Hi everybody!

EMP weapons are becoming very easy to manufacture. I don't think to old-fashioned nuclear explosions in the outer atmosphere, but to short (few ns) electric discharges (several J, couple of GW) fed in an antenna.

Such weapons have been around for years. My guess is that every armed force and secret service has (and uses) some. The technology is easy enough (see: spark gaps, Marx generator, Blumlein) that good hobbyists can build effective ones at home. It is being proposed for police to stop cars by disrupting electric circuits, among other stupid ideas.

Example of "performance" of such weapons is: destroy every unprotected equipment within 100m, disrupt its service within 300m, destroy silicon chips within 30m even if they aren't connected to long wires. The weapon fits in a suitcase.

Now, imagine the impact on an airplane at landing or takeoff: bad.

The recent incident at Heathrow (777 losing all power and crashing) was just an incentive to think at it. I've no good reason to believe this is the explanation.

However, as this risk is very real, and as protecting existing equipment against EMP is difficult, I suggest to plane engineers to take measures right at the development time of the plane and equipment.