There are no Conspiracy theories, there are only truth and lies.

WEAPONS THAT USE MICROWAVE

Are there weapons that are meant for one thing but could be used for another? Anti-Drone Weapons

Do anti-drone guns use microwave frequencies?

Some anti-drone "guns" (or rifle-like directed energy systems) do use microwave frequencies, but most common handheld or portable anti-drone guns use RF frequencies. https://interestingengineering.com/lists/7-anti-drone-weapons-used-by-the-military-and-law-enforcement-around-the-world

Anti-drone countermeasures come in several types:

  • RF jammers — These are the most widespread "anti-drone guns" (e.g., DroneGun Tactical or similar portable devices). They emit targeted RF signals on common drone control frequencies (like 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz, GNSS/GPS bands) to disrupt communication between the drone and its operator or jam navigation, forcing the drone to land, hover, or return home. These operate in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (microwaves generally span ~300 MHz to 300 GHz), so technically yes, they use microwave frequencies—but at much lower power levels focused on interference rather than destruction.

  • High-power microwave (HPM) systems — These are more advanced directed energy weapons that use intense bursts of microwave energy to overload and damage or destroy a drone's electronics (similar to a directed EMP). Examples include:

    • Epirus Leonidas (a portable or vehicle-mounted system capable of taking down swarms by frying circuits).

    • Raytheon Phaser.

    • UK's RapidDestroyer RF directed energy weapon.

    • Others like THOR or experimental Chinese systems.

These explicitly use high-power microwaves (often in GHz ranges) to disable drones at the speed of light, even autonomous ones without radio links. Some are described as "guns" or rifle-like in concept (though many are larger, trailer- or vehicle-based for power needs).

  • Everyday commercial/military portable anti-drone guns → usually RF jammers using microwave-band frequencies for disruption.

  • Advanced HPM anti-drone weapons → yes, they specifically use high-power microwave frequencies for destructive effects.

The term "anti-drone gun" often refers to the jamming variety in common usage, but microwave-based directed energy options are increasingly deployed against drone swarms.

Query re wepons used in Venezuela to kill 100+ people: The way soldiers got into Venezuela right into the area where Madura lived was by repelling down from helicopters. The kind of weapon used could have been dropped down with them. The questions are what kind of weapons did they have? What kind of weapon causes one to bleed out of facial orifaces and make you sick at your stomach and lay down and die. They may have had a microwave type weapon and when the guards were somewhat disabled, they were shot and killed with kinetic weapons (bullets) or the energy weapon killed them.

Can microwave cause cavitation?

Yes, microwaves can cause cavitation, although typically only under specific conditions, such as during intense, rapid heating or when combined with other methods (like ultrasonic treatment or specific electrode setups).

How Microwaves Cause Cavitation:

  • Rapid Heating & Nucleation: Intense microwave irradiation can cause liquid (like water) [your body is full of water] to heat up so quickly that it leads to the formation of vapor bubbles (cavitation).

  • Combined with Ultrasound: When microwave irradiation is combined with ultrasonic treatment, it can trigger or enhance cavitation. Studies show that microwave-assisted ultrasonic cavitation can shift the cavitation regime, allowing for more intense "soft" or "gassy" cavitation, which is useful in chemical synthesis and processing.

  • Electrode Effects: In specialized, experimental setups (microwave electrochemistry), metal electrode tips can create strong microwave focusing, leading to localized boiling and the creation of bubbles (cavitation) at the tip.

  • Medical Applications (Ablation): Percutaneous microwave ablation, used to treat tumors, can cause cavitation in surrounding tissues, which is a recognized, albeit undesirable, complication in some procedures.

    Key Points on Microwaves and Cavitation:

  • Coupling with Ultrasound: The most common research context for microwave-induced cavitation is in hybrid systems designed to maximize efficiency in reactions, where the microwave provides heat and the ultrasound provides mechanical cavitation.

  • Gassy vs. Inertial Cavitation: Microwave irradiation can trigger a transition from "hard" (inertial) cavitation to "soft" (gassy) cavitation, which is generally characterized by larger, less aggressive bubble oscillations, and vice versa when the microwave is switched off.

  • Not a Standard Microwave Occurrence: While possible in specialized laboratory settings, this type of cavitation is generally not a common occurrence in typical domestic microwave cooking, where standard boiling is the primary phase change.

