What applies to modern types of omp. Information weapon. Damaging factors of nuclear weapons

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) - weapons of great lethality, designed to inflict mass casualties and destruction. The existing types of WMD include nuclear, chemical, biological (bacteriological) weapons.

Nuclear - it is such a weapon, the damaging effect of which is due to the energy released during nuclear fission or fusion reactions. These weapons include various nuclear weapons, their control and delivery to the target.

The damaging effect of a nuclear explosion depends on the power of the ammunition, the type of explosion, and the type of nuclear charge.

Nuclear explosions are of the following types: ground, underground, underwater, air and high-altitude. The most characteristic are ground and air.

ground nuclear explosion - an explosion produced on the surface of the earth or at such a height when its luminous area touches the surface of the earth and has the shape of a hemisphere or a truncated sphere. During a ground explosion, a funnel is formed in the ground, the diameter of which depends on the height, power of the explosion and the type of soil.

air called a nuclear explosion in which the luminous area does not touch the surface of the earth and has the shape of a sphere.

The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion are: shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation and electromagnetic pulse.

shock wave of a nuclear explosion, having a large supply of energy, is capable of inflicting injuries on people, destroying various structures, military equipment and other objects at considerable distances from the place of the explosion.

The area affected by a shock wave in a nuclear explosion is much larger than in the explosion of a conventional munition.

A nuclear explosion is understood as electromagnetic radiation, which includes the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. Its source is the glowing area of ​​the explosion. Light radiation affects people, affects buildings, structures, equipment and forests, causing fires.

penetrating radiation nuclear explosion is called the flow of gamma radiation and neutrons emanating from the zone and cloud of a nuclear explosion. Sources of penetrating radiation are nuclear reactions occurring in the munition at the time of the explosion, and radioactive decay of fission fragments (products) in the explosion cloud.

Radioactive contamination occurs as a result of sedimentation from the explosion cloud of radioactive dust containing fission products of uranium (plutonium) nuclei and unreacted nuclear fuel. In the area of ​​the explosion, it is also formed when neutrons emitted from the fireball act on the ground (induced radioactivity).

The area is considered contaminated and protective equipment is required if the radiation level measured at a height of 0.7 - 1 m from the earth's surface is 0.5 rad / h or more.

Penetrating radiation is one of the main damaging factors of a neutron munition, which is usually called ultra-low and low-yield thermonuclear munitions, i.e. having a TNT equivalent of up to 10 thousand tons.

In terms of the damaging effect of penetrating radiation on people, an explosion of a neutron munition of 1 thousand tons is equivalent to an explosion of an atomic munition with a capacity of 10-12 thousand tons.

Nuclear explosions in the atmosphere produce powerful electromagnetic fields with wavelengths from 1 to 1000 m or more. Due to the short duration of the existence of such fields, they are usually called an electromagnetic pulse (EMP).

The destructive effect of EMP due to the occurrence of electrical voltages and currents in the wires and cables of overhead and underground communication lines, signaling, power lines, in the antennas of radio stations.

Simultaneously with EMP, radio waves arise that propagate over long distances from the center of the explosion; they are perceived by radio equipment as interference.

Chemical weapon - its damaging effect is based on the use of the toxic properties of certain chemicals. Chemical weapons include chemical warfare agents (CW) and means of their use.

The territory that has been directly affected by chemical weapons, and the territory over which a cloud of contaminated air spreads in damaging concentrations, is called the zone of chemical contamination.

According to the effect on the human body, agents are divided into nerve-paralytic, blistering, general poisonous, suffocating, psychochemical, lachrymal and irritating.

Nerve agents (sarin, soman , VX gases) are the most dangerous. Their resistance in the summer is more than a day, in the winter for several weeks and even months. Signs of damage are: salivation, constriction of the pupils (miosis), difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, paralysis.

In case of damage to the dermal blister agents ( mustard gas , lewisite) after 2-5 hours of the latent period, redness, slight swelling, itching and burning sensation appear on the skin. After 18-23 hours, bubbles form, which then merge into large bubbles. Subsequently, in place of the blisters, ulcers that do not heal for a long time are formed.

Common toxic agents include hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride. With a lightning-fast form of damage to hydrocyanic acid, death can occur almost instantly. With a delayed form, the smell of bitter almonds is first felt, a bitter metallic taste in the mouth, then there is a decrease in sensitivity (numbness) of the oral mucosa, throat irritation, nausea, headache, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, convulsions. There is a depression, a feeling of fear and loss of consciousness. Then comes the loss of sensitivity, a sharp violation of breathing and its stop.

OV suffocating action (phosgene , diphosgene) have a latent period of action lasting 5-8 hours. In case of poisoning with these agents, cyanosis of the skin and shortness of breath, cough, and pulmonary edema develop. Then comes a complete disorder of breathing, a decline in cardiac activity and death in the first two days from pulmonary edema.

Psychochemical agents include chemical compounds that temporarily incapacitate people, such as BZ ( B-Z) and lysergic acid diethylamide ( DLK). In case of poisoning with these agents, a state of euphoria occurs in the affected. Then the coordination of movement is disturbed, muscle weakness appears. In the future, signs of damage to the central nervous system increase. Affected with difficulty orient themselves in time and place of stay. A sharp motor excitation, anxiety, anxiety, fear, visual and auditory hallucinations develop. Duration of toxic action - from several hours to days.

Tear agents (chloropicrin and chloroacetophenone) cause burning, stinging in the eyes, severe watering, photophobia, spasm (constriction) and swelling of the eyelids. In severe poisoning, eye irritation increases and signs of damage to the upper respiratory tract appear: burning in the throat and chest, cough, runny nose. There is nausea, headache, vomiting.

In case of poisoning with irritating agents (adamsite, chemical compounds CS and CR) there is sneezing, burning in the nose and nasopharynx, discharge of mucus from the nose, lacrimation, salivation, coughing, motor and mental disorders develop, muscle weakness, and impaired coordination of movements.

Depending on the duration of the preservation of the damaging ability, the agents are divided into persistent and unstable. Persistent agents retain their damaging effect for up to several days and even weeks. Typical representatives of persistent agents are VX gases, soman, mustard gas.

Bacteriological (biological) weapons is a means of mass destruction of people, farm animals and plants. Its action is based on the use of the pathogenic properties of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi, and toxins produced by some bacteria). As bacterial agents, pathogens of various infectious diseases can be used: plague, anthrax, brucellosis , sapa , cholera , tularemia, yellow and other types of fever, spring-summer encephalitis, typhus and typhoid fever, influenza, malaria, dysentery, smallpox, etc.

In the conditions of the rapid development of science and technology, it is possible that new types of weapons of mass destruction based on currently unknown principles will appear in the arsenals of the means of armed struggle of foreign armies.

The main mistake people make is that
they fear today more than tomorrow.
Carl von Clausewitz

General information about new types of weapons of mass destruction

CONSIDERING the centuries-old history of mankind from a certain angle, it should be recognized that this is a kind of history of wars and armaments. Each era of world civilization is characterized by the corresponding types of weapons. This was determined primarily by the fact that, as a rule, their participants tried to resolve political, economic, ethnic, confessional contradictions by military force. The acceleration of the process of improving weapons has become especially noticeable in the last two centuries, when the combat properties of weapons, their destructive effect began to be determined by the achieved level of science, the results of scientific research, the emergence of new technologies and materials. This, in turn, naturally determined the corresponding changes in the forms and methods of armed struggle that arose and developed in the course of combat operations. In the 20th century, fundamentally new types of weapons - chemical, biological, nuclear, capable of inflicting mass destruction - entered the world arena.

The entry of mankind into the third millennium is marked by the aggravation of an increasingly urgent problem: what is the future fate of world civilization? How to avoid the appearance of severe cataclysms that can put humanity in front of the threat of losing its immortality? Understanding the reality of the threat of grave consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) initiated a broad movement in the world for the prohibition and complete destruction of all existing types of it. Real steps have been taken along this difficult path. In 1975, the Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons and the Destruction of All Stockpiles came into force. In 1977, the world community adopted a similar convention on chemical weapons. A number of Russian (Soviet)-American agreements on the limitation and reduction of nuclear weapons were signed, and a whole class of nuclear weapons - medium-range missiles - was completely eliminated. The world community, concerned about the threat of natural disasters, in 1977 adopted the Convention on the Prohibition of Military and Any Other Hostile Use of Means of Influencing the Natural Environment.

At the same time, the concern of the world community is caused by the continuing deep contradictions due to the different levels of economic development of countries, the intensification of the struggle for sources of raw materials and energy carriers, and in the near future for drinking water supplies, and ensuring environmental safety. Therefore, the question of which paths the further development of the means of armed struggle will take is very topical. What types of weapons can fill the vacuum that will inevitably form after the elimination of the currently existing types of WMD? Scientists and military experts point out that in the near future we should expect the emergence of qualitatively new types and systems of weapons, including weapons of mass destruction. According to them, already now it is possible to predict the creation of some new types of weapons, which may be based on already known scientific and technical ideas. This is largely facilitated by the fact that until now there are no international treaties and agreements prohibiting the development and production of new types of WMD, while the need to put a reliable barrier to their creation and distribution is becoming more and more obvious.

Understanding the emerging danger initiated the speech of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR at the 30th session of the UN General Assembly in September 1975 with a proposal that the states of the world community conclude an agreement, the basis of which would be the obligation not to develop or produce new types and new systems of weapons of mass destruction and do not encourage any activity aimed at this. The USSR submitted to the UN General Assembly a draft agreement on the prohibition of the development and production of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons.

In this regard, the need for a common understanding of the essence and legal definition of the new terminology has become obvious. In the development of these provisions, the USSR in the spring of 1976 presented a preliminary draft definition of the concept of new types of WMD: "New types of weapons of mass destruction include those types of weapons that are based on qualitatively new principles of operation and whose effectiveness can be commensurate with traditional types of weapons of mass destruction or exceed them". However, during this period, the attention of the world community was riveted to the threat posed by the nuclear and chemical arms race, the huge stockpiles of which weakened peace stability and international security, and the new problem did not receive the necessary response from the world community, although its discussion continued in the UN Disarmament Committee.

