etc.) to destroy manpower and military equipment. Microwave (UHF) weapons- a possible promising type of weapon based on the use of radio-electronic components of military equipment to destroy (mainly functional). In the system of such weapons, microwave energy generators in the millimeter and centimeter wave ranges and their corresponding antenna systems, together forming directional radiation. It usually refers to reusable weapons. Along with this, searches are underway for single-action explosive generators and the creation of bombs (rocket warheads) based on them that hit household and military electronics at distances of tens of kilometers, which can make these weapons very effective. Most likely, it will appear in service as a deterrent against aggression. infrasonic weapons- a promising type of weapon based on the damaging effect on the human body of sound vibrations of infra-low (from units to 30 hertz) frequencies. Can be used as a weapon of mass destruction. cyber weapons- specific software designed to control, destabilize or interfere with the operation of enemy information systems and computer networks in order to suppress communications, political agitation, disable computer-controlled weapons, and solve other problems. Geophysical weapons- possible promising types of weapons, the damaging effect of which is associated with the initiation of catastrophic natural phenomena(change in the ozone layer, climatic conditions , provoking earthquakes, etc.). True, the development of such weapons is associated with the solution of a number of complex problems, so their appearance is only possible in the future, however, experiments, including public ones, in the field of weather engineering are underway. That is why such weapons are often called non-lethal (non-lethal). Separate samples of such weapons have already been used in armed conflicts in Somalia, Haiti, and Iraq. Thus, during Operation Desert Storm, electromagnetic weapons were used, the means of delivering which to targets were Tomahawk cruise missiles. As a result, short circuits occurred in the electrical networks of power plants and power lines, which ultimately led to a disruption in the power supply to Iraq's control and air defense systems during the decisive period of the operation. The Saber-203 laser dazzler was also developed in the United States, which could be installed in a 40-mm grenade launcher . His prototype was used in 1995 in Somalia. Laser dazzlers were used by American troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the NATO military operations in Yugoslavia, a number of non-lethal weapons were tested, such as “graphite”, light, acoustic and electromagnetic bombs, a bomb that creates an unbearable smell, laser devices, sticky foam. At the very first use of the "graphite" bomb, NATO planes disabled two-thirds of Serbia's energy system for several hours. At the initiative of the United States, a special working group was created within NATO to coordinate military-applied research in the field of non-lethal weapons. Priority areas include studies of such types of weapons that cause the enemy to lose strength (a sharp decrease in activity), loss of spatial orientation, blackout, pain sensations. Are there any works in the field of creating such weapons in Russia? Answering this question, it should be noted that weapons based on new physical principles were very actively developed back in the days of the USSR. Moreover, in some areas we bypassed the United States here for at least 15 years. For example, Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ustinov once proposed using a laser complex to accompany the American shuttle. And on October 10, 1984, during the 13th flight of the Challenger, when its turns in orbit passed over the Balkhash region, the experiment took place. The laser radar measured the parameters of the target when operating in the detection mode with a minimum radiation power. Moreover, the height of the spacecraft's orbit was 365 kilometers, the slant range of detection and tracking was 400–800 kilometers. As a result, communication was suddenly disconnected on the shuttle, equipment malfunctioned, and the astronauts felt unwell. When the Americans began to figure out what happened, they realized that the crew had undergone some kind of artificial influence from the USSR. An official protest was made. In the future, a laser installation and radio-technical complexes with a high energy potential were not used to accompany the shuttles. In the 90s, all work at the test sites was curtailed, the equipment was taken to the territory of Russia, and some of the objects were blown up. However, the experience gained as a result of the program was not lost. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the commissioning of new complexes has begun: "Window" - Mount Sanglok (Nurek in Tajikistan) and "Window-S" - Mount Lysaya in the Far East. And also the Krona complexes are being introduced in the North Caucasus and the Krona-N complexes are also being introduced in the Far East. Recently, work on a similar object can be observed in the Crimea near Feodosia. Their functions, of course, are designated as purely peaceful - "monitoring and measuring optoelectronic complexes for tracking space objects." Another example. In the USSR in 1985, on the basis of the Il-76, the A-60 aircraft was created, which was an experimental flying laboratory, a carrier of laser weapons, designed to study the propagation of laser beams in the upper atmosphere, and later to suppress enemy reconnaissance. The A-60 was an aviation version of the megawatt laser carrier. This laser was planned to be launched into space as a weapon of the Skif-D combat orbital platform. However, in the 90s, as a result of "democratic reforms", most of the work in this area was curtailed. And part of the developments, and quite a large one, were directly transferred to the United States. Russia had to turn to this topic of weapons on new physical principles relatively recently, when it became clear that US missile defense is not just a new military system but a technological breakthrough. And its basis is precisely systems with new combat qualities based on new principles. For example, a ground-based interceptor is a system that ensures the destruction of a ballistic missile warhead at a distance of several thousand kilometers without an explosion by direct hit by a striking element. That is, at a distance of two to three or five thousand kilometers, this interceptor must ensure that a target the size of a refrigerator hits. These, of course, are laser systems, beam systems, that is, the same weapons based on new physical principles of hitting a target by direct transmission of not kinetic, but beam, beam energy. If we draw analogies, then from the point of view of historical parallels, the creation of a missile defense system can be compared with the transition from bows and arrows to firearms. That is why Russia, in order to compete with the United States, also has to move into this new era. And here a number of areas are a priority. First of all, these are laser systems again, which should solve the problems of hitting both ballistic missiles and dynamic aircraft within the framework of their own missile defense system. Another direction in the development of weapons based on new physical principles is electromagnetic bombs and other electromagnetic weapons. In recent years, Russia has made significant progress in this direction. First of all, we can talk about stations for power electronic suppression of continuous operation. They, acting on the input circuits of radio-electronic devices, lead to their combustion, failure. Moreover, the Russian military has repeatedly demonstrated its combat capabilities in the field of new weapons. In particular, during the Crimean events, after which a serious scandal erupted in the United States: how did the Kremlin fool not only US intelligence analysts, but also military satellites that were watching Crimea? Why did the special services miss the appearance of "polite people" on the peninsula? The Pentagon was forced to admit that Russia has made significant progress in the latest technologies, because its military has managed to “hide” from American tracking systems. Today, in the field of electronic warfare, Russia occupies a leading position: in terms of equipment that is put on aircraft, we and the United States go head to head, and concerning ground stations they are now the best in the world. A number of these very best samples were demonstrated at the closed exposition of the Army-2016 military-technical forum in Patriot Park.