Ultrasound combined with microwave irradiation: Cavitation regimes and acoustic emissions

Abstract
The irradiation of water by intense ultrasound (US) without and with microwave (MW) heating is investigated by analysis of acoustic emission spectra and high-speed imaging of cavitation bubbles. To this end, pure airborne sound detection proves sufficient for a rough assessment of cavitation quality generated by a 20.5 kHz glass horn inside a MW oven. Results show essentially two cavitation states: soft (or gassy) and hard (inertial) cavitation. Application of US alone leads to soft cavitation in strongly pre-heated water, and to hard cavitation otherwise. The addition of MW irradiation to hard cavitation triggers after a certain delay time the transition to soft cavitation, but a return to hard cavitation is observed after switching MW off. The findings are discussed in the context of water temperature and relative air saturation of the liquid. It is conjectured that rapid MW heating during US irradiation can drive the water into stronger oversaturation, while US alone does not. Further experiments for exploration of the observed effects are suggested, and potential optimization strategies for US/MW applications are proposed.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12517173/

While ultrasonic cavitation is a common, localized, non-invasive fat reduction technique, combining it with high-power microwaves (MW) creates a synergetic, and potentially dangerous, effect. Here is a breakdown of the mechanisms:

1. Mechanisms of Action

  • Ultrasonic Homogenizer (20–45 kHz): Converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, causing rapid expansion and contraction of bubbles in tissue water. This produces high-pressure, high-temperature cavitation that can rupture cell membranes.

  • High-Powered Microwave (MW): Induces rapid dielectric heating, which increases the temperature of water within tissue.

  • Combined Effect: Studies show that when ultrasound and microwave energy are applied simultaneously, they complement each other. The MW provides rapid heating, while the ultrasound ensures intense cavitation.

    2. Potential Effects on Human Tissue

  • Inertial Cavitation/Tissue Rupture: High-intensity, focused ultrasound can cause "hard" (inertial) cavitation, leading to violent bubble collapse, which in turn causes tissue destruction, such as the fragmentation of adipose cells or other biological tissues.

  • Thermal Damage (Burns/Boiling): Microwaves cause rapid heating, potentially reaching 100°C, which can cause severe burns, internal tissue coagulation, or boiling.

  • Synergistic Damage: The combined, uncontrolled application of these two technologies could lead to severe tissue damage, including vascular injury, nerve damage, and severe cellular rupture.

  • "Soft" to "Hard" Switching: Research indicates that switching microwave irradiation on and off can switch the cavitation regime between "gassy" (soft) and "inertial" (hard) cavitation, indicating a highly unstable and violent, but uncontrollable, process.

    3. Safety and Limitations

  • Regulatory Status: Such devices are not approved for human use in this combined manner. Ultrasonic cavitation for fat reduction is typically low-power and localized.

  • Dangers: Improper use, especially at high power, can cause skin burns, tissue necrosis, and nerve damage.


The Combined "Synergy"

If both were aimed at a person simultaneously, the microwave would heat the tissue, lowering the viscosity and surface tension of the body fluids.

Because cavitation occurs more easily in warmer liquids with lower surface tension, the microwave would effectively "prime" the body, making the ultrasonic homogenizer significantly more destructive than it would be on its own. The result would be a rapid transition of solid tissue into a fragmented, boiling slurry.

Both of these devices are industrial or laboratory tools designed for use in controlled environments. High-power ultrasonic probes can cause permanent nerve damage or hearing loss even through indirect contact, and high-power microwave radiation causes deep-tissue burns that the body cannot easily dissipate.

In summary, a high-powered combination of these devices would cause significant, potentially life-threatening cavitation, localized heating, and mechanical destruction of human tissue.

What kind of weapon was the Discombobulator?

The Most Intense Footage From The Maduro Raid (*VERY GRAPHIC*) Venezuela Combat Footage

What kind of weapon was used by the U.S. In Venesuela?

Is there any information on the development of this combination of technologies to use as a military weapon?

While there is no publicly confirmed military weapon that explicitly combines a microwave applicator and an ultrasonic homogenizer to induce cavitation in humans, both technologies have been independently developed as "Directed Energy Weapons" (DEWs). Research has explored their biological effects, sometimes in complementary roles.

1. High-Power Microwave (HPM) Weapons

Current military development of HPMs focuses on two primary areas:

  • Anti-Electronics: Systems like the US Air Force's THOR and the Navy's Project METEOR are designed to "fry" the circuitry of drones and missiles.

  • Anti-Personnel (Active Denial System): The Active Denial System (ADS) uses millimeter waves to heat the water molecules in a person's skin (penetrating only ~0.4mm), creating an intolerable burning sensation to repel crowds without permanent damage.