Since practically all hypothetical types of WMD will be based on dual-use technologies, this situation significantly complicates the problem of their identification, control over development and production, and makes it difficult to reach an agreement on their prohibition. Apparently, in each specific case, it is necessary to develop a wording that characterizes a given combat weapon and correlate it with the general definition of WMD. This ratio should not contain internal contradictions. The concept of "scale of destruction", which is the basis for the definition of WMD, is very closely related to the concept of "scale of use". It is known that during the Anglo-American air raid on Dresden during World War II, tens of thousands of people were killed, which is comparable to the results of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this case, the scale of the use of conventional weapons determined the scale of destruction characteristic of WMD. Such a classification makes it possible to estimate the approximate scale of destruction when using one or another type of weapon and, consequently, the achievement of certain tasks in the conduct of hostilities - strategic, operational-tactical or tactical. The higher the level of tasks to be solved, the more grounds for classifying this type of weapon as WMD.

Decades would pass, and speaking in the fall of 2006 at MGIMO, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov acknowledged with alarm: "The arms race is reaching a new level, there is a threat of the emergence of new types of weapons." It must be assumed that this statement was initiated by the emergence of information about the development of new weapons capable of destroying strategic stability in the world and undermining the system of international security. The use of new types of WMD and even the threat of their use will be aimed primarily at achieving the most important political and economic goals, possibly even without direct contact between the troops of the opposing sides and without conducting hostilities in their traditional sense. This may lead to the abandonment of armed clashes of large armies, the physical destruction of people directly on the battlefield. They can be replaced by slow-acting agents that will have a covert (latent) damaging effect on the human body, gradually destroy its vitality, undermine the life support system, protection against meteorological and infectious factors, thus leading to its gradual death or long-term failure .

As already mentioned, fundamentally new types of modern weapons appear on the basis of the results of fundamental scientific research and the emergence of new technologies. This is the objective nature of the potential for the emergence of new types of weapons, since it is impossible to stop the progressive development of science, and its consequences can be tragic. Winston Churchill once warned about this: "The Stone Age can return on the shining wings of science." It is relatively easy to predict the possibility of the emergence of new types of weapons based on already known scientific principles, but which have not yet received their practical implementation, but it is practically impossible to foresee the appearance of a weapon in advance, the idea of ​​which does not exist today or is extremely uncertain. At the same time, experts warn that the emergence of new weapons will naturally have a profound impact on the methods and methods of waging war, on determining its ultimate goals, and on the very content of the concept of "victory." When he was Minister of Defense, Marshal of Russia Igor Sergeyev pointed out: "The appearance of weapons based on new physical principles, especially at the strategic and operational levels, means another qualitative leap in changing the content and developing the forms and methods of armed struggle."

One of the main goals of resolving the conflict in the future may be the impact with the help of certain types of weapons on the psychology of the enemy: individual, collective, mass, the destruction of public and state institutions, provoking riots, the collapse of the state, the degradation of society. To achieve victory in these conditions, it will be necessary to know not only the enemy’s armed forces, but also the features of its state-political system, the mechanism for making military-political decisions, the peculiarities of thinking, culture, the reaction to a possible development of events of state and military leaders, their impact on the mentality population. This creates the fundamental possibility of a transition from direct confrontation between armies and attempts to quickly destroy the enemy's manpower and population to methods of covert warfare. A certain selectivity of the impact of certain types of such weapons can allow the attacking side to practically eliminate the losses of its troops and at the same time ensure the targeted incapacitation of enemy manpower while maintaining material values, structures, and engineering facilities. The results of the use of some types of weapons of the future may appear after a rather long time after exposure, calculated in months and even years, when the cause-and-effect relationships are lost.

Historical experience shows that serious efforts to ban one or another type of weapon that causes mass casualties or great suffering to people were undertaken only after it was used for military purposes and the world community saw for itself what dire consequences this led to. Thus came the epiphany regarding the need to ban chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. However, the use of such a method of "trial and error" in relation to new types of WMD at the present time, and even more so in the future, is fraught with far-reaching grave consequences, possibly of an irreversible nature. Therefore, the world community is now facing a very difficult, but extremely urgent task to prevent the development and production of new systems of weapons of mass destruction. The urgency of solving this problem is also explained by the fact that international legal legislation, both in the past and at present, lags behind the pace of weapon improvement. But even in those cases where international legal restrictions and prohibitions on certain types of weapons and their use had already been developed, as a rule, there was no reliable mechanism for monitoring the implementation of these prohibitions.

In the coming decades, it is possible to expect the emergence of new types of weapons of mass destruction, the scientific and technical ideas of which are already known today, and some of them are already being developed. These include the following types of weapons:

• geophysical;
• laser;
• genetic;
• ethnic;
• beam;
• radiofrequency;
• acoustic;
• based on the annihilation of particles and antiparticles;
• dropping an asteroid from orbit;
• informational;
• psychotronic.

There is no doubt that as the natural sciences develop and fundamental discoveries appear, fundamentally new ideas will appear in them, on the basis of which new types of weapons can be created. Numerous evidence of the appearance of "unidentified flying objects" (UFOs) show that in this case we are dealing with such types of energy that cannot be scientifically explained from the standpoint of modern science. At the same time, it is not excluded that as scientific and technological progress accelerates, mankind can gradually master these types of energy, which, in turn, can be used for military purposes5.

Brief description of possible types of WMD, the scientific and technical foundations of which are currently known

Geophysical weapons

SCIENTISTS PAY attention to the danger associated with the possibility of creating a "geophysical weapon", which is based on the use of means that cause natural disasters (earthquakes, rainstorms, tsunamis, etc.), the destruction of the ozone layer of the atmosphere, which protects the animal and plant world from destructive radiation from the sun. Geophysical weapons are based on the use of means of influence for military purposes on the processes occurring in the solid, liquid and gaseous shells of the Earth. In this case, the states of unstable equilibrium are of particular interest, when a relatively small "push" can cause catastrophic consequences and the impact on the enemy of huge destructive forces of nature ("trigger effect"). Of particular importance for the use of such means is the atmospheric layer with a height of 10 to 60 kilometers. According to the nature of the impact, geophysical weapons are divided into meteorological, ozone and climatic.

Weather weapon

IN THE NORTH OF ALASKA, 320 km from Anchorage, at the foot of the mountains, there is a whole forest of 24-meter antennas, which involuntarily attract attention from environmentalists and meteorologists. The official name of the project is "High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program" (HAARP) - High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program. According to official statements, this project is designed to study ways to improve radio communications. At the same time, a number of prominent scientists believe that work is underway there for military purposes under the leadership of the Pentagon. In particular, scientists believe that with the help of directional antennas, directed beams of high-frequency radio waves are "shot" into the ionosphere, which heat up the ionosphere at high altitudes, up to the formation of plasma. This causes energy instability of the ionosphere, which changes the wind pattern, creates unpredictable cataclysms: tsunamis, thunderstorms, floods, snowfalls.

The most studied effect of such weapons is the provocation of downpours in certain areas. For this, in particular, scattering of silver iodide or lead iodide in rain clouds was used. The purpose of these actions may be to impede the movement of troops, especially heavy equipment and weapons, the formation of floods and the flooding of large areas. Meteorological aids may also be used to disperse clouds in a suspected bombing area to provide targeting, especially against point targets. A cloud of several thousand cubic kilometers in size, carrying energy reserves of the order of a million kilowatt-hours, can be in such an unstable state that about 1 kilogram of silver iodide is enough to change it dramatically. Several aircraft using hundreds of kilograms of this substance are able to disperse clouds over an area of ​​several thousand square kilometers, causing heavy rainfall. For this purpose, the United States, already during the Vietnam War, used the dispersion of silver iodide in rain clouds to create floods, flood vast territories, and break through protective dams.

Work on the creation of meteorological weapons has a long history. Soon after the end of the Second World War in the United States, intensive research began to study the processes occurring in the atmosphere under the influence of external influences: "Skyfire" (the possibility of lightning formation), "Prime Argus" (methods of causing earthquakes), "Stormfury" (hurricane control) . The results of this work were not widely reported, but it is known that in 1961, American scientists conducted an experiment on throwing more than 350 thousand two-centimeter copper needles into the atmosphere, which changed the heat balance of the ionosphere.

It is believed that it was because of this that an earthquake of 8.5 magnitude occurred in Alaska, and part of the coast of Chile slipped into the ocean. A sharp change in the thermal processes occurring in the atmosphere can cause the formation of powerful tsunamis. The danger that coastal tsunamis can pose is illustrated by the tragedy that unfolded in the states of New Orleans and Louisiana, which were hit by the Katrina tsunami in September 2005. It was a natural disaster, but scientists do not exclude the possibility of creating an equally destructive tsunami near enemy territory by detonating a powerful thermonuclear charge in the ocean at a depth of hundreds of meters. In August 2002, a group of State Duma deputies, alarmed by the growing threat of the emergence of new types of WMD, addressed the President of Russia V.V. In their opinion, "one of the fundamental international legal acts should be the Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Means of Impact on the Environment of May 18, 1977, which should be applied to conducted and planned experiments as having a military orientation."

climate weapon

CLIMATE WEAPONS are considered as a kind of geophysical weapon, since climate change occurs as a result of interference with the global processes of weather formation occurring in the Earth's atmosphere. The purpose of using such weapons may be to reduce agricultural production on the territory of a potential enemy, worsen the food supply to its population, disrupt the implementation of socio-economic programs, which ultimately should lead to the destruction of political and economic structures. As a result of external influence, the desired political and economic changes can be achieved in this country without unleashing a war in the traditional sense. Some experts believe that a drop of just one degree in the average annual temperature in the mid-latitude region, where the bulk of grain is produced, can have catastrophic consequences. In carrying out large-scale extermination wars for fertile territories with the help of climatic weapons, mass losses of the population of large regions can be caused. However, given the deep interrelation of climatic processes taking place in different parts of the world, the use of climate weapons will be poorly controlled, which can cause significant damage to neighboring countries, including the country that uses it.

Ozone weapon

AS KNOWN, the ozone layer of the atmosphere is in dynamic equilibrium with the environment, which involves the formation of ozone from molecular oxygen under the action of solar radiation and its decomposition under the influence of various factors associated with human activities: the release of industrial gases into the atmosphere, vehicle exhausts, nuclear tests in the atmosphere, release of nitrogen oxides from mineral fertilizers and chlorofluorocarbons (freons) from various cooling and air conditioning systems. This shows that the ozone layer is quite sensitive to external influences.

