HiJENKS weapons are capable of “frying” enemy vehicles like a microwave.
The US Air Force recently tested a new weapon not designed to kill people or destroy buildings. The device, called “High-Power Cooperative Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Impact Weapon”, HiJENKS, is designed to purposefully destroy electronics, according to popsci.com.
HiJENKS is the “successor” of CHAMP’s advanced super-powerful microwave rocket. Both weapon models were designed to disable electronics without the use of physical force, such as an explosion or the kinetic force of an impact. To put it simply, HiJENKS “roasts” electronics with pulsed bursts of microwave energy, due to which it disables “smart” weapons.
The publication reports that HiJENKS can be launched using a bomber, mounted on a cruise missile, but it can also be equipped with UAVs – the platform for the gun has not yet been finally selected. The military will select the best option as a platform after testing, said Geoffrey Heggemeyer, head of AFRL’s Electromagnetics Division.
“HIJENKS should be the solution to the operational problems that the CHAMP development team once faced,” wrote Jack McGonegal of the Air Force. “The claimed innovations most likely involve a reduction in the size and weight of the [powerful microwave emitter] payload while increasing the maximum power.”
No matter how the HiJENKS project develops, risks cannot be avoided. For example, the enemy will not be able to determine whether a missile is fired at him – “lethal” or not, and in any case will take action as if he was attacked by a “normal” missile.
“In combat, such weapons may not matter much at all. Military and politicians hope that non-kinetic weapons such as HiJENKS can enhance their capabilities during armed conflicts, but they will still be perceived as a common threat,” writes the media.