2. Acoustic and Ultrasonic Weapons

  • Deterrence: Devices like the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) use focused sound to cause pain and disorientation.

  • The "Havana Syndrome" Theory: Some theories regarding "Havana Syndrome" suggested the use of pulsed microwaves to trigger the Frey Effect—where microwaves are perceived as internal sounds (clicks or buzzes) in the head—though investigations into ultrasonic sources were also conducted.

3. Integrated or "Complementary" Systems

Recent military tests have shown a move toward using these technologies in tandem, though typically for different functional roles:

  • Sensing and Neutralizing: The U.S. Army recently tested HPM systems alongside FS-LIDS, where one system tracks the target while the microwave pulse disables it.

  • Synergistic "Discombobulators": Political and military reports have occasionally used terms like "discombobulator" to describe a combination of non-kinetic capabilities—such as electronic warfare and directed energy—to achieve a total mission defeat.


Military interest in combining these effects is largely focused on multi-modal non-lethal systems (e.g., a "heat ray" to move a crowd and a "sound cannon" to issue commands). The specific use of high-power ultrasound to cause cavitation is generally avoided in non-lethal weapon design because the threshold for cavitation in human tissue is dangerously close to the threshold for permanent organ damage and death.

During the January 3, 2026, raid to capture Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, an eyewitness account from a surviving security guard described the use of a mysterious sonic or directed-energy weapon that left guards bleeding from their noses and vomiting blood.

Regarding whether cavitation could cause these symptoms:

  • Scientific Mechanism: Cavitation—the rapid formation and collapse of vapor bubbles in a liquid due to pressure changes—is a known mechanism in primary blast injuries. While most commonly studied in traumatic brain injuries (TBI), the collapse of these bubbles creates localized shock waves that can damage delicate tissues.

  • Targeted Organs: Bleeding from the nose and mouth often results from injuries to gas-containing structures (like the lungs and paranasal sinuses). In blast scenarios, these air-filled cavities are highly susceptible to "implosion" effects and internal hemorrhaging.

  • Weapon Speculation: Experts and reports have linked the guard's symptoms—which included the sensation of a "head exploding from the inside"—to advanced directed energy or pulsed microwave technology. Such weapons can interact with the body's fluids and tissues to cause disorientation, paralysis, and internal bleeding similar to high-pressure acoustic effects.

  • While the White House has not confirmed technical details of the "Discombobulator" weapon mentioned by Donald Trump, the symptoms described by the guards are consistent with the physical trauma typically caused by pressure-wave-induced cavitation in the body's air-fluid interfaces.

US Used the “Discombobulator” to
Capture Nicolás Maduro — Secret Weapon Explained

There was an unknown weapon used on the guards at Maduro's palace.
Would the bleeding about the nose and mouth possibly be from cavitation?

During the January 3, 2026, raid to capture Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, an eyewitness account from a surviving security guard described the use of a mysterious sonic or directed-energy weapon that left guards bleeding from their noses and vomiting blood.

Regarding whether cavitation could cause these symptoms:

While the White House has not confirmed technical details of the "Discombobulator" weapon mentioned by Donald Trump, the symptoms described by the guards are consistent with the physical trauma typically caused by pressure-wave-induced cavitation in the body's air-fluid interfaces.

Was bleeding about the face and vomiting blood a part of Havana Syndrome?

While bloody noses were reported in some "Havana Syndrome" (Anomalous Health Incidents) cases, vomiting blood was notably absent from the typical clinical presentation.

  • Bloody Noses: Some victims, including children of Canadian diplomats in Havana, reported nosebleeds and bleeding from the ears. These were often accompanied by sudden pressure or loud, directional noises.

  • Vomiting Blood: This symptom was not a standard feature of Havana Syndrome, which primarily involved neurological and vestibular symptoms like severe headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, and cognitive impairment.

  • Comparison to Maduro Raid: The symptoms described by guards at Maduro’s palace—specifically vomiting blood and mass paralysis—are considered far more extreme and immediate than the subtle, chronic effects typically associated with Havana Syndrome.

Experts have noted that while both may involve directed-energy technology, the physiological trauma reported in the Caracas raid suggests a device with significantly higher power or a different operational mechanism than what was alleged in previous incidents.

How many of the guards die and did they die of this energy weapon or were they shot to death where they collapsed?