In accordance with this, ozone weapons can be a set of means (for example, rockets equipped with chemicals such as freons) for the artificial destruction of the ozone layer over selected areas of enemy territory. The formation of such "windows" will create conditions for the penetration of hard ultraviolet radiation from the Sun with a wavelength of about 0.3 microns to the Earth's surface. It has a detrimental effect on the cells of living organisms, cellular structures and the hereditary apparatus, causes skin burns, and contributes to a sharp increase in the number of cancers in humans and animals.

It is believed that the most tangible result of the impact will be an increase in mortality, a decrease in the productivity of animals and agricultural plants in areas over which the ozone layer has been destroyed. Violation of the processes occurring in the ozonosphere may also affect the heat balance of these regions and the weather. A decrease in the ozone content should lead to a decrease in the average temperature and an increase in humidity, which is especially dangerous for areas of unstable, critical agriculture. In this area, the ozone weapon merges with the climatic one.

RF EMP weapons

AMONG NON-NUCLEAR WEAPONS recently, radio-frequency weapons are often mentioned that affect a person and various technical objects using a powerful electromagnetic pulse (EMP). This was largely facilitated by the widespread use in the world of electronic equipment for military and civilian purposes, which solves extremely responsible tasks, including in the field of security. For the first time, an electromagnetic pulse capable of defeating various technical devices became widely known already during the first tests of nuclear weapons in the USA and the USSR, when a new physical phenomenon was discovered - the formation of a powerful pulse of electromagnetic radiation, to which great interest was immediately shown. However, as it soon turned out, EMP was created not only in the process of a nuclear explosion. Already in the 1950s, one of the "fathers" of Soviet nuclear weapons, Academician Andrei Sakharov, first proposed the principle of constructing a non-nuclear "electromagnetic bomb". In this design, the magnetic field of the solenoid is compressed by the explosion of a chemical explosive, resulting in a powerful pulse of electromagnetic radiation.

Soviet specialists could not ignore the possibility of the appearance and military use of EMP weapons against the USSR (Russia). An important place in the work on the study of EMP weapons and methods of protection against them belongs to the Institute of Thermal Physics of Extreme States of the Russian Academy of Sciences, headed by Academician Vladimir Fortov. V. Fortov emphasized that at present, when the troops and infrastructure of many states are saturated with electronics to the limit, and in the future this trend will only increase, attention to the means of its destruction is very relevant. At the same time, he pointed out that, although EMP weapons are characterized as "non-lethal", experts classify them as "strategic" weapons that can be used to disable key objects of the state and military control system, various types of weapons, thus solving strategic tasks.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in Russia in the development of stationary research generators that create high magnetic field strengths and maximum currents. Such generators can serve as a prototype of an "electromagnetic gun", the range of which can reach hundreds of meters or more, depending on what equipment needs to be affected. The current level of technology allows a number of countries to supply their armed forces with various modifications of ammunition with powerful EMP radiation, which can be used in combat operations. During the 1991 Gulf War, to suppress enemy electronic equipment, especially air defense systems, the United States used Tomahawk cruise missiles, which created EMP radiation with a power of up to 5 MW when their warheads fired. At the very beginning of the war with Iraq, in 2003, an EMP bomb was dropped on the television center in Baghdad, which instantly disabled all the electronic equipment of the television center. Before that, the same bomb was tested in 1999 in Yugoslavia, where it also demonstrated its high effectiveness against electronic systems.

Much attention is also paid to work on the creation of combat models of such weapons in Russia. At the Moscow Radiotechnical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ranets-E and Rosa-E projects were successfully carried out. With the help of the Mobile Microwave Protection System Project (MMPS), it is planned to ensure the creation of defense of the most important objects from high-precision weapons. It should include an antenna system, a high-power generator, control and measuring equipment. The entire system must be mounted on a mobile base and ensure the prompt transfer of the Ranets-E system to the desired area. It became known that this weapon will have an output power of over 500 MW, operate in the centimeter range, and emit pulses with a duration of 10-20 nanoseconds. The Rantza-E microwave gun is designed to hit targets at a distance of up to 10 kilometers, providing a circular sector of fire. The mass of such a system will exceed 5 tons. The first information about the new weapons was received by visitors to the Russian pavilion of the exhibition in 2001 in Singapore and Lima.

Studies of the impact of electromagnetic radiation on the human body have shown that, even when exposed to EMR of a sufficiently low intensity, various functional disorders and changes occur in it. In particular, the detrimental effect of electromagnetic radiation on the disruption of the rhythm of the heart has been established, according to some scientists, up to its stop. At the same time, two types of impact were noted: thermal and non-thermal. Thermal exposure causes overheating of tissues and organs and, with sufficiently long radiation, causes irreversible pathological changes in them. Non-thermal exposure mainly leads to functional disorders in various organs of the human body, especially in the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The results of tests of microwave weapons on humans, conducted in October 2001 in the United States at Kirtland Air Force Base, turned out to be very characteristic. Rays with a wavelength of 3 mm penetrated into the human body by only 0.3-0.4 mm, but at the same time, water and blood molecules in the subcutaneous layer almost instantly began to boil. In this case, a person experiences acute pain that exceeds the pain threshold, which forces him to leave the microwave radiation area as soon as possible.

laser weapons

Specialists from a number of countries have been working on the creation of laser weapons for many years, and the results obtained so far give reason to believe that it will soon acquire practical significance. As you know, lasers are powerful emitters of electromagnetic energy in the optical range - quantum generators. The damaging effect of the laser beam is achieved as a result of heating the materials of the object to high temperatures, causing them to melt or even evaporate, damaging the sensitive elements of the weapon, blinding the human organs of vision, up to irreversible consequences, and inflicting severe damage to him in the form of thermal burns to the skin. For the enemy, the action of laser radiation is distinguished by suddenness, secrecy, the absence of external signs in the form of fire, smoke, sound, high accuracy, straightness of propagation, and almost instantaneous action. It is possible to create laser combat systems for various purposes, ground, sea, air and space-based with different power, range, rate of fire, ammunition. Low- and medium-power laser systems are planned to be used to disable command posts, weapon guidance equipment, to blind tank crews, vehicle drivers, helicopter pilots, and gun crews. High-power laser weapons are being tested in order to use them in systems to combat enemy aircraft and missiles.

In support of the foregoing, it should be pointed out that laser rifles emitting a thin low-energy beam have been tested in the USA for many years. Such a rifle ensures hitting a target at a distance of up to 1.5 km. A shot from such a gun is practically invisible and inaudible. The beam entering the eyes causes damage to the organs of vision of varying severity, up to complete blindness. The various safety goggles used only provide protection against certain wavelengths. For a comprehensive study of the damaging effects of laser radiation and ways to protect against it in the United States in the mid-1950s, more than a thousand tests were carried out.

Experts, not without reason, believe that the greatest use of laser weapons will be associated with the creation of a large-scale anti-missile defense of the United States. In 1996, the United States began to create an airborne laser weapon ABL (Airborne Laser), designed to destroy missiles on the flight path, especially in the acceleration section, where they are most vulnerable. A powerful laser system with a fuel reserve of tens of tons will be placed on board the Boeing-747. In the event of a crisis, the Boeing will rise into the air and patrol at an altitude of 10-12 km, having the ability to detect an enemy missile within a few seconds and defeat it at a distance of up to 300-500 km. The full test program is planned to be completed in the near future in such a way that by 2009 a squadron of seven such aircraft will be created. In February 2000, one of the leading military-industrial consortia "Martin-Boeing-TRW" signed a contract with the Pentagon, providing for the development of the main elements of the space laser station with the expectation of field tests in 2012. Completion of the full cycle of work on the creation of a space-based combat laser is planned by 2020. In conclusion, it should be pointed out that the range of possible use of laser weapons is very wide and varied, and specialists, apparently, will have more than once to meet with various methods of using it and objects of destruction.

Acoustic weapons

WHEN CONSIDERING THE PROBLEMS OF THE CREATION AND THE DAMAGING ACTIVITY OF SOUND WARNINGS, IT SHOULD BE BECAUSED THAT, IN THE GENERAL CASE, IT COVERS THREE TYPICAL FREQUENCY RANGE: infrasonic - frequency range below 20 hertz (Hz), audible - from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. For frequencies above 20 kHz, the term "ultrasound" is used. Such a gradation is determined by the peculiarities of the impact of sound on the human body, and above all on its hearing aid. At the same time, it was found that the thresholds of hearing, the levels of pain and other negative effects on the human body decrease with an increase in the sound frequency from a few hertz to 250 Hz.

In recent years, a wide range of work has been carried out in the United States in the field of non-lethal weapons (NSO), including acoustic weapons, which is being conducted at the Army Weapons Research, Development and Maintenance Center (ARDEC) in the Pacatinny Arsenal (New Jersey). A number of projects to create devices that form acoustic "bullets" emitted by large diameter antennas were carried out by the Association for Scientific Research and Application (SARA) in Huntington Beach (State of California). As conceived by the creators of the new weapon, it should expand the possible range of use of military force not only on the battlefield, but also in a number of situations that may arise during police or peacekeeping operations. Research is underway to create infrasound systems based on the use of large loudspeakers and powerful amplifiers. The joint work of SARA and ARDEC is aimed at creating high-powered, low-frequency acoustic weapons designed to protect American institutions abroad.

To defeat the personnel of the troops located in bunkers, shelters and combat vehicles, acoustic "bullets" of very low frequencies were tested, which are formed when superimposing ultrasonic vibrations emitted by large antennas. According to American specialists in the field of "non-lethal weapons", a complex of works in the field of acoustic weapons is also being carried out in Russia and quite impressive results have been obtained. In particular, they stated that an operating device had been created in Russia that generates an infrasonic pulse with a frequency of 10 Hz, "the size of a baseball", the power of which was supposedly sufficient to inflict a severe injury on a person at a distance of hundreds of meters.

