Electronic Weapons: December 18, 2001

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Russia's state arms export company Rosoboronexport has asked for international partners to help it develop and market non-lethal weapons. They have shown several systems (or ideas for systems) at arms expositions. One of these is the Ranets-E mobile microwave radiation system. They claim that Ranets-E can disable precision-guided weapons within 10 kilometers by disabling their electronics. Stationary and mobile versions exist. It produces 500 megawatt outbursts in the centimeter band which last only 10-20 nano seconds. The Rosa-E airborne high-potential jammer consumes 100 kilowatts of power from the aircraft and emits a signal of 10 kilowatts. This can jam radars at ranges up to 500 kilometers. Rosoboronexport has named tough terms. Any country wanting these systems must specify its requirements, pay for new research to meet those requirements, and pay for the original research on the system.--Stephen V Cole