***This is a reupload***. I had an error in the original video that couldn’t be ignored. It was in the latter half of the video concerning a method in which the insulation between the power lines would be compromised. Error has been corrected and it should be in line with source material. Additional detail was also added in this video.
This was used by NATO back in 99 while bombing Yugoslavia but I remember that the power company would fix the issue really quickly and after that they started bombing substations with explosive munnition. I even saw the remains one of those graphite clusters it was fairly small, a size of a 2L bottle.
As a power system protection engineer I can see many flaws in explanation. Just to mention a few: the filament will evaporate immediately and the auto reclose will handle the arcing fault in fast manner. Also, this proposed ionized cloud of metal is highly unstabe and will repell itself very fast (ionized stuff repell itsel) and it is also carried away by wind. Permanent contamination of insulators by graphite dust would be result problems for much longer period of time.
@@godfreypoon5148it worked. But had other problems. When you provoke power outages the water supply is also down. And that caused all kinds of water transmissible diseases.
@@godfreypoon5148 They were used to disable 85% of the grid in Iraq and 70% of the grid in Serbia. So clearly it does work, and does work well. However, yes, the grid can be brought back online rather quickly. Serbia, for example, was pretty much entirely back online within 24 hours. It is intended to disable and paralyze the enemy during critical moments. Largely during an initial invasion/incursion. Being able to disable power to a whole country, even if only briefly, is incredibly useful for causing panic, confusion, disabling communications, and diverting resources. Incredibly useful. You also have to remember that a great deal of the world does not have anywhere near the same level of safeguards, remote control, and uniformity that is seen in the 1st world. This attack can absolutely destroy critical equipment or cause extensive blackouts in countries that don't have modern equipment and don't have any centralized mapping of their grid. It does work well. And the fact that it can be dropped liberally in populated civilian areas makes it incredibly useful.
Yeah I dont see the point with this either, you'd want to destroy enemy power distribution, since you yourself are likely going to depend on off-grid power generation as the invading force, regardless. concussive munitions to destroy key points would make much more sense here.
Britain launched balloons with trailing metal cables to travel into occupied Europe during WWII. The idea was the same, but the technology was much less sophisticated. Apparently the results, although kept from the public, were successful, and thousands of surplus barrage balloons were launched for this purpose.
There are protective relays that sense every kind of fault that could present on a power line that could damage transformers. The breakers will always be tripped by these protective relays before any damage to major items such as transformers happens
Yeap but what happened in North Carolina sure did some major long term damage to a substation. They are just hoping the illegal immigrants don't catch on. But it was all over the News.
power plant switch yards are most vulnerable especially isolation bus not to mention " unintended consequences " of software driven protection equipment
Yes this is a cleaver aporoach. The naysayers are the ones that always kill good ideas before they ever allowed to takeoff. They are very close minded.
@@operationalfacts5602 i wanted to say that lol, some fragments are on display in the War Museum in Kalemegdan, Belgrade along side with F117 parts and radioactive munitions
RUclips, what are you trying to tell me? I should educate myself in peaceful, law-abiding and totally not sarcastic way about energy infrastructure? Golly, what a great idea!
You go mr morality! I’m glad you only mutilate people wearing the right shirt! Certainly no argument can be made that ending a war quickly through non death means actually saves lives.
Aug 14, 2003 northeast USA blackout triggered by a hot day transmission line droop and contact with a tree. Should have been just a local blackout but a software bug at a First Energy control room caused a cascading grid failure. On it's own, the grid equipment is robust, the control systems and software, not so much.😢
I never knew this was a thing, but I've had ideas about how disruptive chaff could be to power grids. While better than destructive explosives, i still wish we could stop seeing eachother as enemies
Disabling the power grid will lead to cannibalism looting and worse. -__- Most people don't know where their packaged good comes from let alone be expected to forage in a city situation going down.
Biggest flaw I see in this explanation is that it only explains a single filament. You’d need thousands to be really effective. Wind alone would blow ionized particles away. Sounds nifty in theory but the explanation is flawed.
It depends. If deployed from an unguided munitions dispenser, yes. If the munitions dispenser is guided (IE via WCMD kit) it can be effectively employed from higher altitudes.
Not exactly. You’re switching stations and high voltage transformers are above the ground and very vulnerable. But I agree there as wisdom and below ground cables.
@@eeroala5132 they aren’t as maintenance intensive you don’t need to worry about trees shorting them out. All our mains voltages cables run by the side of paths (sidewalks) or roads so tree roots cannot grow around them. If graphite bombs was known about a temporary fine wire mesh can be built over vulnerable switching points or open air wires. All our local substation transformers are covered anyway usually in a brick building or by a box around the transformer but national grid transformers are different but still easily covered if needs be. In the USA it’s much harder since all your national grid is run on pylons above air and your local transformers are all open but still easily covered if needs be. Since the USA is much bigger than the U.K. your national grid transformers and switching points are huge much more difficult to harden against this typer of attack and as a plus our national grid is very rarely effect by CMEs from our sun so it’s much harder to over load. It’s a better system.
Literally useless. They would just periodically switch off all protection circuits and simply burn off/explode anything on the lines. Short-circuits are dangerous if stable for minutes and of high current only.