The use of infrasonic waves with a frequency of several hertz can have a strong effect on the human body. The insidiousness of this weapon also lies in the fact that infrasonic vibrations, which are below the level of perception of the human ear, can cause an unconscious state of anxiety, despair, and even horror. According to some experts, the impact of infrasonic radiation on people leads to epilepsy, and with a significant radiation power, death can be achieved. Death can occur as a result of a sharp violation of the functions of individual human organs, especially when they resonate with sound vibrations. This leads to damage to his cardiovascular system, destruction of blood vessels and internal organs. According to experts, the selection of a certain frequency of radiation can, for example, provoke mass manifestations of myocardial infarction in the personnel of the troops and the population of the enemy. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the ability of infrasonic vibrations to penetrate concrete and metal barriers, which undoubtedly increases the interest of military specialists in these weapons.

At the same time, it should be pointed out that there is no unanimity of opinion among scientists in assessing the destructive effect of acoustic weapons on humans. Such disagreements are confirmed by the results of a study of the destructive effect of various types of non-lethal weapons, in particular, obtained by the highly reputable German firm Daimler-Benz Aerospace. The diverse, often contradictory results obtained by them on the destructive effect of acoustic weapons determine the need for a wide range of further scientific and experimental research.

Information weapon

CONSIDERING THE PROBLEM OF INFORMATION WEAPON, one should immediately pay attention to the very broad content of this concept, which covers a fairly wide range of methods, means and methods of struggle. At the heart of this confrontation are the actions and counteractions of the parties in the information sphere, which together have a defensive and offensive character. In the course of hostilities, the opposing sides seek to destroy the information sphere of the enemy and protect their own as much as possible. According to Russian experts, this component of military countermeasures should be referred to as "information confrontation." The information war will begin immediately with the outbreak of hostilities or even precede them, go simultaneously in several directions at once: electronic warfare, active reconnaissance, disorganization of command and control systems for troops and weapons, disinformation of the enemy, psychological operations against the troops and population of the enemy, the use of software and hardware impact, the use of highly skilled hackers to open and disrupt the automated system of state and military administration, etc.

When planning and conducting information warfare, psychological operations (PsO) are carried out, which can have a different scale. The main tasks in carrying out operations on a strategic scale are: discrediting the foreign and domestic policy of the state, the socio-economic situation of the population, exacerbating ethnic contradictions, distorting historical heritage, inciting religious hatred among representatives of various faiths, creating defeatist moods in the minds of the population, all kinds of encouragement of anti-social acts and etc. In information operations of the Operational-Tactical level, the main focus is to undermine the morale of military personnel and the moral stamina of the population, especially in areas adjacent to the combat zone, to reduce the combat potential of troops, to support opposition elements in the ranks of the enemy, to encourage the population to conduct actions of civil disobedience, encouraging desertion among military personnel.

Outstanding commanders of the past have long recognized that a clear and well-understood explanation to the enemy soldier masses of a convincing argument about the futility and perniciousness of further resistance can give a positive result. During the Italian campaign of Alexander Suvorov, his appeal to the enemy troops with an explanation of the difficult situation in which they found themselves led to the fact that the opposing troops of the Piedmontese army went over to the side of the Russians in whole units and units. Napoleon also attached great importance to bringing the necessary (often false) information to the enemy. Already at that time he had a mobile printing house with a capacity of 10 thousand leaflets per day. It is he who owns the catchphrase: "Four newspapers can cause more harm than a hundred thousandth army." The possible scale of the psychological offensive can be judged from the experience of World War II, when the Western allies used a huge amount of propaganda material against the armies of the Nazi coalition: Great Britain dropped 6.5 billion leaflets, and the United States - 8 billion.

The rapid development of the mass media, especially television and the Internet, creates objective prerequisites for increasing their use for military purposes. It is known that recently the global Internet network covers about 1 billion users in more than 150 countries of the world. It can be predicted that in the future the battlefield will increasingly move into the intellectual realm, affecting the minds and feelings of millions of people. By placing space relays in near-Earth orbits, using the great potential of television and the Internet, an aggressor country can develop and, under certain conditions, implement a scenario of a round-the-clock information war against a particular state, trying to blow it up from within. Provocative broadcasts will be designed not for the mind, but primarily for the emotions of people, for their least protected sensual sphere, which is much more effective, especially when the population is not highly politically cultured, poorly informed and unprepared for such a war.

The dosed presentation of ideologically and psychologically processed provocative material, the skillful alternation of truthful ("credit of trust") and false information, the skillful montage of details of various real and fictional explosive situations can turn into a powerful means of psychological offensive. It can be especially effective against a country in which there is social tension, interethnic, religious or class conflicts. Carefully selected information, falling on such favorable ground, can in a short time cause panic, riots, pogroms, and destabilize the political situation in the country. Thus, it is possible to force the enemy to capitulate without the use of traditional weapons.

As an example of the use of the Internet in the field of information and psychological impact, one should recall the operation "Support for Democracy" in Haiti in 1994-1996. The widespread use of telephone calls to military personnel urging them not to resist US troops was accompanied by the transmission of threats to members of the government of this country who had personal computers. During the 1999 hostilities against Yugoslavia, NATO troops attacked the system of television and radio transmitters, disabling them. At the same time, at the direction of Washington, the Internet system was preserved in order to transfer the "necessary" information to the population of the country.

Back in the mid-1990s, there were reports of virus No. 666, which has the ability to have a profound negative impact on the psycho-physiological state of computer operators, up to their failure. This virus displays a specially selected image on the screen, plunging a person into a hypnotic trance. In this case, the calculation is made on the fact that the subconscious perception of the image will cause a sharp change in the activity of the cardiovascular system, up to blocking the vessels of the brain. The results of such exposure can be extremely dangerous when exposed to operators of the state and combat control system.

genetic weapons

THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT of molecular genetics in the 60-70s of the twentieth century made it possible to carry out the recombination of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) - the carrier of genetic information. With the help of genetic engineering methods, it was possible to carry out the separation of genes and their recombination with the formation of recombinant DNA molecules. Based on these methods, it is also possible to carry out gene transfer with the help of microorganisms, to ensure the production of potent toxins of human, animal or plant origin. By combining various bacteriological and toxic agents, it is possible to create biological weapons with a modified genetic apparatus with a high damaging ability. Based on the introduction of genetic material with pronounced toxic properties into virulent bacteria or human viruses, it is possible to obtain a bacteriological weapon capable of causing a mass death of the population in the affected regions.

Scientists suggest that by 2010-2015, genetic engineering will achieve very significant results in the field of molecular biology, which will, among other things, reveal the mechanism of action of toxins and ensure the production of toxic products that can be used as weapons. This can create a fundamentally new strategic situation, when the main goal of the "genetic" war on the part of some countries is not the destruction of the enemy's armed forces, but the elimination of its population, which is declared "surplus". According to experts, this can radically change the global geopolitical and geostrategic situation, which, in their opinion, will be similar to the beginning of the atomic era in the 40-50s of the last century.

Scholars believe that a new strategic feature in the development of the international security system, which will grow stronger over time, is the gradual transition of the world community from traditional armed conflicts with the use of the most modern technology and weapons to a kind of "genocidal" wars. Statements about such wars began to be heard among individual representatives of the leadership of some countries. For the military-political leadership of the United States, taking into account the birth rate of various groups of the population and the emergence of various kinds of inevitable natural disasters (the example of New Orleans), it is envisaged to ensure, first of all, the preservation of the white English-speaking population, although they try not to focus on this openly.

The American writer Tom Hartman in his reasoning refers to the report "Rebuilding America's Defense: Strategy, Forces and Resources for the New Century". The report deals with the task of fundamental changes in the forms and methods of warfare in the future. A further revolution in military affairs will determine a diverse approach to the conduct of war in specific conflict situations, ensuring victory is achieved in unconventional ways, in the conduct of which any potential adversary will inevitably lag behind the United States. At the same time, information has already appeared that in the US national laboratories - Oak Ridge, Livermore and some others, the genetic consequences of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were carefully studied, a significant contribution was made to the completion of the well-known international project "Human Genome", and an even more ambitious project was launched. research under the program "Genome for Life". At the same time, it should be noted that the development of modern science has already crossed a critical line in ensuring the security of the world community. This means that in the limiting case, a compact group of researchers can create a "scientific product" that can cause enormous damage to humanity. This is the particular danger of the creation and use of genetic weapons, including from the side of international terrorism.

ethnic weapons

STUDYING the natural and genetic differences between people, blood composition, the fine biochemical structure of the body of representatives of various ethnic groups prompted some scientists to use these features to create the so-called ethnic weapons. According to scientists, such weapons will be able to target certain ethnic groups of the population with special agents and be indifferent to others. Such selectivity will be based on differences between people in blood types, skin pigmentation, and genetic structure. Research in the field of ethnic weapons can be aimed at identifying the genetic vulnerability of individual ethnic groups and at developing special agents designed to effectively use these features. This means, for example, that the use of specially created biological agents acting selectively with respect to carriers of different DNA for infection in a city with a mixed multinational population may not be felt by people at first. However, after some time, the results of exposure will affect representatives of certain categories of the population. They may develop severe chronic diseases, have a shortened life span, and lose the ability to have offspring. This will actually lead to the gradual extinction of a certain ethnic group in the area that has been exposed to special bioagents.

According to the calculations of one of the well-known American physicians, R. Hammerschlag, ethnic weapons can inflict defeat on 25-30% of the population of the country that was attacked with the help of these weapons. Recall that such population losses in a nuclear war are considered "unacceptable", in which the country is defeated. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in order to conduct an ethnic war, a rigorous analysis of the DNA of ethnic groups and the identification of differences between them is necessary.

There have been reports that some time ago, a group of Israeli scientists considered the possibility of waging an ethnic war against their neighbors - the Palestinians. If successful, they hoped in this way to rid Israel of "restless" neighbors. However, the results of the research were disappointing. They showed that both peoples come from the same ancestors and therefore have an identical genetic apparatus. Consequently, by unleashing an ethnic war against the Palestinians, Israel would simultaneously strike at the Jewish population.

Assessing the international situation that is developing in the world, one cannot exclude the emergence of secret production of ethnic weapons by some terrorist groups with nanotechnologies (for example, Aum-Shinrikyo) and their use for certain economic and political goals.

