Both East Coast ships capable at the time of such warfare, the cruisers Anzio and Cape St. George, were in port in Virginia the night of the crash, according to Navy documents. In the demonstration, the cruisers Anzio and Cape St. George, sisters of the Normandy, teamed their radar to knock down a missile-like drone launched by the Navy frigate USS Clark. Md. Strong electronic energy generated by radar, military tracking equipment, jamming devices and electronic countermeasures can be hazardous to a plane's health, according to Defense Department research papers cited by Harvard's Scarry. As many as 24 service members were killed in the 1980s in air accidents believed caused by electromagnetic sources, according to Scarry's research. The military considers bursts of electromagnetic energy a weapon, according to published studies, and now shield aircraft and ships to try to counter the problems.
Civilian aircraft have no comparative requirement.
The exercises peaked during the afternoon, most before Flight 800 arrived in New York from Greece, and waned into the evening, according to copies of messages and documents used to request, approve and monitor the activities. No publicly released information suggests such weapons were on board the subs near Flight 800. The absence of apparent missile tracks in radar returns or infrared-sensing satellite images has been used to officially discount the missile theory. Modern missiles, however, are designed to avoid radar and infrared detection. The FBI, Navy and North American Air Defense Command said no missiles were fired that night.