The exposition of the military-technical forum "Army-2016", held in September in the Moscow region, demonstrated samples of ultra-modern weapons, mainly radio-electronic, created on new physical principles. Most of these exhibits were closed to the public and were shown exclusively to specialists with the necessary forms of access to state secrets.

But the very fact of demonstrating such developments allows us to conclude that the enterprises of the Russian defense industry are working and have even made great progress in the field of creating such weapons.

What is this weapon? And what new physical principles underlie its creation?

The very concept of "weapons based on new physical principles" (ONFP) is very conditional, since in most cases known physical principles are used, only their application in weapons is new.

The military-political dictionary “War and Peace” says: “... At the beginning of the 21st century, this type of weapon includes laser, accelerator, microwave, infrasound, geophysical, cyber weapons, and so on. According to their striking properties, these weapons (at least some of their types) should be classified as weapons of mass destruction. Its use can lead to a new revolutionary and dangerous leap in military affairs.

Despite the complexity of the development and production of some of the types of these weapons, experts consider them to be quite promising, since in most cases they have stealth and suddenness of use, the ability to paralyze the command and control system, disable personnel and equipment.

Most often ONFP is classified as follows.

laser weapons- a special type of promising directed energy weapon based on the use of laser radiation to destroy people and disable military equipment (primarily optical-electronic reconnaissance and weapon control systems).

Currently, only low-energy laser devices are used. Along with this, the possibility of forceful destruction by a laser beam of structural elements of military equipment, including the hulls of ballistic missiles and other aircraft, was experimentally tested. However, the appearance of samples of this type of weapon in service with the troops and naval forces is still problematic due to its bulkiness, high energy consumption and other negative operational factors.

In 2010-2011, the US Navy tested a solid-state laser designed to protect ships from small craft. In addition, airborne, ground-based and space-based combat lasers are being developed.

Accelerating weapon (beam)- a possible promising type of weapon based on the use of flows or beams of elementary particles (hydrogen, helium, lithium atoms, etc.) to destroy manpower and military equipment.

Microwave (UHF) weapons- a possible promising type of weapon based on the use of radio-electronic components of military equipment to destroy (mainly functional). In the system of such weapons, microwave energy generators in the millimeter and centimeter wave bands and their corresponding antenna systems can be used, which together form directed radiation. Usually refers to weapons of multiple use.

Along with this, a search is underway for single-action explosive generators and the creation of bombs (rocket warheads) based on them, which strike household and military electronics at distances of tens of kilometers, which can make these weapons very effective. Most likely, it will appear in service as a deterrent against aggression.

infrasonic weapons- a promising type of weapon based on the damaging effect on the human body of sound vibrations of infra-low (from units to 30 hertz) frequencies. Can be used as a weapon of mass destruction.

- specific software designed to control, destabilize or interfere with the operation of enemy information systems and computer networks in order to suppress communications, political agitation, disable computer-controlled weapons, and solve other problems.

Geophysical weapons- possible promising types of weapons, the damaging effect of which is associated with the initiation of catastrophic natural phenomena (changes in the ozone layer, climatic conditions, provoking earthquakes, etc.). True, the development of such weapons is associated with the solution of a number of complex problems, so their appearance is only possible in the future, however, experiments, including public ones, in the field of weather engineering are underway.

New types of ONFP do not always aim to defeat the enemy by destroying him. That is why such weapons are often called non-lethal (non-lethal). Separate samples of such weapons have already been used in armed conflicts in Somalia, Haiti, and Iraq.

Thus, during Operation Desert Storm, electromagnetic weapons were used, the means of delivering which to the targets were Tomahawk cruise missiles. As a result, short circuits occurred in the electrical networks of power plants and power lines, which ultimately led to a disruption in the power supply to Iraq's control and air defense systems during the decisive period of the operation.

Also in the United States, the Saber-203 laser dazzler was developed, which could be installed in a 40-mm grenade launcher. His prototype was used in 1995 in Somalia. Laser dazzlers were used by American troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During NATO operations in Yugoslavia, a number of non-lethal weapons were tested, such as "graphite", light, acoustic and electromagnetic bombs, a bomb that creates an unbearable smell, laser devices, and sticky foam. At the very first use of the "graphite" bomb, NATO aircraft knocked out two-thirds of Serbia's energy system for several hours.

At the initiative of the United States, a special working group has been set up within NATO to coordinate military-applied research in the field of non-lethal weapons. Among the priority areas are studies of such types of it that cause the enemy to lose strength (a sharp decrease in activity), loss of spatial orientation, blackout, and pain.

Are there any works in the field of creating such weapons in Russia?

Answering this question, it should be noted that weapons based on new physical principles were very actively developed back in the days of the USSR. Moreover, in some areas we have bypassed the United States here for at least 15 years.

For example, Marshal of the Soviet Union Dmitry Ustinov once proposed using a laser system to accompany the American shuttle. And on October 10, 1984, during the 13th flight of the Challenger, when its turns in orbit passed over the Balkhash region, the experiment took place. The laser radar measured the parameters of the target when operating in the detection mode with a minimum radiation power. Moreover, the height of the ship's orbit was 365 kilometers, the slant range of detection and tracking was 400–800 kilometers.