Beam weapon

The striking factor of beam weapons is a highly directed beam of charged or neutral particles of high energy - electrons, protons, neutral hydrogen atoms. A powerful flow of energy carried by particles can create an intense thermal effect in the target material, shock mechanical loads, and initiate X-rays. The use of beam weapons is distinguished by the instantaneous and suddenness of the damaging effect. The limiting factor in the range of this weapon is the particles of gases in the atmosphere, with the atoms of which the accelerated particles interact, gradually losing their energy. The use of beams of charged particles is further hampered by the fact that repulsive forces act between charged particles when they move.

The most probable objects of destruction can be manpower, electronic equipment, various systems of military equipment, ballistic and cruise missiles, aircraft, spacecraft, etc. According to American scientists, the use of particle beams to destroy launch vehicles will require an increase in the accelerating voltage, pulse duration and average power by one or two orders of magnitude compared to the values ​​already achieved, which creates serious difficulties in the way of using such weapons.

Work on the creation of beam weapons received the greatest scope after the announcement of the SDI program by President Reagan. The Los Alamos National Laboratory has become the center of scientific research in this area. Experiments at that time were carried out on the ATS accelerator, then on more powerful devices.

Experts believe that such neutral particle accelerators can become a reliable means of selecting attacking enemy warheads against the background of a "cloud" of decoys. Research on the creation of beam weapons based on charged particles is also being conducted at the Livermore National Laboratory. According to the scientists, successful attempts were made there to obtain a stream of high-energy electrons, which is hundreds of times more powerful than that obtained in research accelerators. In the same laboratory, within the framework of the Antigone program, it was experimentally established that the electron beam propagates almost perfectly, without scattering, along an ionized channel previously created by a laser beam in the atmosphere, which makes it possible to significantly increase the range of the destructive action of this weapon. Beam weapon installations have large mass-dimensional characteristics and therefore can be created as stationary or on special mobile equipment with a large payload. This creates certain restrictions on their combat use.

Dropping asteroids from orbit

HOW FAR the search for new weapons of mass destruction can go is evidenced by theoretical studies carried out by some US scientists back in the 1960s, which considered a literally fantastic project to de-orbit one of the asteroids moving between Earth and Mars. It was assumed that the withdrawal of the asteroid from its orbit could be carried out using explosions of powerful nuclear charges in a charging chamber specially created on the surface of the asteroid. When the charge explodes, the asteroid will receive a powerful jet impulse, which will transfer it to an orbit that intersects the Earth's trajectory. In this case, on the basis of simulation, an asteroid can fall onto the territory of the enemy. During the collision of an asteroid with the Earth, energy will be released that is equivalent to the explosion of many thousands of nuclear charges, capable of destroying an entire continent.

Of course, the practical use of such a means of destruction is hardly possible and it is of purely theoretical interest, demonstrating the possible limits of the search for weapons, as well as the potential consequences of a collision of the planet Earth with one of the celestial bodies. In recent decades, scientists have drawn attention to the potential for a meteorite to collide with the Earth. If such a threat is detected, the probability of which is extremely small, but its price for world civilization is unacceptably high, the inverse problem will be solved - preventing a collision with the help of nuclear explosions on the surface of an asteroid, although the success of such an operation is very controversial. However, to date, no one has been able to offer a more effective way to combat this threat.

Weapons based on particle and antiparticle annihilation

THEORETICAL INVESTIGATIONS in the field of nuclear physics, carried out in the first half of the 20th century, showed the fundamental possibility of the existence of antimatter. Subsequently, the existence of antiparticles (for example, positrons) was proved experimentally. It turned out that the interaction of particles and antiparticles releases a significant amount of energy in the form of photons. According to scientists, the interaction of 1 milligram of antiparticles with matter releases energy equivalent to the explosion of several tens of tons of trinitrotoluene. This makes it very tempting to create weapons of enormous destructive power based on antimatter. However, despite the great efforts of scientists, nature diligently guards its secrets that stand in the way of creating a fundamentally new type of weapon. At present, the process of obtaining and preserving antiparticles is very complicated. It is known that attempts are being made at the European Center for Nuclear Research to contain antiparticles at low temperatures in bubbles of liquid helium. These difficulties make it very problematic to create weapons of mass destruction based on antimatter in the foreseeable future.

Psychotronic weapons

IN RECENT YEARS, there has been a wide interest in research in the field of bioenergetics related to the so-called paranormal abilities of man. In a number of countries, work is underway to create various technical devices based on the energy of a biofield, that is, a specific field that exists around a living organism. Research on the possibility of creating such weapons is being carried out in several areas: extrasensory perception - the perception of the properties of objects, their state, sounds, smells, thoughts of people without contact with them and without the use of ordinary sense organs; telepathy - the transmission of thoughts at a distance; clairvoyance (far-sightedness) - observation of an object (target) that is outside the limits of visual communication; psychokinesis - the impact on physical objects with the help of mental influence, causing their movement; telekinesis is the mental movement of a person whose body remains at rest. Scientists identify four main areas of military-applied research in the field of bioenergy.

1. Development of methods of deliberate influence on the mental activity of a person in order to create an "army of a new era." For this purpose, the issues of training soldiers in meditation methods, developing their ability to extrasensory perception and magic, and hypnotic techniques were studied.

2. An in-depth study of paranormal phenomena of greatest interest from the point of view of military use - clairvoyance and telekinesis. Experiments were carried out to study the ability of a person to observe objects that are outside the limits of visual communication. The scope of application of this phenomenon is very wide: on a strategic scale, it is possible to penetrate into the main command and control organs of the enemy to get acquainted with his plans.

Using psychokinesis to destroy command and control systems. The ability of a person to radiate a certain type of energy is confirmed by a photograph of a person's radiation field (Kirlian effect).

3. Study of the effect of bioradiation on control and communication systems, electronic equipment, as well as the development of artificial energy generators to influence the personnel and population of the enemy in order to create abnormal mental states in them. Some research in this direction was carried out to determine the possibility of people with paranormal abilities to interfere with the operation of computers.

4. Development of systems for detecting and controlling artificial and natural hazardous radiation, as well as methods for active and passive protection against them. The creation of technical devices for the detection of bioradiations, the study of questions of bioenergetic interaction between people continues. There are statements in the Western press that psychotronic weapons already exist, although their potential capabilities have not yet been determined, and many scientists express serious doubts about the effectiveness of such weapons.

Even a brief analysis of the possible prospects for the emergence of new types of WMD shows their deep danger to the world community. According to some scientists, the development of modern science has already crossed a critical line in ensuring the security of the world community. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor the work in this area (especially in the field of dual technologies) in order to take appropriate preventive measures through the UN to prevent the emergence of a new threat. The leading countries of the world need to come up with broad international initiatives to form a legal mechanism that will reliably prevent the creation of new types of weapons of mass destruction.

Topic: "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

"Nothing matters

only life matters"

Prepared

student 10-A class.

136 schools - gymnasiums

Kovtun Yaroslav

Introduction

1. Nuclear weapons

1.1 Characteristics of nuclear weapons. Types of explosions

1.2 Damage factors

a) shock wave

b) Light cure

c) Penetrating radiation

d) Radioactive contamination

e) Electromagnetic pulse

1.3 Features of the lethal effect of neutron munitions

1.4 Nuclear blast

1.5 Zones of radioactive contamination on the trail of a nuclear explosion

2. Chemical weapons

2.1 Characteristics of agents, means of control and protection against them

a) Nerve agents

b) agents of blistering action

c) suffocating agents

d) general poisonous agents

e) OV of psychochemical action

2.2 Binary chemical munitions

2.3 Chemical attack site

3. Bacteriological (biological) weapons

3.1 Characterization of bacterial agents

3.2 The focus of bacteriological damage

3.3 Observation and quarantine

4. Modern types of weapons of mass destruction

5. Literature

Introduction

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) - it is nuclear, chemical, biological and other types of it. When defining WMD, one should proceed from the interpretation of this concept formulated by the UN in 1948.

These weapons "should be defined to include atomic explosive weapons, radioactive weapons, lethal chemical and biological weapons, and any future developed weapons that have characteristics comparable in destructive effect to atomic and other weapons mentioned above. weapons" (Resolution and decisions of the UN General Assembly adopted at the XXII session, New York, 1968. P. 47). Chemical weapons as a means of warfare have been illegal since 1925 (Protocol on the prohibition of the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other similar gases and bacteriological agents of June 17, 1925).

In 1993, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction was signed. In accordance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) Weapons, Toxins and Their Destruction of April 10, 1972, bacteriological (biological) weapons cannot be used, developed, produced, stockpiled, or transferred, and stocks are to be destroyed or switching only to peaceful purposes.

Nuclear weapon

Characteristics of nuclear weapons. Types of explosions.

Nuclear weapon It is one of the main types of weapons of mass destruction. It is capable of incapacitating a large number of people in a short time, destroying buildings and structures over vast territories. The massive use of nuclear weapons is fraught with catastrophic consequences for all mankind, so it is being banned.

The destructive effect of nuclear weapons is based on the energy released during explosive nuclear reactions. The explosion power of a nuclear weapon is usually expressed in TNT equivalent, that is, the amount of conventional explosive (TNT), the explosion of which releases the same amount of energy as it is released during the explosion of a given nuclear weapon. TNT equivalent is measured in tons (kilotons, megatons).

The means of delivering nuclear weapons to targets are missiles (the main means of delivering nuclear strikes), aircraft and artillery. In addition, nuclear bombs can be used.

Nuclear explosions are carried out in the air at different heights, near the surface of the earth (water) and underground (water). In accordance with this, they are usually divided into high-altitude, air, ground (surface) and underground (underwater). The point at which the explosion occurred is called the center, and its projection on the surface of the earth (water) is called the epicenter of a nuclear explosion.

The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion.

The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion are a shock wave, light radiation, penetrating radiation, radioactive contamination and an electromagnetic pulse.

shock wave.

The main damaging factor of a nuclear explosion, since most of the destruction and damage to structures, buildings, as well as damage to people, is usually due to its impact. It is an area of ​​sharp compression of the medium, propagating in all directions from the explosion site at supersonic speed. The forward limit of air compression is called shock wave front .

The damaging effect of the shock wave is characterized by the amount of excess pressure. Overpressure is the difference between the maximum pressure in the front of the shock wave and the normal atmospheric pressure in front of it. It is measured in newtons per square meter (N/m2). This unit of pressure is called the pascal (Pa). 1 N / m 2 \u003d 1 Pa (1 kPa "0.01 kgf / cm 2).