During the operation Absolute Resolve raid on January 3, 2026, official reports and eyewitness accounts indicate significant fatalities among the security forces guarding Nicolás Maduro.https://nypost.com/2026/01/10/world-news/us-used-powerful-sonic-weapon-in-venezuela-during-raid-to-capture-madouro-incredible-witness-account/

Casualty reports vary between official Venezuelan and Cuban sources:

  • Total Deaths: Venezuela's Defense Ministry reported that 83 people were killed in total during the raid. Other initial assessments placed the overall death toll at approximately 80 people, including military personnel and civilians.

  • Venezuelan Forces: Reports state that between 23 and 47 Venezuelan security officers were killed.

  • Cuban Forces: The Cuban government confirmed that 32 Cuban military and police officers—part of Maduro's personal security detail—were killed in the operation.

  • U.S. Casualties: There were no American fatalities, though seven service members were injured.


Cause of Death: Energy Weapon vs. Gunfire:

The specific cause of death for the guards remains a subject of intense debate due to conflicting reports of "mysterious" symptoms versus traditional combat trauma.

  • Evidence of the "Discombobulator": A surviving guard described the use of a "mysterious weapon" (later referred to by President Trump as "The Discombobulator") that caused soldiers to collapse without visible gunshot wounds. This device allegedly emitted an intense soundwave that caused guards to feel as if their heads were "exploding from the inside," leading to mass paralysis, nosebleeds, and vomiting blood.

  • "Soft-Kill" Incapacitation: Military experts suggest the described symptoms are consistent with a Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) or high-power microwave device designed for "soft-kill" incapacitation—disrupting the body's biological functions rather than using kinetic force.

  • Traditional Combat Trauma: Despite reports of the energy weapon, other Venezuelan officials described much more violent scenes. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello stated that some victims were blown to "little pieces" during the U.S. attack, requiring DNA testing for identification. This suggests that while some guards may have been incapacitated by the energy weapon, many others were killed by traditional high-explosive munitions, rockets, or missiles fired by U.S. combat helicopters and aircraft.

  • Combined Tactics: The raid began with the bombing of military infrastructure and telecommunications to suppress defenses, followed by a ground assault by approximately 20 to 200 Special Operations forces. The "Discombobulator" appears to have been used to disable equipment (such as Russian and Chinese missile systems) and incapacitate defenders to allow the extraction team to capture Maduro with minimal U.S. casualties.


Comparison of the reported capabilities of "The Discombobulator" versus known directed-energy technologies?

Based on the accounts following the Caracas raid and President Trump’s subsequent mentions of "The Discombobulator," we can compare the reported effects of this "unknown" weapon against existing military directed-energy technologies.

Weapon Capabilities Comparison

"The Discombobulator" (Reported)

Known Directed-Energy Tech Primary Effect: Instant paralysis, vomiting blood, "head exploding" sensation.
ADS (Active Denial System): Intense skin heating (burning sensation) but no internal bleeding.
Internal Damage: Cavitation-like trauma; bleeding from nose/mouth.
High-Power Microwaves (HPM): Disrupts electronics; can cause "Frey Effect" (hearing sounds inside the head).
Scope of Target: Targeted soldiers and disabled Russian/Chinese missile systems.
CHAMP (Counter-electronics High-power Microwave): Specifically kills electronics without harming humans.
Lethality: Described as "discombobulating" but potentially lethal at high power.
Sonic Weapons (LRAD): Causes pain/nausea but rarely internal hemorrhaging.

Analysis of the Technology Used

The symptoms described—vomiting blood and internal pressure—suggest a weapon that bridges the gap between non-lethal incapacitation and lethal force. There are three leading theories on what "The Discombobulator" actually is:

  • Pulsed Energy Projectile (PEP): This technology uses infrared lasers to create a plasma "burst" on the target's surface. This creates a pressure wave that acts on the nerves, potentially causing the paralysis and intense pain the guards described.

  • Acoustic Heterodyning: If two ultrasonic beams intersect at a target, they can create a lower-frequency audible "beat" inside the person's skull. At extreme power levels, this could cause the resonance that leads to cavitation in the sinuses and lungs, explaining the bleeding.

  • High-Power Microwave (HPM) "Bio-Effects": A weapon designed to pulse microwave energy at frequencies that resonate with the human nervous system or biological tissues. Unlike the Active Denial System (which just heats skin), this would theoretically disrupt the brain-to-muscle signals, causing the reported "mass paralysis."