As a result, communication was suddenly disconnected on the shuttle, equipment malfunctioned, and the astronauts felt unwell. When the Americans began to figure out what had happened, they realized that the crew had been subjected to some kind of artificial influence from the USSR. An official protest was made. In the future, the laser installation and radio-technical complexes, which have a high energy potential, were not used to accompany the shuttles.

In the 90s, all work at the landfills was curtailed, the equipment was taken to the territory of Russia, and some of the facilities were blown up. However, the experience gained as a result of the program was not lost. Since the beginning of the 2000s, the commissioning of new complexes has begun: "Window" - Mount Sanglok (Nurek in Tajikistan) and "Window-S" - Mount Lysaya in the Far East. And also the Krona complexes are being introduced in the North Caucasus and the Krona-N - also in the Far East.

Recently, work on a similar object can be observed in the Crimea near Feodosia. Their functions, of course, are designated as purely peaceful - "monitoring and measuring optoelectronic complexes for tracking space objects."

Another example. In the USSR in 1985, on the basis of the Il-76, the A-60 aircraft was created, which was an experimental flying laboratory, a carrier of laser weapons, designed to study the propagation of laser beams in the upper atmosphere, and later to suppress enemy reconnaissance. The A-60 was an aviation version of the megawatt laser carrier. This laser was planned to be launched into space as a weapon of the Skif-D combat orbital platform.

However, in the 1990s, as a result of "democratic reforms", most of the work in this area was curtailed. And part of the developments, and quite a large one, was directly transferred to the United States.

Russia had to revisit this topic of weapons based on new physical principles relatively recently, when it became clear that the US missile defense system is not just a new military system, but a technological breakthrough. And its basis is just systems with new combat qualities, based on new principles.

For example, a ground-based interceptor is a system that ensures the destruction of a ballistic missile warhead at a distance of several thousand kilometers without an explosion by a direct hit by a striking element. That is, at a distance of two or three or five thousand kilometers, this interceptor must ensure that it hits a target the size of a refrigerator. These, of course, are laser systems, beam systems, that is, the same weapons based on new physical principles for hitting a target by direct transmission of not kinetic, but beam, beam energy.

If we draw analogies, then from the point of view of historical parallels, the creation of a missile defense system can be compared with the transition from a bow and arrow to firearms. That is why Russia, in order to compete with the United States, also has to move into this new era.

Here, too, a number of areas are prioritized. First of all, these are again laser systems, which should solve the problems of hitting both ballistic missiles and dynamic aircraft within the framework of their own missile defense system.

Another direction in the development of weapons based on new physical principles is electromagnetic bombs and other electromagnetic weapons. In recent years, Russia has made significant progress in this direction.

First of all, we can talk about stations of power electronic suppression of continuous action. They, acting on the input circuits of radio-electronic devices, lead to their combustion, failure. Moreover, the Russian military has repeatedly demonstrated its combat capabilities in the field of new weapons.

In particular, during the Crimean events, after which a serious scandal erupted in the United States: how did the Kremlin fool not only US intelligence analysts, but also military satellites that were watching Crimea? Why did the special services miss the appearance of "polite people" on the peninsula? The Pentagon was forced to admit that Russia has advanced significantly in the latest technology, because its military has managed to "hide" from American tracking systems.

Today, in the subject of electronic warfare, Russia occupies a leading position: in terms of equipment that is put on aircraft, we and the United States go head to head, and as for ground stations, they are now the best in the world. A number of these very best samples were demonstrated at the closed exposition of the Army-2016 military-technical forum in Patriot Park.

Unconventional weapons are designed primarily to deprive the enemy of the possibility of active resistance. They are based on the latest achievements and discoveries in the field of fundamental and applied sciences. Since they use physical principles that have not yet been applied in mass weapons, they are sometimes called "a weapon based on new physical principles". There are many varieties of such weapons: acoustic, beam, laser, plasma, accelerator (beam), X-ray, radiological, proton, gamma laser, radio frequency, electromagnetic, thermal, scalar...

This is not a complete list of everything that has been put into operation or is under development in recent years:

sound generators causing unbearable pain; strobe lights that cause nausea; disorienting lasers;

blinding flashes;

isotropic radiators (a type of weapon that fires laser beams that blind people and optical instruments);

laser beams that burst eyeballs;

ultrasonic beams so powerful that they can destroy buildings, as well as the internal organs of enemy soldiers;

sleeping pills that can put entire armies to sleep; a wide range of hallucinogens added to drinking water systems;

topographic images that disorientate or morally suppress the enemy;

infra-low frequency generators that can project voices into a person's brain or destroy their immune system;

gases that do not kill, but incapacitate the enemy; electromagnetic pistols;

infrared transmitters that can set buildings on fire; aerosols that make metals brittle;

super-corrosive substances - hundreds of times stronger than ordinary toxic substances; non-nuclear electromagnetic pulses capable of

blow up ammunition depots and disable electronics, etc.

Weapons based on new physical principles can be used both for lethal destruction and for short-term incapacitation of enemy manpower (non-lethal weapons). It can be effectively used against weapons and military equipment, important objects of the economy and infrastructure, to destroy the information and energy space of the enemy, to disturb the mental state of its population.

Geospheric, biospheric and psychospheric weapons

The very fact of the presence of geospheric (geophysical) weapons has not yet been officially recognized by any country. However, it really exists, and the scale and consequences of its use are such that geophysical weapons can rightfully be called a global weapon of mass destruction, and even an “apocalyptic weapon”.

