Sweden tests defenses against EMP attacks

Sweden is testing military equipment against electromagnetic pulse attacks in a secret facility, as the threat from EMP bombs grows alongside the modernization of nuclear arsenals, Swedish public broadcaster SVT reports.

An EMP bomb, detonated above the atmosphere, could disable much of Sweden’s power grid and electronics within microseconds, disrupting transport and communications without causing direct fatalities, according to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). Even the country’s air raid warning system, “Hesa Fredrik,” would likely fail.

“It would have an enormous impact on society. We would have problems using air raid alarms,” said Henrik Larsson, acting head of the MSB’s civil protection division. Evacuations would be difficult, he added, as only older, non-electronic vehicles might remain functional.

Modern militaries rely heavily on electronics, increasing vulnerability. Protection requires shielding or analog backup systems. The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) operates a facility capable of simulating an EMP blast to test equipment resilience.

“We test tanks, wheeled vehicles, cannons, and ammunition boxes,” said Andreas Näslund, test leader at the site.

While EMP weapons have never been used in combat, the U.S. reportedly considered deploying one during the Gulf War in the 1990s but refrained to avoid being the first to use nuclear weapons in the region. Sweden was once considered a secondary target, but experts now believe it could be directly targeted.

“The current assessment is that Sweden could be a target for such an attack,” said Fredrik Nielsen, an EMP researcher at the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI).

An EMP is an extremely powerful radio burst generated by a nuclear detonation. If the explosion occurs above the atmosphere, neither radioactivity nor blast effects reach the ground, but the pulse induces strong currents in antennas and cables, damaging unshielded electronics.