New Boeing missile blacks out enemy's communications

WENDOVER, Utah, United States - A recent weapons flight test in the Utah desert may change future warfare after the missile successfully took down electronic targets with little to no collateral damage.

CHAMP is a non-kinetic alternative to traditional explosive weapons that use the energy of motion to defeat a target.

During the test, the CHAMP missile navigated a pre-programmed flight plan and emitted bursts of high-powered energy, effectively knocking out the target's data and electronic subsystems.

CHAMP allows for selective high-frequency radio wave strikes against numerous targets during a single mission.

Boeing and the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) successfully tested the Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) during a flight over the Utah Test and Training Range.

"This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare," said Keith Coleman, CHAMP programme manager for Boeing Phantom Works.

"In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive."

A non-lethal weapon that can defeat targets without collateral damage is an idea that has been portrayed in television and film.

Lead Test Engineer Peter Finlay said that the CHAMP is not quite up to the technology depicted in the Star Wars and Star Trek movies. However, it is an advancement in technology that enables them to do things they could not have done before.