With an excess pressure of 20-40 kPa, unprotected people can get light injuries (light bruises and concussions). The impact of a shock wave with an overpressure of 40-60 kPa leads to moderate injuries: loss of consciousness, damage to the hearing organs, severe dislocation of the limbs, bleeding from the nose and ears. Severe injuries occur at excess pressure over 60 kPa and are characterized by severe contusions of the whole body, fractures of limbs, and damage to internal organs. Extremely severe lesions, often fatal, are observed at excess pressure over 100 kPa.

The speed of movement and the distance over which the shock wave propagates depend on the power of the nuclear explosion; as the distance from the explosion increases, the speed decreases rapidly. Thus, during the explosion of a munition with a power of 20 kt, the shock wave travels 1 km in 2 s, 2 km in 5 s, 3 km in 8 s. During this time, a person after an outbreak can take cover and avoid defeat.

Light emission.

This is a stream of radiant energy, including visible ultraviolet and infrared rays. Its source is a luminous area formed by hot explosion products and hot air. Light radiation propagates almost instantly and lasts, depending on the power of the nuclear explosion, up to 20 s. However, its strength is such that, despite its short duration, it can cause skin (skin) burns, damage (permanent or temporary) to the organs of vision of people, and ignition of combustible materials and objects.

Light radiation does not penetrate opaque materials, so any obstruction that can create a shadow protects against the direct action of light radiation and eliminates burns. Significantly attenuated light radiation in dusty (smoky) air, in fog, rain, snowfall.

penetrating radiation.

This is a stream of gamma rays and neutrons. It lasts 10-15 s. Passing through living tissue, gamma radiation and neutrons ionize the molecules that make up the cells. Under the influence of ionization, biological processes occur in the body, leading to a violation of the vital functions of individual organs and the development of radiation sickness. As a result of the passage of radiation through the materials of the environment, their intensity decreases. The weakening effect is usually characterized by a layer of half attenuation, i.e. such a thickness of the material, passing through which the radiation intensity is halved. For example, steel with a thickness of 2.8 cm, concrete - 10 cm, soil - 14 cm, wood - 30 cm weaken the intensity of gamma rays by half.

Open and especially closed gaps reduce the impact of penetrating radiation, and shelters and anti-radiation shelters almost completely protect against it.

radioactive infection.

Its main sources are fission products of a nuclear charge and radioactive isotopes formed as a result of the impact of neutrons on the materials from which a nuclear weapon is made, and on some elements that make up the soil in the area of ​​​​the explosion.

In a ground-based nuclear explosion, the luminous area touches the ground. Inside it, masses of evaporating soil are drawn in, which rise up. Cooling, the vapors of the fission products of the soil condense on solid particles. A radioactive cloud is formed. It rises to a height of many kilometers, and then moves with the wind at a speed of 25-100 km / h. Radioactive particles, falling from the cloud to the ground, form a zone of radioactive contamination (trace), the length of which can reach several hundred kilometers.

Radioactive substances pose the greatest danger in the first hours after falling out, since their activity is highest during this period.

electromagnetic impulse.

This is a short-term electromagnetic field that occurs during the explosion of a nuclear weapon as a result of the interaction of gamma rays and neutrons emitted after a nuclear explosion with the atoms of the environment. The consequence of its impact is burnout or breakdowns of individual elements of radio-electronic and electrical equipment.

The defeat of people is possible only in those cases when they come into contact with extended wire lines at the time of the explosion.

The most reliable means of protection against all damaging factors of a nuclear explosion are protective structures. In the field, one should take cover behind strong local objects, reverse slopes of heights, in the folds of the terrain.

When operating in contaminated zones, to protect the respiratory organs, eyes and open areas of the body from radioactive substances, respiratory protection equipment (gas masks, respirators, anti-dust fabric masks and cotton-gauze bandages), as well as skin protection equipment, are used.

Features of the damaging effect of neutron munitions.

Neutron munitions are a type of nuclear munitions. They are based on thermonuclear charges, which use nuclear fission and fusion reactions. The explosion of such a munition has a damaging effect primarily on people due to a powerful flux of penetrating radiation, in which a significant part (up to 40%) falls on the so-called fast neutrons.

During the explosion of a neutron munition, the area of ​​the zone affected by penetrating radiation exceeds the area of ​​the zone affected by the shock wave by several times. In this zone, equipment and structures can remain unharmed, and people receive fatal injuries.

For protection against neutron munitions, the same means and methods are used as for protection against conventional nuclear munitions. In addition, when constructing shelters and shelters, it is recommended to compact and moisten the soil laid above them, increase the thickness of the ceilings, and provide additional protection for entrances and exits.

The protective properties of equipment are enhanced by the use of combined protection, consisting of hydrogen-containing substances (for example, polyethylene) and high-density materials (lead).

The focus of nuclear destruction.

The focus of nuclear destruction called the territory that has been directly affected by the damaging factors of a nuclear explosion. It is characterized by massive destruction of buildings and structures, blockages, accidents in public utilities networks, fires, radioactive contamination and significant losses among the population.

The size of the source is the larger, the more powerful the nuclear explosion. The nature of destruction in the hearth also depends on the strength of the structures of buildings and structures, their number of storeys and building density.

For the outer boundary of the focus of nuclear damage, a conditional line on the ground is taken, drawn at such a distance from the epicenter (center) of the explosion, where the magnitude of the excess pressure of the shock wave is 10 kPa.

The focus of a nuclear lesion is conditionally divided into zones - areas with approximately the same destruction in nature.

Zone of complete destruction- the territory exposed to the action of a shock wave with an overpressure (on the outer border) of more than 50 kPa.

In the zone, all buildings and structures, as well as anti-radiation shelters and part of the shelters, are completely destroyed, solid blockages are formed, and the utility and energy network is damaged.

Zone of severe damage- with excess pressure in the front of the shock wave from 50 to 30 kPa. In this zone, ground buildings and structures are severely damaged, local blockages are formed, and continuous and massive fires occur. Most of the shelters will remain, with individual shelters blocked by entrances and exits. People in them can be injured only due to a violation of the sealing, flooding or gas contamination of the premises.

Medium damage zone- with excess pressure in the front of the shock wave from 30 to 20 kPa. In it, buildings and structures will receive medium destruction. Shelters and shelters of the basement type will remain. From light radiation there will be continuous fires.

Zone of weak destruction - with excess pressure in the front of the shock wave from 20 to 10 kPa. Buildings will receive minor damage. Separate fires will arise from light radiation.

Zones of radioactive contamination on the trail of a cloud of a nuclear explosion.

A zone of radioactive contamination is a territory that has been contaminated with radioactive substances as a result of their fallout after ground (underground) and low air nuclear explosions.

The harmful effect of ionizing radiation is estimated by the obtained dose radiation(radiation dose) D, i.e., the energy of these rays absorbed per unit volume of the irradiated medium. This energy is measured by existing dosimetric instruments in roentgens (R).

X-ray is the amount of gamma radiation that creates 2.08 x 10 9 ions in 1 cm 2 of dry air (at a temperature of 0 ° C and a pressure of 760 mm Hg).

To assess the intensity of ionizing radiation emitted by radioactive substances in contaminated areas, the concept of "ionizing radiation dose rate" (radiation level) has been introduced. It is measured in roentgens per hour (R / h), small dose rates - in milliroentgens per hour (mR / h).

Gradually, the radiation dose rate decreases. Thus, the radiation dose rate, measured 1 hour after a ground-based nuclear explosion, after 2 hours will decrease by half, after 3 hours - by four times, after 7 hours - by ten times, and after 49 - by a hundred times.

It should be noted that in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant with the release of nuclear fuel fragments (radionuclides), the area can be contaminated for several months to several years.

The degree of radioactive contamination and the size of the contaminated area (radioactive trace) during a nuclear explosion depend on the power and type of explosion, meteorological conditions, as well as on the nature of the terrain and soil.

The dimensions of the radioactive trace are conditionally divided into zones (Fig. 1).

The zone of extremely dangerous infection. At the outer boundary of the zone, the radiation dose from the moment radioactive substances fall out of the cloud onto the terrain until their complete decay is 4000 R (in the middle of the zone - 10000 R), the radiation dose rate 1 hour after the explosion is 800 R / h.

Zone of dangerous infection. At the outer boundary of the radiation zone - 1200 R, radiation dose rate after 1 hour - 240 R/h.

Zone of severe infection. At the outer boundary of the radiation zone - 400 R, radiation dose rate after 1 hour - 80 R/h.

Zone of moderate infection. At the outer boundary of the radiation zone - 40 R, radiation dose rate after 1 hour - 8 R/h.

As a result of exposure to ionizing radiation, as well as exposure to penetrating radiation, people develop radiation sickness. A dose of 150-250 R causes radiation sickness of the first degree, a dose of 250-400 R - radiation sickness of the second degree, a dose of 400-700 R - radiation sickness of the third degree, a dose of more than 700 R - radiation sickness of the fourth degree.

A dose of single irradiation for four days up to 50 R, as well as multiple doses up to 100 R for 10-30 days, does not cause external signs of the disease and is considered safe.

Direction of the wind

Zone of extremely dangerous zone of infection Zone of severe infection Zone of moderate infection

dangerous infection

Rice. 1. Formation of a radioactive trace from a ground-based nuclear explosion

Chemical weapon

Chemical weapon – it is a weapon of mass destruction, the action of which is based on the toxic properties of certain chemicals. It includes chemical warfare agents and means of their use.

Characteristics of toxic substances, means and methods of protection against them.

poisonous substances(OS) are such chemical compounds that, when used, are capable of infecting people and animals over large areas, penetrating various structures, contaminating terrain and water bodies. They are equipped with missiles, aerial bombs, artillery shells and mines, chemical bombs, as well as pouring aircraft devices (VAP).

According to the effect on the human body, agents are divided into nerve-paralytic, skin-abscess, suffocating, general poisonous irritants and psychotropic.

OV nerve agent action.

VX (Vi-X), sarin, affects the nervous system when it acts on the body through the respiratory system, when it penetrates the skin in a vaporous and drop-liquid state, and also when it enters the gastrointestinal tract along with food and water. Their resistance in the summer is more than a day, in the winter for several weeks and even months. These OVs are the most dangerous. A very small amount of them is enough to defeat a person.