24 Tkachenko T.E. Dept. 12 "Medico-biological and environmental protection"

liptic." Unlike weapons of past centuries, they affect not only individual zones of military conflicts, but the entire sphere of human habitation - from the earth's interior to outer space. To defeat the enemy, it often uses natural phenomena and processes. Artificially generated, they cause natural disasters, provoke local climate changes, destroy sources and reserves of natural resources, and affect flora and fauna. The Earth itself becomes a weapon.

Today, geophysical weapons have a fairly wide range of energy sources and mechanisms of influence on natural environment. Depending on the environment in which this weapon is used, the following types can be conditionally distinguished: lithospheric (tectonic, geological), hydrospheric (hydrological), meteorological (weather), ozone (biocosmic), ionospheric and magnetospheric ( geocosmic, climatic) weapons.

Biospheric weapons can be conditionally divided into two categories. The first category includes environmental weapons. It is intended not so much to defeat a person, but to selectively influence the biological environment of his habitat - flora and fauna. The second category is biological weapons. It directly or indirectly affects human physiology, disrupting its normal functioning. At the same time, it can damage the human body both directly and indirectly - slowly destroying its vitality, undermining protection against infectious and meteorological factors. The consequence of the use of such weapons may be the gradual death of people or their long-term incapacitation. The use of biospheric weapons may result in spontaneous demoralization of the enemy population, caused by widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases. Modern varieties of biological weapons include genetic, ethnic and racial weapons.

Psychospheric weapon. The fight against the enemy is conducted in different ways: military, political, economic. The most effective and dangerous weapon has always been considered to be a weapon that changes the mind of the enemy, makes him inadequately perceive reality, unconsciously make wrong decisions, and commit disastrous actions for himself. The traditional methods of information-psychological warfare have been supplemented by a wide range of new means. They are able to purposefully and effectively influence the consciousness, will, feelings and moods of people, significantly weakening the morale of the enemy, disorganizing his system of state and military administration.

In addition to traditional informational and psychological means, the arsenal of today's psychospheric weapons includes: psychotropic (drug) weapons (neuroleptics, psychedelics, drugs), psychotronic (technogenic and psychogenic effects on the brain), virtual and cybernetic (computer viruses that destroy software and information in databanks) weapons, as well as non-traditional types of psi-weapons (parapsychological, psychic, remote, magic, techno-magic). In the struggle to achieve superiority in the spiritual sphere, as a particularly promising and just beginning to develop, is the noospheric weapon. Using the latest techniques and hardware, this weapon allows you to influence the individual and collective consciousness through the information field of the planet. It is the possession of the technologies of psychospheric warfare that will become the decisive factor in achieving victory over the enemy.

One of the directions of the next revolution in military affairs is the development weapons of non-lethal (non-lethal) action. The essence of this weapon, which is created on the basis of a variety of chemical, biological, physical and other principles, is that it should minimize the loss of manpower and material assets of the enemy.

Some of its species cause mass diseases of people (often fatal), irreversible damage to the eyes and internal organs leading to lifelong disability.

Another feature of this weapon is a strong psychological impact on the enemy, not only at the time of use, but even just in anticipation of such use. Means of non-lethal effects are recommended to be used not only on the offensive or in defense, but also during special operations: to disable enemy control posts, rear facilities and communications. The same weapon is recommended as a police weapon in interethnic and other conflicts, to combat terrorism, smuggling, and drug trafficking.

In addition to biospheric, geospheric and psychospheric weapons, non-traditional weapons based on new physical principles include acoustic, beam,

electromagnetic, scalar, chemical and biological new generation, cyber weapons.

Acoustic weapons. One of the most promising types of non-lethal weapons is acoustic weapons. It covers three characteristic frequency ranges: the infrasonic region below 20 Hz (hertz), the audible region from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the ultrasonic region above 20 kHz. The object of influence is the human body, as well as radio-electronic means that operate on the principle of receiving and converting acoustic waves.

There are several main ways to use infrasonic weapons: infrasound generators operating with “directional beams” (combat sound guns), infrasonic “bombs” dropped on the enemy, as well as devices that form acoustic “bullets” emitted by large-diameter antennas. To generate infrasound, it is also possible to use jet engines equipped with resonators with sound reflectors.

In parallel with combat acoustic weapons, non-lethal acoustic weapons are being developed for installation with an adjustable frequency on helicopters, as well as acoustic beam weapons operating on the basis of a thermoacoustic resonator with a frequency of 20 to 340 Hz.

Ultrasonic weapons have specific capabilities. With short pulses, cavitation may result in the formation of bubbles and tissue micro-ruptures. This weapon allows you to disable the psyche and nervous system of a person, completely deprive a person of memory. It is used for remote zombification of a person, including covert.

Electromagnetic weapons include weapons in which a magnetic field is used to impart initial velocity to the projectile, or the energy of electromagnetic radiation is used directly to hit the target. Designed to deprive the enemy of combat capability without destroying him physically.

Pulse weapon. This is a kind of remote electric shocker. His task

- immobilize the enemy or disable equipment with an electric shock at a great distance. Such weapons, in particular, include a new type of indi-

visual weapons - tetanizers, or tetanizers, which make it possible to temporarily immobilize a person or animals at a distance of up to 100 m. In the future, the range of destruction of living objects is planned to be increased to two or more kilometers. Not only a powerful electrical impulse can be dangerous, but also an aiming laser beam. Safe on open skin, it can seriously damage the cornea of ​​the victim's eye.

Artificial lightning. Recently, a new variety of sabotage electromagnetic weapons has been emerging. It is designed to hit targets with artificially initiated lightning.

Electromagnetic ammunition. Work is underway to create and improve disposable EMP munitions based on cruise missiles and guided bombs. They are planned to be used not only as a means of the “first day of the war” (to paralyze air defense systems, control and communications), but also as a way to destroy security systems and access to bunkers where chemical and biological munitions are stored.