The Strategic Shift

The Caracas raid marked the first time the U.S. appears to have used a "Dual-Use" weapon on a large scale—one that simultaneously fried the circuitry of the S-300 missile batteries and incapacitated the human operators without necessarily using bullets or traditional bombs for the initial breach.

Note: The "head exploding" sensation is the most significant clue. It indicates the weapon was likely interacting directly with the fluids in the inner ear or the cranial cavity, which supports your initial thought about cavitation or high-pressure acoustic resonance.

President Trump has stated that "The Discombobulator" played a central role in neutralizing Venezuela's integrated air defense network, rendering advanced Russian and Chinese-made systems inoperable during Operation Absolute Resolve.

The specific systems reportedly disabled include:

  • Russian S-300VM (Antey-2500): Considered one of the world's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft systems, these batteries failed to fire a single missile as U.S. forces entered Caracas

  • Chinese JY-27A "Anti-Stealth" Radar: Beijing marketed this VHF radar as capable of detecting F-35 and F-22 stealth jets, but it was reportedly "paralyzed" and failed to provide any early warning.

  • Russian Buk-M2 & S-125 Pechora: These medium-range systems were intended to protect the capital but were found to be offline or non-functional during the raid

  • Chinese FK-3 Missile Systems: Without data from the suppressed radar network, these surface-to-air missiles were rendered "duds" and could not engage incoming U.S. aircraft.

How They Were Disabled?

While Trump referred to a singular "Discombobulator" weapon that made enemy forces press buttons where "nothing worked," military analysts suggest a multi-layered approach:

  1. Electronic Warfare (EW): EA-18G Growlers used next-generation jammer pods to disrupt all radar signals across the country within 12 minutes.

  2. Cyber Attacks: U.S. forces likely used cyber tools to infiltrate and shut down command-and-control nodes before the kinetic strike began.

  3. Directed Energy/Sonic Effects: Trump's description of a "secret sonic weapon" corroborates accounts from guards who experienced physical trauma (nosebleeds and vertigo) while their equipment simultaneously failed.

U.S Firm Epirus Unveils Backpack-Sized Microwave Weapon " Leonidas HPM Pod " to hunt ‘Unjammable’ Drones

The American defence-technology company Epirus is pushing its Leonidas High-Power Microwave (HPM) Pod as a new answer to one of the hardest problems on today’s battlefields: cheap, highly manoeuvrable fiber-optic–controlled drones that shrug off traditional radio-frequency jamming. Mounted on drones, vehicles or potentially helicopters, the compact pod is designed to fry the electronics of hostile unmanned aircraft in mid-air, regardless of how they are controlled.

A Backpack-Sized Directed-Energy Weapon
According to Epirus and publicly available product information, the Leonidas Pod is a solid-state, software-defined high-power microwave weapon that miniaturises the company’s ground-based Leonidas system into a remarkably small form factor. The pod weighs under 50 pounds and is roughly the size of a large backpack, light enough to be man-carried or slung under a heavy-lift drone.

Instead of older magnetron tubes, Leonidas uses gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor amplifier modules to generate long-pulse microwave energy. This allows a more durable beam, lower power consumption and a system that can start up or shut down in minutes rather than hours.

Epirus positions the pod as a mobile, compact counter-electronics and electronic-attack system. The pod’s open architecture is designed to integrate with existing airborne mission systems and ground fire-control networks, turning any host platform—unmanned aircraft, armoured vehicle, or potentially a helicopter—into a directed-energy node in a larger air-defence web.

The Leonidas family is built to counter drone swarms rather than single aircraft. Instead of firing a kinetic interceptor at one target, Leonidas emits a cone or beam of high-power microwave energy that induces currents and voltage spikes in exposed electronics. Circuit boards, flight controllers and data links are overloaded, causing drones to fall out of the sky or lose control.
https://www.chelech.com/news/us-firm-epirus-unveils-backpack-sized-microwave-weapon-leonidas-hpm-pod-to-hunt-unjammable-drones/

What's a Vircator or Reltron?

Vircators (Virtual Cathode Oscillators) are high-power microwave (HPM) generators used in electronic warfare for creating electromagnetic pulses that can disrupt or destroy electronic systems. They work by accelerating a high-current electron beam toward a mesh or foil anode. Many electrons pass through, forming a "virtual cathode" (a space-charge bubble) that oscillates at microwave frequencies, producing intense, tunable pulses—often in the range of hundreds of megawatts to tens of gigawatts, across frequencies like 0.5–18 GHz or higher in some configurations.

