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This is kind of interesting:
Taiwan is set to develop a non-lethal graphite bomb designed to disable rival China’s power supplies, it was reported Oct. 21.Should war break out, the so-called “blackout bombs” would be carried by Hsiungfeng 2E cruise missiles to paralyze the power systems of China’s southeastern coastal cities, the United Daily News said. The bombs work by sprinkling a cloud of chemically treated carbon fibers over power supplies, causing them to short-circuit, but without killing people.According to the article, the U.S. used similar weapons to good effect against Iraq. The Taiwanese have been making some recent efforts to develop an offensive capability against the PRC (to deter invasion, not to launch an actual attack), although US advice on the subject has usually been to concentrate on the buildup of defensive capabilities. While this weapon might cause considerable economic and social dislocation in China, I'm not sure that it could compare with the economic problems that would be caused by the political fallout of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. -- Robert Farley