To correct you on that one, they will not “switch off” these circuits. They will install a bypass conductor in parallel with them. But this is quite the clown representation. At 2:51 they have the protective mechanisms tripping on the wrong side of the transformer.
You’re partially correct this is a fishing article designed to catch people that are already cleared that spill too many beans. The Comet section is monitored to see see if anybody reveals classified information.
@@noimnotarobotcanubeleiveit7024 It may be common knowledge to you but this is the internet. It's better to have a couple of bona fide sources and to take nothing for granted.
Ukraine uses traditional mortars to attack their own nuclear power facilities that are being guarded and ran by Russian technicians. It doesn’t seem like the Ukrainians would be interested in this type of weapon. What tactical advantage would Ukraine gain using this weapon?
***This is a reupload***. I had an error in the original video that couldn’t be ignored. It was in the latter half of the video concerning a method in which the insulation between the power lines would be compromised. Error has been corrected and it should be in line with source material.
Additional detail was also added in this video.
A great update, thank you.
Is this a current US weapon?
@@mm3mm3 Yes. This weapon was used in both gulf wars. Little funfact: attacking of the civilian energy infra structure, is a war crime.
Guys, whatever you do
DONT wrap rocks in copper wire and throw them at power lines
Literally 1984
Here go my plans for the night
If you see spaghetti falling from the sky, you're gonna have a bad time.
That’s what clams see.
*megalovania blasts in the background*
This was used by NATO back in 99 while bombing Yugoslavia but I remember that the power company would fix the issue really quickly and after that they started bombing substations with explosive munnition. I even saw the remains one of those graphite clusters it was fairly small, a size of a 2L bottle.
As a power system protection engineer I can see many flaws in explanation. Just to mention a few: the filament will evaporate immediately and the auto reclose will handle the arcing fault in fast manner. Also, this proposed ionized cloud of metal is highly unstabe and will repell itself very fast (ionized stuff repell itsel) and it is also carried away by wind. Permanent contamination of insulators by graphite dust would be result problems for much longer period of time.
I agree. This thing simply would not work well.
@@godfreypoon5148it worked.
But had other problems. When you provoke power outages the water supply is also down.
And that caused all kinds of water transmissible diseases.
@@godfreypoon5148 They were used to disable 85% of the grid in Iraq and 70% of the grid in Serbia. So clearly it does work, and does work well. However, yes, the grid can be brought back online rather quickly. Serbia, for example, was pretty much entirely back online within 24 hours.
It is intended to disable and paralyze the enemy during critical moments. Largely during an initial invasion/incursion. Being able to disable power to a whole country, even if only briefly, is incredibly useful for causing panic, confusion, disabling communications, and diverting resources. Incredibly useful. You also have to remember that a great deal of the world does not have anywhere near the same level of safeguards, remote control, and uniformity that is seen in the 1st world. This attack can absolutely destroy critical equipment or cause extensive blackouts in countries that don't have modern equipment and don't have any centralized mapping of their grid.
It does work well. And the fact that it can be dropped liberally in populated civilian areas makes it incredibly useful.
Yeah I dont see the point with this either, you'd want to destroy enemy power distribution, since you yourself are likely going to depend on off-grid power generation as the invading force, regardless. concussive munitions to destroy key points would make much more sense here.
@@godfreypoon5148When has "this is stupid and probably won't work" ever been sufficient reason for the military NOT to develop some new weapon system?
Forbidden confetti...
Britain launched balloons with trailing metal cables to travel into occupied Europe during WWII. The idea was the same, but the technology was much less sophisticated. Apparently the results, although kept from the public, were successful, and thousands of surplus barrage balloons were launched for this purpose.
There are protective relays that sense every kind of fault that could present on a power line that could damage transformers. The breakers will always be tripped by these protective relays before any damage to major items such as transformers happens
Yeap but what happened in North Carolina sure did some major long term damage to a substation. They are just hoping the illegal immigrants don't catch on. But it was all over the News.
You're counting on the breaker not being bypassed by the arc. But yes, modern grid infrastructure is much more resilient against this attack mode.
Chernobyl after the first explosion:
*Graphite bomb*
ferb i know what we’re gonna do today
Why yes, yes we do
power plant switch yards are most vulnerable especially isolation bus
not to mention " unintended consequences " of
software driven protection equipment
Salfware protections normaly just enhance mechanical ones
Fuses are still very whidly used
Whoever came up with this nonlethal & non-infrastructure destroying tactic is a genius!
Not really
Theres a reason it's not done that way.
Yes this is a cleaver aporoach. The naysayers are the ones that always kill good ideas before they ever allowed to takeoff. They are very close minded.
interesting stuff, didn't they use something like this over baghdad in desert storm?
Yes and also in Yugoslavia.
@@operationalfacts5602 i wanted to say that lol, some fragments are on display in the War Museum in Kalemegdan, Belgrade along side with F117 parts and radioactive munitions
Yes, the United States of Terrorism is always busy hurting civilians. Even as we speak. Even in 10-30 years from now.
These are also used as anti radar countermeasures too. The filsments are silver or aluminum plated graphite fibers .