These devices are favored for E-bombs (electromagnetic bombs) or non-nuclear EMP weapons due to their mechanical simplicity, robustness, one-shot capability (suitable for explosive delivery), and ability to produce broadband or narrowband microwave output. Vircators are often paired with a power source like an explosively pumped flux compression generator (FCG), which converts explosive energy into a massive electrical pulse to drive the vircator. The resulting HPM can fry unshielded electronics, disable vehicles, communications, radars, or guided missiles without directly harming people or structures.

Reports of researchers developing portable E-bombs using vircator technology, with efforts to shrink them for missile integration, date back to at least the late 2000s. A notable example comes from Texas Tech University researchers, funded by the U.S. Army. In 2009, they tested a compact high-power microwave device (about 1.5 meters long and 15 cm in diameter) that combined an FCG, a vircator microwave source, and an antenna. This marked a significant size reduction from earlier bulky prototypes (over 3.5 meters), making it potentially fittable into missiles, carried by vehicles like Humvees, or deployed via UAVs. Testing occurred at an arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, focusing on its ability to disable electronics over useful ranges (severe effects within tens of meters, with broader disruption possible).

The vircator's advantages for such applications include:

  • Simple construction (no complex magnets or precise tuning needed in basic designs).

  • Tunable frequencies for targeting specific electronics (e.g., lower for comms jamming, higher for direct damage).

  • Compatibility with explosive-driven power for one-time use in warheads.

While early developments emphasized portability and missile compatibility, more recent discussions (into the 2020s) highlight ongoing maturation of HPM systems, including vircator-based ones, for operational use in electronic warfare. These could be integrated into cruise missiles, UAVs, air-dropped munitions, or other platforms. However, challenges remain, such as low efficiency (often 1–10%), short pulse durations (nanoseconds to microseconds), and the need for precise antenna design to focus energy.

Overall, vircator technology remains a cornerstone of non-kinetic directed-energy weapons for disrupting enemy electronics in modern warfare scenarios. Publicly available details on the latest classified or operational deployments are limited, but foundational work from the 2000s demonstrated the feasibility of shrinking these systems toward missile-compatible "portable" E-bombs.

ATI's ExactBeam technology, developed by Fisica, Inc, comprises high-performance electron beam systems used for industrial sterilization of medical and food products. With over 26 facilities worldwide and over 1 million hours of logged operation, these systems provide precise, high-energy electron beam processing for manufacturing. https://www.fisica.com/ati

Key Aspects of ATI ExactBeam Technology:

  • Applications: Primarily used for sterilizing medical devices and food, utilizing high-energy electrons to neutralize microorganisms.

  • Performance: Offers a sustainable, safe, and efficient alternative to Gamma and Ethylene Oxide (EO) sterilization.

  • Operational Scale: ATI has delivered systems that have operated for over 1 million hours in various manufacturing and contract facilities.

  • System Type: These are high-power, industrial electron beam facilities rather than small-scale, atomic-level manipulation tools (which are generally researched by institutions like Oak Ridge National Laboratory or Georgia Tech).

The ExactBeam systems are part of a broader suite of high-power, pulsed, and flash X-ray systems developed by Fisica, Inc.

The plane in the image is a Boeing EA-18G Growler, the U.S. Navy's primary electronic attack (jamming) aircraft, modified for electronic warfare rather than strike/fighter roles.

The large, distinctive white pod circled on the wing/underwing station — this is the AN/ALQ-249(V)1 Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) pod, an advanced electronic warfare jamming system developed by Raytheon (RTX)

The NGJ-MB pods are carried on the Growler's underwing stations (typically stations 3 and 9) and provide high-power, agile jamming against mid-band radar and communication threats. This setup is exclusive to the EA-18G Growler (U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force are the only operators), and became operational around late 2024/early 2025.

The AN/ALQ-249(V)1 Next Generation Jammer-Mid Band (NGJ-MB) is an advanced airborne electronic warfare (EW) pod system developed by Raytheon (now part of RTX) for the U.S. Navy's EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/focus-analysis-conflicts/army/analysis-defense-and-security-industry/focus-how-raytheons-nex-gen-jammer-mid-band-pods-mounted-on-us-navy-ea-18g-growlers-could-neutralize-missile-threats-in-the-middle-east

The AN/ALQ-249(V)1 Next Generation Jammer Mid-Band (NGJ-MB) is not a Reltron-based system.

