British MPs warned today that Britain’s critical national infrastructure could be crippled in a high-altitude space attack by a rogue state like IRI.
James Arbuthnot, the chairman of the committee, said he believed the possibility of an EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) attack was “quite likely”.
A nuclear device detonated up to 500 miles above the earth’s surface could generate an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) with a “devastating” effect on power supplies, telecommunications and other vital systems, the Commons Defence Committee said.
It warned that countries such as Iran – which is resisting international pressure to end its nuclear programme – and even eventually some “non-state actors” could acquire the technology to mount such an attack.
Terrorists could also build a “crude” non-nuclear EMP weapon, with the power to cause disruption over a more limited area.
