It sounds a lot like what Chris de Beers (online persona: Acolyte) of the RAND Corp talked about before he died a few years ago:
http:// chani.invisionzone.com/forums/topic/2314-chinese-briefcases-were-opened-today-what-will-you-be-told/
According to de Beers, China was using a tech called a "reverse EMP" on British and American ships (surface & subs) to "suck" the energy out of the power plant and disable onboard electronics. He believed that if used on aircraft, they may well fall from the sky.