Radio frequency (microwave) weapons. American specialists consider generators of microwave oscillations to be one of the most promising types of electromagnetic weapons. Microwave radiation generators are designed for remote impact on large crowds of people. Microwave radiation can affect not only humans, but also equipment. Combat generators of microwave radiation installed in space or on aircraft can be used both to destroy space and air targets, and to destroy ground targets (weapon models, ammunition depots, fuel and lubricants). By concentrating a beam of millimeter (EHF) waves on such objects, it is possible to create a thermal clot sufficient to ignite combustible objects and explosives.

The damaging effect of a beam weapon is based on the use of sharply directed beams of electromagnetic energy or a concentrated beam of elementary particles accelerated to high speeds. Beam weapons can cause not only thermal effects, but also radiation damage. The main advantage of such weapons is the secrecy of their use (lack of external signs in the form of fire, smoke, sound), high accuracy, straightness of propagation, almost instantaneous achievement of the goal, since electromagnetic radiation propagates at the speed of light.

The main types of beam weapons are laser, x-ray, gamma-laser and beam (accelerator) weapons.

Laser weapons. Their principle of operation is based on the emission of electromagnetic waves in the optical range by a powerful quantum generator (laser). The energy emitted by a laser propagates in space in the form of a narrow beam with a high degree concentration. The damaging effect of a laser beam is based primarily on the effect of high-temperature heating. It causes melting and even evaporation of materials, burning fuel tanks, damaging electronics and supersensitive elements, blinding the organs of vision and causing thermal burns to a person.

Gamma laser weapons are still under development. Unlike conventional optical lasers, a gamma laser (grazer) does not generate light, but gamma rays, which are superior in power to X-rays. The principle of operation of gamma lasers is similar to lasers in the optical range, but their device is much more complicated.

X-ray weapon. Interest in X-ray weapons as a possible means of destroying manpower and equipment is quite large. First, the energy of X-ray radiation is hundreds and thousands of times greater than that of lasers in the optical range. Secondly, it is capable of penetrating through considerable thicknesses of various materials without being reflected from obstacles like laser beams.

Accelerator (beam) weapon. The damaging factor of accelerating weapons is a sharply directed beam of energy-saturated charged (electrons, protons) or neutral particles accelerated by a powerful generator to high speeds. To increase the damaging effect, it is supposed to inflict not single, but group strikes of 10-20 pulses each. A powerful flow of energy hits the target with a strong mechanical impact, as well as intense thermal effects. In doing so, it produces a brief x-ray emission. The objects of destruction can be hulls and electronic equipment of space vehicles, ballistic and cruise missiles, various systems military equipment. With the help of a powerful electron flow, it will be possible to cause a remote detonation of ammunition, to melt the nuclear charges of warheads. This weapon can also be used against manpower.

A variation of the accelerating weapon is the plasma weapon. Its main means of destruction is a clot of plasma - a plasmoid, which is a cloud of heated ionized gas. A typical example of a plasma cloud is ball lightning. Into an air duct preheated with a microwave or laser radiation, a special generator “throws” a high-temperature plasma bunch, which, at a speed of about one-fifth the speed of light, overtakes and hits the target. In case of a miss or absence of an obstacle on its way, the plasmoid dissipates without a trace in the air.

Today, intensive work is underway to create a new generation of weapons based on artificial proton decay (IPD). Fuel for this proton weapons any substance can serve. Only a quarter of a gram of it is capable of releasing energy equal to the explosion of 25,000 tons of TNT. This is more than the power of nuclear bombs dropped by the Americans on Japanese cities in 1945. Based on the IPR principle, the developers hope to create generators of any power and purpose: from individual combat emitters to strategic space systems with any accuracy of action. This will be a revolution in military technology: the power of IPR-based beam weapons theoretically has no limits.

Scalar weapons based on the use of multi-element translators, which make it possible to convert electromagnetic energy into the energy of a scalar wave, can also be attributed to a variety of electric weapons.

Non-traditional weapons include:

radiological weapons based on the use of military radioactive substances in the form of powders or solutions of substances;

thermal (thermal) weapons that use high-temperature incendiaries delivered to targets by high-precision weapons;

Graphite bombs equipped with conductive filaments made of a carbon-based composite material are effective for disabling power facilities. When hit on high-voltage lines, substations, these threads cause multiple short circuits, significant damage to equipment and fires;

heliophysical weapons that create a “plasma channel” in the atmosphere and stratosphere, through which destructive solar radiation penetrates to the Earth's surface;

cybernetic weapons that strike at the computer networks and information systems of the enemy with the help of malicious programs (viruses) and hacker attacks;

biological weapons of a new generation, which accelerate the destruction of structural and other materials (changes the structure of metals and alloys, rubbers, polymers, transforms fuels and lubricants into a jelly-like mass);

chemical weapons of a new generation that change the structure and properties of metals and alloys, change the combustion parameters, and also cause a decrease in the combat capability and mobility of manpower (super lubricants that turn highways, railroad tracks and runways into super slippery rollers; adhesive substances that instantly glue weapon parts and machine aggregates, synthetic foams with the highest stickiness, "superfog", which is an absolutely opaque aerosol, impenetrable to light and heat radiation and rendering powerless any optical devices and sights).

Biospheric weapons can be conditionally divided into two categories. The first can be attributed to environmental weapons. It is intended not so much to defeat a person, but to selectively influence the biological environment of his habitat - flora and fauna. The natural resources vital for humans, which it strikes, are very limited and practically non-renewable.

The second category is biological weapons. It directly or indirectly affects human physiology, disrupting its normal functioning. Modern varieties of biological weapons are genetic, ethnic and racial weapons.