Signs of damage are: salivation, constriction of the pupils (miosis), difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, paralysis.

A gas mask and protective clothing are used as personal protective equipment. To provide first aid to the affected person, they put on a gas mask and inject him with a syringe tube or by taking an antidote tablet. When a nerve agent comes into contact with the skin or clothing, the affected areas are treated with a liquid from an individual anti-chemical package (IPP).

OV skin blister action.

Mustard gas- have a multilateral action. In the drop-liquid and vapor state, they affect the skin and eyes, when inhaled vapors - the respiratory tract and lungs, when ingested with food and water - the digestive organs. A characteristic feature of mustard gas is the presence of a period of latent action (the lesion is not detected immediately, but after a while - 2 hours or more). Signs of damage are reddening of the skin, the formation of small blisters, which then merge into large ones and burst after two or three days, turning into ulcers that are difficult to heal. With any local lesion, the agents cause a general poisoning of the body, which manifests itself in fever, malaise.

In the conditions of application of agents of blistering action, it is necessary to be in a gas mask and protective clothing. If OM drops get on the skin or clothing, the affected areas are immediately treated with liquid from the IPP.

OV suffocating action.

Phosgene- affects the body through the respiratory system. Signs of damage are a sweetish, unpleasant taste in the mouth, cough, dizziness, general weakness. These phenomena disappear after leaving the source of infection, and the victim feels normal within 4-6 hours, unaware of the lesion. During this period (latent action) pulmonary edema develops. Then breathing may deteriorate sharply, a cough with copious sputum, headache, fever, shortness of breath, and palpitations may appear.

In case of damage, a gas mask is put on the victim, they take him out of the infected area, cover him warmly and provide him with peace.

In no case should you give the victim artificial respiration!

OV of general toxic action.

Hydrocyanic acid and cyanogen chloride- affect only by inhalation of air contaminated by their vapors (they do not act through the skin). Signs of damage are a metallic taste in the mouth, throat irritation, dizziness, weakness, nausea, severe convulsions, paralysis. To protect against these agents, it is enough to use a gas mask.

To provide assistance to the victim, it is necessary to crush the ampoule with an antidote, introduce it under the gas mask helmet-mask. In severe cases, the victim is given artificial respiration, warmed up and sent to a medical center.

OV irritating action.

CS (CS), adamsite, etc. cause acute burning and pain in the mouth, throat and eyes, severe lacrimation, cough, difficulty breathing.

OV psychochemical action.

BZ (BZ) act specifically on the central nervous system and cause mental (hallucinations, fear, depression) or physical (blindness, deafness) disorders.

In case of damage to an irritant or psychochemical agent, it is necessary to treat the infected areas of the body with soapy water, and shake out the uniform and clean it with a brush. Victims should be removed from the infected area and provided with medical assistance.

Binary chemical munitions.

Unlike other ammunition, they are equipped with two non-toxic or low-toxic components (OS), which, during the flight of the ammunition to the target, mix and chemically react with each other to form highly toxic agents, such as VX or Sarin.

The site of chemical damage.

The territory within which mass destruction of people and farm animals occurred as a result of the impact of chemical weapons is called the focus of the lesion. Its dimensions depend on the scale and method of application of the RW, the type of RW, meteorological conditions, terrain, and other factors.

Persistent nerve agents are especially dangerous, the vapors of which spread downwind over a fairly long distance (15-25 km or more).

The duration of the damaging effect of the OM is the shorter, the stronger the wind and ascending air currents. In forests, parks, ravines, and narrow streets, OM persist longer than in open areas.

The territory directly exposed to chemical weapons, and the territory over which a cloud of contaminated air has spread in damaging concentrations, is called zone chemical contamination. Distinguish between primary and secondary zones of infection.

The primary contamination zone is formed as a result of the impact of the primary cloud of contaminated air, the source of which is the vapors and aerosols of the agents that appeared directly during the explosion of chemical munitions. The secondary zone of contamination is formed as a result of the impact of a cloud, which is formed during the evaporation of OM droplets that have settled after the rupture of chemical munitions.

bacteriological weapon

bacteriological weapon is a means of mass destruction of people, farm animals and plants. Its action is based on the use of the pathogenic properties of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, fungi, as well as toxins produced by some bacteria). Bacteriological weapons include formulations of disease-causing organisms and means of delivering them to the target (rockets, aerial bombs and containers, aerosol dispensers, artillery shells, etc.).

Bacteriological weapons are capable of causing mass diseases of people and animals over vast territories, they have a damaging effect for a long time, and have a long latent (incubation) period of action.

Microbes and toxins are difficult to detect in the external environment, they can penetrate with the air into unsealed shelters and rooms and infect people and animals in them.

Signs of the use of bacteriological weapons are:

1) deaf, unusual for conventional ammunition, the sound of exploding shells and bombs;

2) the presence of large fragments and separate parts of ammunition in places of ruptures;

3) the appearance of drops of liquid or powdery substances on the ground;

4) an unusual accumulation of insects and mites in places where ammunition bursts and containers fall;

5) mass diseases of people and animals.

The use of bacterial agents can be determined using laboratory tests.

Characteristics of bacterial agents, methods of protection against them.

As bacterial agents, pathogens of various infectious diseases can be used: plague, anthrax, brucellosis, glanders, tularemia, cholera, yellow and other types of fever, spring-summer encephalitis, typhus and typhoid fever, influenza, malaria, dysentery, smallpox and others. In addition, botulinum toxin can be used, which causes severe poisoning of the human body.

To defeat animals, along with the pathogens of anthrax and glanders, it is possible to use foot-and-mouth disease viruses, plague of cattle and birds, cholera of pigs, etc.; for the defeat of agricultural plants - pathogens of rust of cereals, late blight, potatoes and some other diseases.

Infection of people and animals occurs as a result of inhalation of contaminated air, contact with microbes and toxins on the mucous membrane and damaged skin, ingestion of contaminated food and water, bites of infected insects and ticks, contact with a contaminated object, injury from fragments of ammunition filled with bacterial agents, and also as a result of direct contact with sick people (animals). A number of diseases are quickly transmitted from sick people to healthy people and cause epidemics (plague, cholera, typhoid, influenza, etc.).

The main means of protecting the population from bacteriological weapons include: vaccine serum preparations, antibiotics, sulfanilamide and other medicinal substances used for special and emergency prevention of infectious diseases, means of individual and collective protection, and chemicals used for neutralization.

If signs of the use of bacteriological weapons are found, gas masks (respirators, masks), as well as skin protection means, are immediately put on and bacteriological contamination is reported.

The focus of bacteriological infection.

The focus of bacteriological damage is considered to be settlements and objects of the national economy that have been directly exposed to bacterial agents that create a source of the spread of infectious diseases. Its boundaries are determined on the basis of bacteriological reconnaissance data, laboratory studies of samples from environmental objects, as well as the identification of patients and the spread of emerging infectious diseases. Armed guards are installed around the hearth, entry and exit, as well as the export of property, are prohibited.

Observation and quarantine.

Observation - specially organized medical monitoring of the population in the focus of bacteriological damage, including a number of measures aimed at timely detection and isolation in order to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases. At the same time, with the help of antibiotics, they carry out emergency prevention of possible diseases, make the necessary vaccinations, monitor the strict implementation of the rules of personal and public hygiene, especially in catering units and common areas. Food and water are used only after they have been reliably disinfected.

The period of observation is determined by the duration of the maximum incubation period for a given disease and is calculated from the moment of isolation of the last patient and the end of disinfection in the lesion.

In the case of the use of pathogens of especially dangerous infections - plague, cholera, smallpox - it is established quarantine .

Quarantine - This is a system of the most stringent isolation and restrictive measures taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases from the focus of the lesion and to eliminate the focus itself.

Modern types of weapons of mass destruction

The use of the latest scientific achievements makes it possible to create new and new generations of conventional weapons every year. Thus, new types of bombs make it possible to hit the vital centers of the enemy, his military and political leadership, even in bunkers at any depth. Offensive unmanned robotic aircraft are capable of independently, without operator intervention, solving combat missions within the framework of a single space navigation and information system for all types of armed forces. These devices are not limited in their maneuvers by the physiological capabilities of a human pilot, are less visible and cheaper to operate, so they will outperform fifth-generation Russian manned aircraft. Miniature "insect" robots can be sent to enemy command posts in order to intercept information flows, create electronic interference and point sabotage. Electronic impulses can disable the electronic control systems of aircraft and any objects at a great distance.

New types of weapons of mass destruction

Total war means that all modern scientific achievements will be used as weapons, including secret ones that leave no traces. Such types of weapons are being created that can disable the electronics, communications and electric power systems of entire countries. In particular, giant high-frequency HAARP emitter antennas have been created in Alaska, Norway and Greenland, capable of not only hitting the electronics of aircraft, rockets and spacecraft at a distance of hundreds of kilometers, but also affecting the planet's magnetic field and the ionosphere, disrupting radio communications, changing weather patterns. conditions across entire continents, causing droughts, floods, and possibly earthquakes.

The possibility of a wave influence on the psyche of the population of vast spaces is not ruled out. The destructive capabilities of this secret weapon have not yet been fully explored and may turn out to be even more terrible: for example, if holes are artificially created in the protective electromagnetic layer of the earth, all life in vast areas will be subjected to deadly radiation from space.

ethnic weapons . It is based on identifying the "genetic profile" of a certain people and selectively affects them - and only them! “A classified US Department of Defense report claimed that genetically modified microorganisms could be used to create a new generation of weapons of mass destruction.

In general, after deciphering the human genome and an increasing number of animal genomes, genetic engineering in the United States began to create living beings of an artificial genetic construct; these organisms would "specialize to perform specific tasks". What monsters and for

what tasks can be designed by "genomic sorcerers" - one can only guess, but with a higher probability, primarily military ones.

Coup d'état, sabotage, terrorist attacks, provocations and. They were carried out before, but secretly; now it can be done with impunity in front of the whole world, which does not express indignation at such activities.

clash of civilizations . In essence, this is a long-standing method of clashing between their opponents so that they destroy each other. This is how the first two acts of the World War were arranged. This is how modern wars are organized and conducted (for example: between Iraq and Iran, between Israel and Palestine). Now, as planned opponents, it is planned to push the Muslim world against the Orthodox (with the help of radical Islamists).

