Accident Study

A study of the effects of ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION on weapons systems concludes that NINE ACCIDENTS in the first week of the Persian Gulf War can be blamed on malfunctions involving that type of radiation. The HERO Project (for Hazard of Electromagnetic Radiation on Ordnance) suggests that problems with radio, radar and static electricity can cause aircraft crashes and accidental missile launches and detonations. The accidents all involved equipment thought to be susceptible to electromagnetic radiation and included the non-combat downings of three fighters and two helicopters, as well as the accidental launching of three Patriot missiles and the unintentional explosion of an antitank weapon.