Ecological weapons are considered the last word in the development of non-conventional weapons. It can cause truly catastrophic changes in the biosphere. Artificial soil erosion, the death of flora and fauna can not only leave the enemy without food, but also lead to a catastrophic change in his habitat. The chemical, incendiary and biological agents currently at the disposal of the military are capable of completely destroying the surface fertile soil layer and causing irreparable damage to flora and fauna over vast areas.

Genetic weapon. Today, this term is understood as substances of chemical or biological origin that can cause mutations (structural changes) in genes in the human body, accompanied by a violation of health or programmed behavior of people.

Ethnic weapons are defined today as weapons designed to defeat certain ethnic and racial groups of people through targeted chemical or biological effects on cells, tissues, organs, systems of the human body that have certain intraspecific group hereditary characteristics.

The danger of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and transgenic products lies not only in their possible “combat” programming, but also in the principles of the human genetic mechanism that have not been fully elucidated. Now

it is clear that the genes in the body of different ethnic groups interact with each other, and even more so with foreign genes.

The objects of influence of ethnic weapons can be animals, plants, soil microflora, specific to a particular region. In the organisms of people permanently residing in a certain territory, genetically determined biochemical features are inherited. They depend on climatic factors and habitual water, infectious conditions and especially on traditional food. Genetic modification of the soil, plants and animals used for food will definitely affect the health of local residents. Such "ethnic" impact on the environment is now seen as a weapon of sterilization (deprivation of the ability to bear children) and a means of genocide.

In geophysical (geospheric, ecological) weapons - weapons in which the object and means of influence is the natural (geophysical) environment: hydrosphere, lithosphere, surface layers of the atmosphere, ozonosphere, magnetosphere, ionosphere, near-Earth space.

They are trying to make weapons of mass destruction:

active processes in the earth's crust (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tectonic shifts);

fury of the water element (floods, tsunamis, storms, mudflows); atmospheric disasters (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, tornadoes, showers);

destructive cosmic radiation breaking through the ozone layer and burning biological life on the ground;

the general state of the climate in a certain area (droughts, frosts, soil erosion).

Depending on the environment in which geophysical processes take place, there are types of geospheric weapons:

lithospheric (tectonic) weapons (means of artificial initiation of destructive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other catastrophic processes in the earth's crust);

hydrospheric weapons (means of influencing the hydrosphere in order to release colossal water energy for destructive purposes);

meteorological (meteorological, weather, tropospheric) weapons (means of direct and indirect active influence on the lower layers of the Earth's atmosphere with the aim of causing damage to the enemy);

ozonospheric (ozone) weapons (means for destroying the protective ozone layer located in the stratosphere at altitudes from 10 to 50 km);

ionospheric and magnetospheric weapons (means of influence for military purposes on the local or global climate of the planet, on technical means and the mental state of people).

Lithospheric or tectonic (seismic, geological) weapons are based on the release of energy from the solid "shell" of our planet - the lithosphere. Its purpose is to artificially cause destructive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lithospheric plates and geological formations at any given point on the planet.

Hydrospheric weapons are based on the use of the colossal energy of the hydrosphere for military purposes. The most powerful damaging factors of these weapons are artificially initiated strong waves (such as tsunamis), underwater turbidity and

mudflows, gas hydrate eruptions and other hydrophysical phenomena. Artificial descent of mountain glaciers and snow avalanches, mudflows, breakthrough of dams, dams - this is also an arsenal of hydrospheric weapons.

Meteorological weapons are called differently: atmospheric, meteorological, meteospheric, weather. Its essence is the same - in a deliberate impact on the weather formation processes occurring in the lower part of the Earth's gaseous shell - the atmosphere. First of all, meteorological weapons, weather weapons are the most studied type of geophysical weapons today. Sometimes it is called climatic. Unlike climate weapons, weather weapons are much more localized and short-term. His sphere is atmospheric disasters: showers, tornadoes, tornadoes, typhoons. Influencing atmospheric processes, it can, although temporarily, but significantly affect agricultural production, the development of the economic and political situation in the country against which it is applied. The zone of "responsibility" of climate weapons is larger - the general state of the climate in a certain area, the organization of droughts, prolonged cooling, - long-term and in large areas of soil erosion.

The next use of meteorological weapons is to change the transparency of the atmosphere in the combat area. By creating poor visibility, you can hide the redeployment of your troops from the enemy. The creation of fog or high clouds over one's positions significantly weakens the capabilities of the enemy's satellite, aviation, and optical reconnaissance. This improves the possibility of sudden strikes, as well as the conditions for covert penetration into the camp of the enemy by their sabotage and reconnaissance groups.

Ozone weapon. The destruction of the ozone layer over its territory can also have a serious and long-term impact on the enemy. Local depletion of the ozonosphere will upset the heat balance in the attacked territory. This is dangerous for areas of unstable, critical agriculture. Any change in temperature

"controlled" by ozone, will lead to disruption of seasonal cycles of vegetation, waterlogging of the area or - to the onset of deserts.

Ionospheric weapons have become the largest in terms of geography of application and global consequences. And the most inhuman in its ruthlessness and cruelty of all that mankind has used in its history. The weapon itself, in the usual sense of the word, begins to disappear - the Earth itself becomes a weapon.

Magnetosphere weapons. Like natural plasmoids in the ionosphere, it is proposed to create "combat plasmoids" in the nodes of the magnetosphere tension, forming in them the so-called "magnetospheric lenses". Thanks to a special “pumping”, it seems possible to significantly increase the directed magnetodynamic stresses in these nodes, to cause “directed magnetic storms» with everyone negative consequences amplified many times over. External (solar and cosmic) energy will begin to whip the breakdown into the “combat plasmoid” formed in place. Neither the ionosphere nor the atmosphere can withstand such a gigantic flow, and the destructive sunny wind reaches the surface of the earth. This will be the "apocalyptic" weapon.