That's incredibly interesting.
Good job people…
Now THIS is in the memory banks. I already picture using drones already. Perhaps 🤔 nobody should know this?
RUclips, what are you trying to tell me? I should educate myself in peaceful, law-abiding and totally not sarcastic way about energy infrastructure? Golly, what a great idea!
Love to target civilian infrastructure and act like it's totally normal, fine and not something literal monsters would do.
You go mr morality! I’m glad you only mutilate people wearing the right shirt! Certainly
no argument can be made that ending a war quickly through non death means actually saves lives.
Temporarily disabling a power grid is much better compared to using missiles with explosive warheads in them.
Better than nuclear weapons and firebombing.
War is hell.
War is monstrous, didn't you know?
Aug 14, 2003 northeast USA blackout triggered by a hot day transmission line droop and contact with a tree. Should have been just a local blackout but a software bug at a First Energy control room caused a cascading grid failure. On it's own, the grid equipment is robust, the control systems and software, not so much.😢
I never knew this was a thing, but I've had ideas about how disruptive chaff could be to power grids.
While better than destructive explosives, i still wish we could stop seeing eachother as enemies
Disabling the power grid will lead to cannibalism looting and worse. -__- Most people don't know where their packaged good comes from let alone be expected to forage in a city situation going down.
Death of a thousand cuts.
Please tell me at least one of these types of bomb is called THOR
THOR uses microwave energy to disable its target while the graphite bomb depends on conductive filaments to disable the electrical grid.
There is a weapon call Stormbteaker. Which is a weapon of thor. But it is a traditional explosive ordanence.
Cheers dude
What's the order of magnitude of the lifetime of the particle cloud?
Words...
Few seconds
Depends on the weather…but less than a min.
Neat.
Thought about this when i was 14...
Biggest flaw I see in this explanation is that it only explains a single filament. You’d need thousands to be really effective. Wind alone would blow ionized particles away. Sounds nifty in theory but the explanation is flawed.
It vas used by US on Jugoslavia agression!!!
Doesn't Seem to be very Accurate unless their flying right over the lines at low Attitude?
It depends. If deployed from an unguided munitions dispenser, yes. If the munitions dispenser is guided (IE via WCMD kit) it can be effectively employed from higher altitudes.
They call them Blackout bombs
Mr Krabbs I have an idea!
metal spaghetti
Seems useless against any probably set up powergrid. Just turning that leg off then back on would probably be the extent of the fix.
graphite
We use underground power cables in the U.K. so we are ok from this device.
Not exactly. You’re switching stations and high voltage transformers are above the ground and very vulnerable. But I agree there as wisdom and below ground cables.
@@eeroala5132 they aren’t as maintenance intensive you don’t need to worry about trees shorting them out. All our mains voltages cables run by the side of paths (sidewalks) or roads so tree roots cannot grow around them. If graphite bombs was known about a temporary fine wire mesh can be built over vulnerable switching points or open air wires. All our local substation transformers are covered anyway usually in a brick building or by a box around the transformer but national grid transformers are different but still easily covered if needs be. In the USA it’s much harder since all your national grid is run on pylons above air and your local transformers are all open but still easily covered if needs be. Since the USA is much bigger than the U.K. your national grid transformers and switching points are huge much more difficult to harden against this typer of attack and as a plus our national grid is very rarely effect by CMEs from our sun so it’s much harder to over load. It’s a better system.
Literally useless.
They would just periodically switch off all protection circuits and simply burn off/explode anything on the lines. Short-circuits are dangerous if stable for minutes and of high current only.
To correct you on that one, they will not “switch off” these circuits. They will install a bypass conductor in parallel with them. But this is quite the clown representation. At 2:51 they have the protective mechanisms tripping on the wrong side of the transformer.
Based on your avatar I conclude that your an Ordnance Expert and military strategist. Your comment is unvaluable.
Which is exactly the inteded use for these, cause distruption in the power grid
You’re
Bro wtf 😮 I’m scared to watch this shit it seems like it was placed by the feds
Don't be. There's nothing they can do about you watching it.
You’re partially correct this is a fishing article designed to catch people that are already cleared that spill too many beans. The Comet section is monitored to see see if anybody reveals classified information.
@@eeroala5132 They should check out War Thunder. I heard a that lot of classified information gets leaked on there
@@eeroala5132you're not the protagonist, man. Nobody's monitoring a random comment section for a video more basic than a wikipedia article.
this is disgusting
Ukraine uses them
Source?
@@JZsBFFcommon knowledge they been using them to blackout donbass since 2014 causing hospital shutdowns and major civilian damage
@@noimnotarobotcanubeleiveit7024 It may be common knowledge to you but this is the internet. It's better to have a couple of bona fide sources and to take nothing for granted.
Ukraine uses traditional mortars to attack their own nuclear power facilities that are being guarded and ran by Russian technicians. It doesn’t seem like the Ukrainians would be interested in this type of weapon. What tactical advantage would Ukraine gain using this weapon?
@@JZsBFF our local factory dunarit sells them to Ukraine. Im not writing you a university dissertation on it. Not proud btw
W what