The NGJ-MB, developed by Raytheon (RTX), is an advanced airborne electronic attack (jamming) pod using modern solid-state technology, including gallium nitride (GaN) high-power amplifiers, active electronically scanned arrays (AESA), and an all-digital/software-defined architecture for agile, broadband jamming in the mid-band spectrum (primarily 2–6 GHz, with extensions via upgrades like NGJ-MBX).

In contrast, a Reltron (or Relativistic klystron variant like the super-Reltron) is an older high-power microwave (HPM) source technology from the 1980s–1990s era. It is a type of relativistic klystron that uses intense relativistic electron beams to generate very high peak power RF pulses (hundreds of megawatts to gigawatts) in short bursts. Reltrons were researched primarily for directed-energy weapons, high-power microwave testing, potential electromagnetic bombs, or non-lethal HPM applications—not for integrated, pod-based airborne jamming on fighter/attack aircraft like the EA-18G Growler.

No credible sources (U.S. Navy fact files, RTX/Raytheon descriptions, program reports, Wikipedia, defense analyses from outlets like The War Zone, Naval News, or acquisition documents) link the AN/ALQ-249(V)1 or NGJ-MB program to Reltron technology. The NGJ program emphasizes solid-state phased arrays and GaN amplifiers for reliability, efficiency, multi-target capability, and rapid upgrades in a contested electromagnetic environment—fundamentally different from vacuum-tube-based relativistic beam devices like the Reltron.

Is this a picture of a Reltron?

GROK: No, the system shown in the photo and described in the text is not a "Reltron."

The equipment is ATI's ExactBeam, an electron beam (E-beam) irradiation system designed for industrial applications like sterilizing medical devices and processing food products. It's a commercial accelerator setup installed in contract facilities worldwide, with high operational uptime (over 7,000 hours/year for 3-shift use) and proven reliability (1+ million hours logged across 26 sites). These are linear electron accelerators that generate a scanned beam of high-energy electrons to deliver precise doses for sterilization/modification without heat or chemicals.

A "reltron" (sometimes stylized as Reltron) refers to something entirely different:

  • In electronics/semiconductor contexts, Reltron is a company that makes failure analysis and inspection tools (e.g., photon emission microscopes, NIR imaging systems) for chips and solar cells—not electron beam accelerators.

  • In physics/RF device literature, "reltron" appears in some papers as a type of high-power microwave oscillator/amplifier that uses a relativistic electron beam (hence "rel-tron") interacting with RF waves, typically for generating millimeter waves or other specialized pulsed RF applications. It's a research/experimental device, not a standard industrial sterilization tool.


To the left is a photo shows multiple large, horizontal cylindrical accelerator units with extensive vacuum piping, high-voltage cabling, and conveyor-compatible setups—classic for industrial E-beam processing lines (similar to systems from providers like IBA Rhodotron, but this is ATI's ExactBeam variant). These are not relativistic in the sense of producing GeV-scale beams or microwave generation; they're MeV-range electron accelerators optimized for material processing.

This is another picture on the same page at Fisica. It doesn’t say what this particular piece of equipment is, but they do say they make Reltrons.

Is an electron beam the same thing as a vircator?

No, an electron beam is not the same as a vircator, although a vircator cannot function without one. An electron beam is simply a stream of electrons accelerated in a vacuum. A vircator (short for virtual cathode oscillator) is a type of high-power microwave generator that uses an intense, relativistic electron beam to create electromagnetic radiation.

1. Electron Beam (The Tool/Input) is a concentrated, high-energy stream of electrons, often generated by a cathode and accelerated toward an anode. Its purpose in general physics, they are used for heating, welding, sterilization, or cancer treatment. It is the material or the input energy.

2. Vircator (The System/Device) is a specialized device (a type of vacuum tube) that generates high-power microwave (HPM) pulses. It is the system that converts the beam into microwaves. Here is how it works:

  1. A cathode emits an intense, high-current electron beam.

  2. The beam hits a grid/foil anode.

  3. Because the beam is so intense, many electrons pass through the anode and form a cloud of negative charge in the drift space—this is the virtual cathode.

  4. This virtual cathode oscillates in intensity and position, creating high-power microwaves.


The difference is the Electron Beam is the stream of particles itself.
The Vircator is the device that uses the beam to create a "virtual cathode" to generate microwaves. The vircator uses a relativistic electron beam to function. The vircator is the apparatus, the beam is the medium, and the microwave pulse is the output.