3.2. Means of non-lethal destruction of people25

A non-lethal weapon, or non-lethal weapon, is a weapon that, in normal use, should not cause death or serious injury to those against whom it is directed. The main purpose of using such weapons is to neutralize, not defeat, the enemy; damage to the health and physical condition of people should be minimized.

Weapons of non-lethal (non-lethal) action, conditionally called “humane” in the media, are designed to temporarily incapacitate the enemy’s manpower, without causing permanent damage to people’s health.

This category includes an extensive complex of mechanical, chemical, electrical and light-sound devices used by law enforcement agencies and special services to provide psychophysical, traumatic and restraining effects on the offender, temporarily incapacitate him, as well as army special forces - to capture the enemy alive .

The use of non-lethal weapons is designed to minimize the possibility of unintentional casualties. It is impossible to completely exclude this, but such cases are extremely rare. The most typical causes that can lead to the death of a person when using non-lethal weapons are accidental shots, ricochets, inept handling of weapons and their illegal use, as well as the presence of hidden medical problems in the victim.

Since different parts of the human body differ in their degree of vulnerability, and people themselves differ in physical condition, any weapon that can incapacitate is likely to be capable of becoming a murder weapon under certain circumstances. The use of plastic, rubber bullets and other “non-lethal” ammunition can cause contusions, rib fractures, brain concussion, loss of eyes, superficial damage to various organs and skin, skull damage, ruptures of the heart, kidneys, liver, internal hemorrhages, and even of death.

Traumatic cartridges with rubber or plastic bullets intended for use in police or military firearms.

Traumatic weapons specially designed for firing traumatic ammunition: for example, OSA and Makarych pistols.

Water cannons are devices that have a physical impact with jets of water under high pressure. As a rule, they do not cause any serious injuries, but they can cause hypothermia, and at sub-zero temperatures, frostbite, including death. They can be built on the basis of improvised means (in particular, fire hoses). They are one of the most common and popular means of riot control.

Tear gas, "stink" charge, pepper gas, psychotropic poisonous substances - chemical substances, causing irritation of the organs of perception (lacrimation, pain, “ringing in the ears”), respiratory organs (cough, suffocation), skin (burning, inflammation), nervous system and psyche (hallucinations, loss of consciousness, feeling of horror and fear, panic) making it impossible to continue conscious activity in the area of ​​influence. Depending on the properties of the mixture, it can be

25 Mukhin V.I. Dept. 31 "Information systems and technologies"

hay to chemical weapons banned by the UN. These weapons can be used remotely, either as special shotgun cartridges or as stand-alone weapons such as the FN 303 (non-lethal self-loading pneumatic weapon developed by Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal; FN 303 charges are destroyed on impact, thus thereby eliminating the risk of penetrating injury).

Sonic weapons - the principle of operation is based on the emission of sound and infrasonic waves of certain frequencies. A representative of this type of weapon can be considered LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device). Developed by the American company American Technology Corporation for use by the military and police. This sonic cannon is capable of transmitting clear warnings over many hundreds of meters, increasing the volume of the transmitted commands to an unbearable level, and thus influencing the behavior of the crowd, the commands of enemy ships, groups of terrorists in buildings, etc. Also, the so-called . shooting megaphone - outwardly really resembles a megaphone, inside which a person can enter. Powerful pulses with a frequency of 2 to 3 thousand hertz, a power of 150 decibels. A sound of this magnitude could well produce permanent hearing damage. People who are close to this gun lose their temper, fear, dizziness, and nausea appear. At a close distance - a mental disorder, the destruction of internal organs. Used to disperse the crowd, cause panic in military units, protecting objects from strangers.

A microwave weapon disrupts the functioning of the brain and central nervous system, a person hears non-existent noise and whistle. One of the representatives of this type of weapon - Active Denial System (Active Rejection System) was developed for the American army and is a powerful microwave emitter. The ADS device emits directed energy in the millimeter wave range, which has a short-term shock effect on people at a distance of up to 500 m. affected areas (the so-called "Goodbye effect").

Light-noise ammunition - made on the basis of burning pyrotechnics.

Thermal gun - in seconds heats the body to a temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius; the person against whom this weapon was used experiences an unbearable burning sensation and a desire to run away

Foam gun - a device that shoots a special fast-hardening and enveloping foam; soldiers quickly lose not only mobility, but also hearing and vision.

Viscous/slippery polymers are substances that during polymerization form a viscous or, conversely, very slippery film on the surface of objects.

Laser - its pulses disorient the enemy and lead to temporary blindness. The use of lasers as a weapon designed to cause permanent blindness is prohibited by the UN.

3.3. Information and psychological weapons26

The essence and content of the concept of "non-traditional means of warfare"

We live in a world of systems - biological, social, physical, cybernetic, organizational, ecological, social, etc.

The central link in any complex system is the control mechanism. Management in human society is understood as a method of influence that encourages people to orderly behavior, to perform the required actions.

actions, to the observance (violation) of socio-economic laws.

The goal of management is to force an individual, team or society to perform external, i.e. a task or programs set by someone. K. Blakemore in the book "Mechanics of the Mind" wrote that "the dream of every tyrant leader or good prophet (democrat or totalitarian) is to streamline the behavior of his people."

Information management is understood as such management when the control action is informational in nature, i.e. the subject of management is given an information picture, focusing on which, he chooses a line of behavior.

A significant increase in the role of information management is due to the following circumstances:

firstly, the features of the influence of information and control influences on the basis and superstructure of society are studied. The result was the installation of the possibility of changing social order not through a change in its basis, but through a superstructure by the forces of the intelligentsia, which commits the so-called "molecular" aggression in the consciousness of society and destroys its old cultural core.

