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Posted: 8/19/2008 7:22:12 PM EDT
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Cruised over to the survivalist forum and it got me to thinking about my SHTF setup, it is a 16" LWRC topped with a Aimpoint M4s with BUIS. In a worse case SHTF a nuke goes off, would the EMP knock out an Aimpoint? I would assume so (same for other electronic sights), I guess that is what the BUIS are for.  What do you guys think, would that turn it into a useless piece of glass? |
Yep. EMP does its damage by inducing a very brief, high-voltage spike in electrical devices. This spike can be strong enough to burn out wiring, "punch through" the thin semiconductor layers in transistors, diodes and computer chips, or cause the software in computer-controlled devices to go haywire. However, the strength of the electrical spike induced in any electrical device by EMP is dependent on the length and physical orientation of any conductors connected to the device. Long conductors (i.e., AC power lines, phone lines, big antennas, etc.) receive a significant amount of the EMP spike; short conductors (i.e., tiny circuits) do not. In devices that aren't connected to any long conductors, almost no electrical spike is generated due to EMP, and thus the device is unlikely to be damaged. Most small electronic devices (i.e., cell phones, portable radios, PDAs, laptop computers, digital wristwatches, flashlights, electronic combination locks on safes, red dot sights, etc.) would fall into this category - The few inches (or fractions of an inch) of conductors present in these devices is simply too short to intercept any significant amount of EMP, and thus no damaging voltage spike is generated within them. Also, in the case of Aimpoints and other red-dot sights, all of this tiny circuitry is located inside a metal enclosure (the scope tube), which provides a shielding effect against EMP. BOTTOM LINE: Tiny circuitry + no connections to large external conductors + metal enclosure = VERY unlikely EMP damage to your Aimpoint or other red-dot sight. |
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Thanks for the great info guys. Interesting answer to a extreme what if. While not laying in bed at night worrying about this, I have wondered how much trouble something like this would cause our military. So much of what our military has come to depend on in being the premier fighting force today is based on top tier electronics. |
Actually, wrapping in tinfiol WOULD protect against EMP. EMP can't get thru a Faraday cage. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage |
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I'd say that the function of your Aimpoint would be the least of your concerns in that event. In the late 90s/early 00s a vendor at a gunshow wanted to charge me 80 bucks for a GG&G VFG. Inside his demo model were two AA batts wrapped in tinfoil to sheild them from an EMP...I politely walked away. Since he obviously had no need to sheild his brain from radiation, I wonder if he was wearing a tinfoil undershirt and jockstrap to protect the usable portions of his body? 
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Detonating just one nuke high in the atmosphere can generate an EMP strong enough to affect the entire continental U.S. - even though the effects of the blast or radiation from the bomb itself wouldn't be felt anywhere on the ground. Your Aimpoint wouldn't be affected, but your local utilities, broadcast TV & radio, communications and transportation infrastructure would almost certainly be affected - regardless of where you live in the CONUS. High-altitude EMP (or "HEMP") is indeed a nationwide threat - But only to certain devices and services.  (apologies for wandering somewhat off the original topic!) |
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Skibane, You hit the nail right on the head, that is what I was asking about specifically. I had always understood that a high altitude burst from a very small number (even one) of nukes could cause nationwide havoc with electronics. While most people would have relative little direct damage from a blast, the EMP could cause huge problems. I just thought it was an interesting question. |
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