COMPACT HIGH POWER MICROWAVE GENERATION
Abstract
The mission of the Army is evolving, which means that the weapon systems required must evolve as well. This will require a new class of munitions with either enhanced lethality or less-than-lethal capability. This requires that we develop new technologies. In order to test these new technologies to ascertain their capabilities, we need suitable test beds. One such test bed that will allow us to evaluate new types of explosive pulsed power devices, power conditioning systems, high power microwave as well as other directed energy sources, and radiators is described in this paper.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Conventional-driven-HPM-system-vircator-with-Marx-generator-in-the-background_fig7_228720229

Axial Vircator for Electronic Warfare Applications
Abstract
This paper deals with a high power microwave generator with virtual cathode – vircator in axial release for electronic warfare applications. The classification of directed energy weapons microwave (DEWM) is introduced together with basic block diagrams of a particular class of DEWM. In the paper, methods for designing vircator pulsed power supply, axial vircator structure, measurement methods and experimental results are presented. The vircator in electromagnetic ammunition is powered by magneto-cumulative generator and in weapons for defense of objects (WDO), it is powered by Marx generator. The possible applications of a vircator in the DEWM area are discussed.
https://www.radioeng.cz/fulltexts/2009/09_04_618_626.pdf

Strategic Analysis: A Monthly Journal of the IDSA
October 2000 (Vol. XXIV No. 7)
EMP Weapons
By C.N. Ghosh *
Vircator

The Vircators could be the source of High Power Microwave source. Other devices that could produce HPM are Klystron, Magnetron, Reflex triode etc. However, the best suited for the bomb would be the Vircators or Virtual Cathode-ray Oscillators. Vircator is capable of producing a very powerful single pulse of radiation and can operate over a relatively broad band of microwave frequencies. The basic idea of Vircator is to accelerate a high current electron beam against a mesh anode. Many electrons will pass through the anode and form a bubble of space charge behind the anode. If the space charge region is placed into a resonant cavity, which is tuned, correctly, very high power can be generated and microwave power can be extracted. Power level achieved by Vircator experiments ranges from 170 Kilo watts to 40 Giga watts with frequencies covering over the decimetric and centimetric bands. Output pulse duration of a Vircator is likely to be in the order of microseconds and is limited by anode melting.

Two types of Vircators are known to be used. Axial Vircator and Transverse Vircator.
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/sa/sa_oct00ghc01.html#:~:text=The%20Vircators%20could%20be%20the%20source%20of,be%20the%20Vircators%20or%20Virtual%20Cathode%2Dray%20Oscillators.

DOWNLOAD: EMP WEAPONS

Final Report of the Millimeter Wave Vircator
June 1985
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA159394.pdf

DOWNLOAD FINAL REPORT OF THE MILLIMETER WAVE VIRCATOR

Acoustic Weapons - A Prospective Assessment
Jürgen Altmanna
https://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/archive/sgs09altmann.pdf

Acoustic weapons are under research and development in a few countries. Advertised as one type of non-lethal weapon, they are said to immediately incapacitate opponents while avoiding permanent physical damage. Reliable information on specifications or effects is scarce, however. The present article sets out to provide basic information in several areas: effects of large-amplitude sound on humans, potential high-power sources, and propagation of strong sound.

The most specific information available at present seems to be contained in the first few pages of a SARA report of 1996, as reported in a recent overview article:

♦ With respect to effects on humans, some of the allegations are: Infrasound at 110-130 dB would cause intestinal pain and severe nausea. Extreme levels of annoyance or distraction would result from minutes of exposure to levels 90 to 120 dB at low frequencies (5 to 200 Hz), strong physical trauma and damage to tissues at 140-150 dB, and instantaneous blast-wave type trauma at above 170 dB (for an explanation of the level unit decibel see below). At low frequencies, resonances in the body would cause hemorrhage and spasms; in the mid-audio range (0.5-2.5 kHz) resonances in the air cavities of the body would cause nerve irritation, tissue trauma and heating; high audio and ultrasound frequencies (5 to 30 kHz) would cause heating up to lethal body temperatures, tissue burns, and dehydration; and at high(er?) frequencies or with short pulses bubbles would form from cavitation and micro-lesions in tissue would evolve.

♦ Under development are a non-lethal acoustic weapon for helicopter deployment (tunable 100 Hz to 10 kHz, range above 2 km, goal 10 km), a combustion-driven siren on a vehicle (multi-kilowatt power, infrasound), and an acoustic beam weapon for area denial for facilities housing weapons of mass destruction using a thermo-acoustic resonator, working at 20-340 Hz.

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