The essence of the installation is as follows:

information and control impact should not be carried out in the forehead. Not storming the basis of society, but through the superstructure, committing "molecular aggression" in the mind and destroying the "cultural core" of society.

A. Gramsci wrote: “If you confuse people, undermine cultural foundations - take everyone lukewarm, redistribute property and power as you like”;

secondly, they have reached a high level of knowledge about the impact of information on a person and society;

thirdly, there was a need to be able to influence the behavior of the masses. Management of people and society pursues different goals depending on the goals of the ruling elite, on the state of society and the state. The following modes of information management in the state (society) can be distinguished:

purposeful change in the social system;

ensuring survival in critical situations (war, crisis, major natural disaster) and recovery steady state;

stabilization and correction of the main indicators (parameters) of the life of society in the normal course of events;

transition, rather smooth, to a new state when the possibilities of existence in the previous state are exhausted;

fourthly, the role of technical means in the production and transmission of information has increased.

Modern civilization was created by the printing press, which made information the property of many, and reading a creative process.

Recently, weapons based on the so-called "new physical principles" have been heard. The term has already been used in their speeches even by the first persons of the country - the President and the Minister of Defense. "Defend Russia" decided to find out what ONFP is and what types of it are.

In general terms, these are weapons based on physical processes and phenomena that have not previously been used in conventional weapons - edged weapons, firearms or weapons of mass destruction - nuclear, chemical, biological.

The concept of NFP is rather conditional, since all these principles are well known. New is only their use in the creation of military equipment. It would be much more accurate to use the term " unconventional weapons».

So, what are the types of this mind-boggling “weapon of the future”? Note that the list below is not complete.

Directed Energy Weapon

This type of weapon already exists and is used in test mode. It operates on the basis of the concentration of beam energy, a weapon that radiates energy in a given direction without the use of wires, darts and other conductors, to achieve a lethal or non-lethal effect. I would like to single out one type of weapon with directed energy - this is a laser weapon. When used, its rays propagate at the speed of light, so many factors fade into the background. Such a weapon cannot be dodged, it still hits right on target.

Electromagnetic weapons

Its principle of operation is based on electromagnetic radiation, which affects the vulnerable components of combat electronics and weapons. To give initial speed The projectile uses a magnetic field, or the energy of electromagnetic radiation, which is used directly to hit the target. Most often, the object of destruction of this type of weapon becomes: household radio stations, Cell Phones, tablets, laptops, radiomines and mines with electronic fuses, including traditional amateur radio devices for terrorist and sabotage actions. Also, there are already means of protection against EMP. One of them is the famous "Faraday cage" that interferes with electromagnetic weapons beyond their frequencies. Also, as a means of protection, they use: blocking the input of a part of the energy of an electromagnetic pulse, suppression of induction currents inside electrical circuits by quickly opening them.

Weapons of non-lethal action

Or, as the media call it, "humane": its main task is to influence people and military equipment, depriving them of their combat capability for a certain time, while causing them minimal damage to health. It is divided into such categories as: mechanical, chemical, electrical and light-sound devices, which are most often used by law enforcement agencies and special services to provide psychophysical, traumatic and deterrent effects on offenders, temporarily incapacitating them, as well as army special forces - to capture the enemy alive .

Boost weapon

The basic principle of its operation is the transfer of energy to the striking element, which provides acceleration of one type or another. In such a weapon, the accelerator accelerates a beam of elementary particles or plasma, which leads to a shot at the target. A feature of this type of weapon can be considered that it can be used both in the atmosphere and outside it, that is, in outer space. A striking example of this type of weapon is the electromagnetic catapult.

infrasonic weapons

The basic principle of its operation is the use of low frequency acoustic waves. Its effect on people depends on the strength of the infrasonic wave. It has been documented to cause the subject to feel fear, dread, or panic. The most dangerous is the appearance of psychosis, which later can develop into somatic disorders, and end in death. At a meeting with permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev announced that in wars in the near future, infrasonic weapons would be widely used.

Geophysical or seismic weapons

It is aimed at managing the hydrosphere, lithosphere, ozonosphere, magnetosphere, and ionosphere. Thus, forming destructive cataclysms such as: earthquakes, tectonic movements and faults, volcanic eruptions and secondary catastrophes caused by them in the form of a tsunami.

climate weapon

A type of geophysical weapon based on changes in the meteorological situation in the atmosphere, both on a single territory, country, and on entire states, continents, continents. The principle of operation of this weapon is that there is a huge concentration in one place of a large accumulation of energy, which subsequently affects the natural course of synoptic processes over a vast territory. In order for the weapon to work, the accumulated energy must be no less than the energy that the synoptic formation itself possesses.

Ozone weapon

It is an alleged type of geophysical weapon. Its main tasks are: to significantly change the living conditions of organic life in certain geographical areas, creating favorable conditions so that nothing interferes with the penetration of hard solar radiation through the atmosphere. The means of delivery can be selected space vehicles, balloons, rocket systems, artillery or rockets. Spraying can be carried out by explosion or special sprayers. Its main features are: an accurate understanding of the height and coordinates of the area where chemical reagents are sprayed, associating it with the time of day, season of the year, and factors that affect the state.

genetic weapons

It is also customary to call it an ethnic weapon. It is a kind of analogue of biological weapons, which are aimed at selective destruction of people: by nationality, gender or other genetically determined traits. Its action lies in the fact that the attack occurs precisely on those pathogenic microorganisms that will be laid. These can be men of the same nation, whose body has its own specific genetic differences. Or the attack can take place on a whole layer of the nation. Due to the fact that the pathogenic effect has been enhanced, all the drugs that existed before the appearance of the genetic weapon may be powerless in the fight against it.