Economic means of war . In addition to the general selfish management of the world economic mechanism, they include customs restrictions, up to an economic blockade (as against Iraq and Serbia), industrial espionage, foreign exchange operations to undermine the currencies of rebellious states. In addition, the economies of almost all countries are bound by mutual responsibility with the world economy and are afraid of its collapse. Economic damage may also be the main target of limited use of biological weapons in agriculture, such as the "mad cow disease" epidemic (such were the main consequences for China from the SARS virus, which appeared hardly spontaneously in this most populous part of the planet).

drug trafficking . Already, the CIA and Mossad control most of the world's drug trade, which provides these intelligence agencies with illegal income to finance their operations (as shown by von Bülow). However, this is not only done for the sake of money. Drugs are also an important weapon for the decomposition of the population of rival countries (primarily Russia and Europe), unnecessary countries and the neutralization of superfluous social groups in the United States itself (primarily the black population), which it is desirable to "put on the needle." Therefore, billionaire Soros proposes to legalize drugs even in the United States: “America without drugs is simply impossible ... I would create a tightly controlled distribution network through which I would make most drugs legally available ...”. In Europe, Holland is leading this process. Attali also writes about this means of "consolation" for the outcasts in his book "On the Threshold of the New Millennium" (see below). The increased flow of drugs from Afghanistan after the overthrow of the Taliban there is most aimed at Russia.

Mass culture is essentially a spiritual kind of drug. In the field of culture, despite its somewhat primitive nature, America enjoys an unparalleled attraction, especially among the youth of the world - all this provides the United States with a political influence that no other state in the world has come close. Influence among immature youth - because they have the least resistance to the basic properties of this "culture". They "gravitate more towards mass entertainment, in which the themes of avoiding social problems dominate." Mass culture, of course, can also carry an ideological load, forming the image of an enemy in its own population and glorifying the goals of the United States and its allies.

Cinema plays a special role in shaping the views of the Western population on history and politics, which is why it was actively used by the US government to advertise "good" American wars (suffice it to recall the exploits of "Rambo" during the Cold War and the name of Reagan's space program "Star Wars" after film of the same name). Not surprisingly, after 9/11, the US administration invited heads of Hollywood's leading studios to a meeting and tasked them with making films to support American efforts in the global "war on terror."

Information (disinformation) weapons . Although we name it at the end of the list, it is the most important, necessary to justify the application of all the previous ones.

The first method of the "secret of lawlessness" is precisely the secret - the concealment of one's own existence: one cannot organize a defense against something that does not exist. Therefore, the information weapon of world influence has long been used to hide the true goals of its actions, including in specific politics.

Today, these weapons include the widest range of means: signing fraudulent contracts, leaking information, bluffing (Reagan's "Star Wars"), pushing agents of influence into leadership positions, throwing compromising information against rivals, controlling the media, imposing false lines of scientific research and discrediting right directions; formation of the education system, scientific and cultural environment in order to change ideological values.

Literature:

1. Kostrov A.M. Civil defense. M.: Enlightenment, 1991. - 64 p.: ill.

Weapons of mass destruction

Nuclear explosion

Weapons of mass destruction
Type
By country
Australia	Mexico
Albania	Myanmar
Algeria	Netherlands
Argentina	Pakistan
Bulgaria	Belarus
Brazil	Russia
Great Britain	Romania
Germany	Saudi Arabia
Egypt	Syria
Israel	USA
India	Norway
Iraq	Ukraine
Iran	France
Canada
Kazakhstan
Sweden
China	South Africa
DPRK	Japan
Poland

Weapons of mass destruction (weapons of mass destruction) - a weapon of great lethality, designed to cause massive losses or destruction. .

Such capabilities have, and, therefore, can be considered weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in particular the following types of weapons:

Many types of WMD have environmentally damaging side effects. (For example, radioactive contamination of the area by products of a nuclear explosion.)

Consequences comparable to the consequences of the use of environmentally hazardous types of WMD can also occur in the case of the use of conventional weapons or the commission of terrorist acts at environmentally hazardous facilities (for example: nuclear power plants or chemical plants, dams and hydroelectric facilities, etc.).

Also, the impact of WMD demoralizes both the troops and the civilian population.

The following types of weapons of mass destruction are in service with modern states:

Characteristics

They are characterized by high destructive power and a large area of ​​action. The objects of influence can be both the people themselves, structures, and the natural habitat: fertile soils, terrain (in order to fetter the enemy), plants, animals.

The damaging factors of WMD always have both an instantaneous effect and a more or less extended one in time. Typical examples of damaging factors of instant action:

• shockwave,
• strong light flash (strong light emission),
• streams of high-energy particles,
• electromagnetic pulse,
• artificial tsunami,
• artificial earth tremors.

Typical examples of long-term damaging factors:

• contamination of the area with products of a nuclear explosion and the resulting sharp increase in the local radiation background,
• chemical pollution.

For example, the damaging factors of the following types of WMD are known.

• The damaging factors of a nuclear explosion:
  • air shock wave,
  • light radiation of a nuclear explosion,
  • intense flow of high-energy particles, X-ray and -radiation - penetrating radiation,
  • electromagnetic pulse,
  • contamination with nuclear products.
• The damaging factors of chemical weapons are:
  • actually, a toxic substance in various forms (gaseous, aerosol, on the surface of objects),
  • chemical pollution of air, water, soil;

The duration of action varies depending on the type of poisonous substance and meteorological conditions.

• The damaging factors of biological weapons are the following pathogen (aerosol, on the surface of objects).

(The duration may vary depending on the pathogen and external conditions from several hours or days to tens of years (natural anthrax foci exist for at least decades)).

Hypothetical and promising types of weapons of mass destruction

Possible promising types of WMD:

• Geophysical weapons
• Annihilation weapon (Antimatter bomb, relativistic electron accelerator, gamma laser)
• Orbital cannon

Not a single adopted sample of such a weapon is known.

Hypothetical types of WMD:

• Microwave weapons

The danger of war

The development of research in the development of weapons of mass destruction has led to a significant increase in the danger of war both for the participating countries and for the whole world. In some cases, WMD, on the contrary, acts as a guarantor of peace. For example, a country with a small military potential is able to deter a stronger country from aggression by the threat of inflicting unacceptable damage in the event of the use of WMD. During the Cold War, peace between NATO and the WTO was maintained by the threat of mutually assured destruction.

see also

Notes

Links

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See what "Weapon of Mass Destruction" is in other dictionaries:

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2. Nuclear weapons: damaging factors and protection against them.

3. Chemical weapons and their characteristics.

4. Specific features of bacteriological weapons.

1. General characteristics of weapons of mass destruction.

According to the scale and nature of the damaging effect, modern weapons are divided into conventional and weapons of mass destruction.

Weapons of mass destruction - weapons of great lethality, designed to inflict mass casualties or destruction, are distinguished by a large area of ​​action.

Currently to weapons of mass lesions include:

nuclear

chemical

bacteriological (biological)

Weapons of mass destruction have a strong psycho-traumatic effect, demoralizing both the troops and the civilian population.

The use of weapons of mass destruction has dangerous environmental consequences, capable of causing irreparable damage to the environment.

2. Nuclear weapons: damaging factors and protection against them.

Nuclear weapon- ammunition, the damaging effect of which is based on the use of intranuclear energy. Missiles, aircraft and other means are used to deliver these weapons to the target. Nuclear weapons are the most powerful means of mass destruction. The damaging effect of a nuclear explosion depends mainly on the power of the ammunition and type of explosion: ground, underground, underwater, surface, air, high-rise.

To damaging factors nuclear explosion include:

Shock wave (SW). Similar to the blast wave of a normal explosion, but more powerful for a long time(about 15 sec.) and has a disproportionately greater destructive power. In most cases is main damaging factor. It can cause severe traumatic injuries to people at a considerable distance from the center of the explosion, destroy buildings and structures. It is also capable of inflicting damage in enclosed spaces, penetrating there through cracks and holes.

The most reliable means protection are refuge.

Light emission (SI) - a stream of light emanating from the region of the center of a nuclear explosion, heated to several thousand degrees, resembling an incandescent fireball. The brightness of light radiation in the first seconds is several times greater than the brightness of the Sun. The duration of the action is up to 20 seconds. With direct exposure, it causes burns of the retina of the eyes and exposed parts of the body. Secondary burns from the flame of burning buildings, objects, vegetation are possible.

Protection any opaque barrier that can give a shadow can serve: a wall, a building, a tarpaulin, trees. Light radiation is significantly weakened in dusty, smoky air, fog, rain, snowfall.

Penetrating radiation (PR) – the flow of gamma rays and neutrons released during a chain reaction at the time of a nuclear explosion and

15-20 sec. after him. The action spreads over a distance

up to 1.5 km. Neutrons and gamma rays have a very high

penetrating ability. As a result of human impact

may develop acute radiation sickness (OLB).

Protection are various materials that delay gamma

radiation and neutron flux - metals, concrete, brick, soil

(protective structures). To increase the body's resistance

to radiation exposure are intended prophylactic

anti-radiation drugs - "radioprotectors".

Radioactive contamination of the area (REM) – occurs as a result of the fallout of radioactive substances from the cloud of a nuclear explosion. The damaging effect persists for a long time - weeks, months. It is caused by: external influence of gamma radiation, contact action of beta-particles upon contact with the skin, mucous membranes or inside the body. Possible damage to people: acute or chronic radiation sickness, radiation damage to the skin ("burns"). In case of inhalation intake of RV, radiation damage to the lungs occurs; when swallowed - along with irradiation of the gastrointestinal tract, they are absorbed with accumulation ("incorporation") in various organs and tissues.

Protection methods: limiting exposure to open areas,

d additional sealing of premises; use of artificial intelligence organs

breathing and skin when leaving the premises; removal of radioactive

dust from the surface of the body and clothing (“decontamination”.

Electromagnetic impulse - powerful electrical and

electromagnetic field arising at the moment of explosion (less than 1 sec.).

It does not have a pronounced damaging effect on people.

Disables communications, digital and electronic equipment.