EMP

The EMP (ElectroMagnetic Pulse) is an unlockable killstreak reward in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Requiring a killstreak of 15 or 14 with the hardline perk, the EMP disables ALL enemy electronics. Hostile players will have no HUD, Their scopes will be affected, and their vision will be slightly fuzzy. Any enemy sentry guns will be destroyed. All hostile aircraft will crash. Enemy players will be unable to activate their own killstreaks while they are affected by an EMP - even the Tactical Nuke. However, if the nuke is activated BEFORE the EMP is set off, the countdown will not stop and the nuke will still detonate.

The EMP lasts for 60 seconds.

In singleplayer campaign, the EMP occurs in the level Second Sun. In Contingency, Captain Price launches an ICBM to outer space, and targeting it to explode in outer space, directly above Washington D.C, as an EMP. The EMP did occur but it destroys the ISS and killed the astronaut there. The EMP blacks out most of the East Coast, destroys Russian and American aircraft, and knocks out GPS, optics, and comms.

Technicalities
The EMP works by detonating a nuke in the upper atmosphere. This sends a shower of gamma rays downwards, which then knock electrons off of molecules in the air. The electrons then fall towards the earth close to the speed of light. This creates micro and radio waves which interfere with radios. The current caused by the electrons burns out any microchips, effectively destroying computer operated devices.

Affected weapon attachments

 * Red Dot Sight - "Red dot" disappears (exceptions - the F2000 and the TAR-21).
 * Holographic Sight - Targeting reticle disappears.
 * ACOG Scope - Red cross hairs disappear, but the black cross hairs remain.
 * Thermal Scope - Thermal vision is disabled, but crosshairs remain, essentially becomes a standard sniper scope.
 * Heartbeat Sensor - Screen will be filled with static. This is unrealistic, due to the EMP effects the screen should only be forcefully shut down, leaving it blank.

Affected weapons

 * Stinger - Unable to lock onto vehicles, rendering it useless for the duration of the EMP effect.


 * Javelin - Unable to lock onto enemies or vehicles, rendering it useless for the duration of the EMP effect.


 * AT4 - Unable to lock on to enemy vehicles, though still able to fire in free aim.

Affected equipment

 * Claymore - Will not detonate if tripped, but the trip lasers remain active.
 * C4 - Remote detonator is disabled, but can be shot to explode.
 * Semtex should be affected but strangely isn't.

Trivia

 * An EMP should realistically not have any effect on ACOG scopes. This is because they are illuminated by tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, and contain no electronics like the other optics in the game.
 * When your team gets EMP'd your announcer yells, "We've been EMP'd, electronics are down." Ironically, you are informed of it via radio, which should technically be disabled.
 * If the player looks outside the map immediately after an EMP is deployed (by either team), they can see a nuclear explosion identical to the one seen in Second Sun in the distant sky.
 * It is odd that setting off an EMP does not affect Semtex grenades as they appear to be detonated electronically.
 * In reality, an EMP blast would not disable electronic devices that are insensitive to excess voltage.
 * The EMP will bring down enemy aircraft.
 * The handguns' sights will not have the 3 dots on them once an EMP is detonated; this is not accurate as the dots are painted or tritium-illuminated.
 * EMPs are especially useful in Search and Destroy game-types as a lot of enemy players utilize Heartbeat sensors. It isn't recommended to have it as a killstreak reward as it requires 15 kills, but it can be achieved.