High Altitude Nuclear Explosion
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When a nuclear explosion occurs in the atmosphere, gamma rays cause a second reaction within the atmosphere that generates an intense electron pulse exceeding five trillion megawatts.
The duration of the pulse is short, at 500 nanoseconds, but the strength of the electromagnetic field is tens of thousands of volts/meter, and it causes damage to antennae and cables. As a result of scalar waves, it spreads over a radius of several thousand kilometers and is believed to destroy all normal electronic equipment.
In 1962, tests such as those involved in Starfish Prime, were conducted on the South Pacific island of Johnston to test the effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions.