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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine has modified its naval drones to carry R-73 heat-seeking missiles.</li><li>It's the latest innovation for the country's formidable fleet of uncrewed systems.</li></ul>Ukraine has armed its naval drones with heat-seeking missiles, giving the systems a major upgrade that will allow them to target Russian aircraft patrolling around the Black Sea.An unspecified number of Magura V5 naval drones have been modified to carry R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, an arm of the country's defense ministry, confirmed on Monday, marking another noteworthy innovation for Kyiv's fleet of uncrewed systems.These innovative drones were <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-helicopter-ukrainian-drone-boat-armed-with-missiles-2024-5">first spotted in early May</a> and have already been used during combat operations in the Black Sea, the HUR said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/DIUkraine/3981">statement</a> shared to the Telegram messaging app, adding that the systems have become "a serious factor of fear and risk" for Russian aircraft."Such developments are effective — Russians are very afraid of them," the commander of "Group 13," a special HUR unit dedicated to operating the naval drones, said in a recent interview.<div type="image" title="A Ukrainian Magura V5 drone is seen on water during an exhibition of military equipment and weapons at an undisclosed location on April 13, 2024." height="3281" width="4922" msid="111065706" hostid="261" sizebytes="899722"></div>"When they see them, they are afraid to even fly up. And the uniqueness is that no one has such a thing," the commander said in the interview, which the HUR shared to Telegram. "This weaponry has already been installed, and it will produce results."The R-73, known by NATO as the AA-11 Archer, is a Soviet-era missile that has infrared homing technology and is typically carried by Sukhoi and MiG fighter jets. Outfitting a naval drone with such weaponry is an unusual development, as the speedboat-like systems have historically been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukraine-claims-sunk-russia-ship-naval-drone-crimea-2024-2">rigged with explosives</a> and used to go after Russia's Black Sea Fleet, but the addition is likely to make these combat systems more dynamic during a mission.Moscow, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-picked-black-sea-naval-fight-losing-ukraine-without-fleet-2023-9">largely unable to stop</a> Ukraine's unrelenting naval drone attacks, has turned to combat <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-guns-on-warships-havent-stopped-ukraines-sea-drones-general-2024-3">aircraft</a> to patrol the waters and protect its warships. Now, the naval drones can use their R-73 missiles to defend themselves from Russian aerial attacks and provide cover for other uncrewed systems, thus reducing their vulnerability to the threats from above.<div type="image" title="A Ukrainian service member operates next to a Magura V5 drone during an exhibition of military equipment and weapons at an undisclosed location on April 13, 2024." height="4000" width="6000" msid="111065705" hostid="261" sizebytes="910936"></div>The R-73 missile upgrade represents another innovation for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-made-naval-drones-deadlier-larger-warheads-general-says-2024-3">Ukraine's formidable naval drone program</a>, which has given Kyiv a way to take on the Black Sea Fleet even though it doesn't have a proper navy of its own. Ukraine has also outfitted its Sea Baby drones — another type of homemade uncrewed system — with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-mounting-rockets-sea-drones-attack-russia-land-targets-official-2024-5">Grad rockets</a> to hit targets on land."Naval drones, primarily the Magura V5, have become such an asymmetric response that the enemy still cannot catch up to," Andrii Yusov, a representative of the HUR, told private Ukrainian television channel ICTV.Last week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine has sunk, destroyed, or damaged at least 24 Russian vessels in the Black Sea. Kyiv has relied on its fleet of naval drones, as well as long-range missiles, to inflict these losses.Drone warfare has been one of the defining elements of the war in Ukraine. Beyond Kyiv's uncrewed success in the Black Sea, unmanned systems have been used in both surveillance and attack roles in the air and on the ground.

Ukraine's new drone boats are armed with heat-seeking missiles to scare off Russian aircraft, commander says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine used exploding drone boats to attack Russian naval assets on Monday.</li><li>Footage and imagery from the attack appeared to show drones with an unusual adaptation.</li></ul>Ukraine appears to be arming its naval drones with heat-seeking missiles to defend against air attacks, an unusual innovation for Kyiv's growing arsenal of explosive unmanned systems.The newly upgraded drone boats were first observed in combat on Monday during a Ukrainian <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-drone-dodges-fire-kills-russian-ship-fighting-black-sea-2024-5">attack that resulted in a hit on a Russian military speedboat</a> in the occupied Crimean peninsula.Russia's defense ministry published footage of a helicopter defending against one of the Ukrainian drones during the attack. In the video, the unmanned boat can be seen evading heavy fire slightly above the waterline while carrying a white object that appears to resemble a missile. Eventually, there's an explosion. Moscow claims it destroyed five drones during the engagement. After the attack, various open-source intelligence accounts, Russian military bloggers, and other observers began to point out on social media that the Ukrainian drone boats had been outfitted with R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles.Photos circulating online <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1787451638099153122">showed at least one drone</a> with two launching rails and a single missile, and additional video footage that surfaced online appeared to capture the engagement from inside a Russian helicopter. Business Insider was unable to immediately verify the footage and images published from the attack, nor could it independently confirm that the Ukrainian drones were outfitted with R-73 missiles.Called the AA-11 Archer by NATO, the Soviet-era R-73 missile is equipped with infrared homing technology and is typically carried by fighter aircraft like the MiG-29 or Su-35. Equipping the Ukrainian drones with this kind of air-combat munition could help them defend against aerial attacks, war watchers suspect. "Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces had adapted the drones to defend against Russian strikes, particularly from helicopters, with heat-seeking missiles and to break through containment booms," conflict analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank wrote in a Monday <a target="_blank" href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-6-2024">assessment</a>.They added that "several prominent Russian milbloggers expressed anger that the Russian military bureaucracy is causing Russian forces to respond too slowly to Ukrainian maritime drone adaptations."One milblogger affiliated with Russia's Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/sashakots/46515">noted</a> on Telegram that the Ukrainian missile innovation for sea drones came in response to increased Russian helicopter patrols around the Black Sea."From the air they are easier to detect and quickly destroy," they said of the drones, noting that the Ukrainian uncrewed vessel managed to fire a missile at the helicopter but missed. They said these drones might be used to provide cover for other uncrewed vessels. A general in the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, previously told BI that Russia <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-guns-on-warships-havent-stopped-ukraines-sea-drones-general-2024-3">constantly has planes and combat helicopters</a> patrolling around the western Black Sea as it struggles to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-ukraine-claims-sunk-russia-ship-naval-drone-crimea-2024-2">protect its naval assets</a> from Kyiv's fleet of exploding drone boats.Ukraine doesn't have a proper navy, so it has relied heavily on exploding drone boats and long-range cruise missiles to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-picked-black-sea-naval-fight-losing-ukraine-without-fleet-2023-9">wreak havoc on Russia's Black Sea Fleet</a>. Kyiv has damaged and destroyed scores of warships and forced Moscow to relocate many of its vulnerable capabilities away from the fleet headquarters in Crimea to positions across the Black Sea to the Russian port city of Novorossiysk.Monday's naval drone attack marked the latest strike on a Russian naval asset. A Ukrainian Magura V5 drone boat struck a smaller, $3 million Russian combat vessel.Kyiv's military intelligence agency <a target="_blank" href="https://t.me/DIUkraine/3790">said</a> after the attack that "since the fear of Ukrainian attacks forces the occupiers to hide large ships of the Black Sea Fleet away from the peninsula, combat work continues against the high-speed maneuverable military vessels of the Russians."

A Russian helicopter fought an unusual Ukrainian drone armed with heat-seeking missiles, war watchers say

<ul><li>India started using French Mirage 2000s in 1985 but started facing problems when in 2008 its R-530D and Magic II missiles became obsolete. </li><li>The <keyword id="15141" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Air-Force">Indian Air Force</keyword> decided to integrate its Russian R-73 missiles with the Mirage and Israeli ‘Elbit’ successfully completed the project. </li><li><keyword id="6355882" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> integrated the missiles not only with the fighter jet but also with the DASH helmet it was providing India. </li></ul>The story of Indian Air Force has been written with the aid of many global counterparts. And over time, the country has become an expert at mix and match. Here’s how. An Indian pilot is flying a French Mirage fighter, weilding a Russian missile, with an Israeli helmet! This ‘mix’ is also because Indian forces use legacy equipment, which has been causing concerns. Air Force’s Mirage 2000 fighter jet has been in service since 1985 and officially India is the only country currently operating this aircraft. So much so, its maker <keyword id="6354785" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="france">France</keyword>’s Dassault stopped producing them. In 2008, the R-530D and Magic II air-to-air missiles which Mirage was primarily equipped also became obsolete and the fighter was left without any missiles to fight the enemy aircrafts. Source Code As the procurement of similar aircraft was lengthy, and IAF didn’t have many options, they decided to integrate their Russian R-73 missiles onto Mirage. Putting the R-73, which was then in service with the Sukhoi 30s, Mig-29s and Mig-21 ‘Bison’ jets, with any western platforms had never been tried before. This project did not go down well with the French who refused to assist India in this ‘Jugaad’ project. But an ‘innovative’ Israel was ready to take on the challenge. The integration was finally done with the help of the country’s Elbit, which was also supplying Indian Air Force with its latest sophisticated DASH <keyword id="2734412" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Helmet-Mounted-Display">helmet-mounted display</keyword>. This helps project critical information during missions, right to the pilot’s eye. “There were key challenges,” says an IAF officer who further added that, “This was a new helmet and we were working without source codes.” So they had to go to extra lengths and make algorithms to make Mirage’s <keyword id="47552" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="radar">radar</keyword> ‘talk’ to Russian missiles. While this was done under super surveillance as Elbit has to be given access to the aircraft’s sensitive information. The other countries of France and <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword> were unhappy as their assistance was not taken for the project, though France did refuse help. However, it was a success, and all’s well that ends well. Even if the Indian forces have to resort to face multitude of issues instead of buying new equipment. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indian-army-places-order-for-israels-anti-tank-spike-missiles/articleshow/70175141.cms">Indian Army invokes emergency powers to buy Israel’s fire-and-forget anti-tank missiles</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-brahmos-missile-can-now-travel-at-3-times-the-speed-of-sound/articleshow/70129788.cms">India's flagship missile can now cruise at 3 times the speed of sound</a>

Indian Air Force and the story of how it brought Israel, France and Russia together

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="11940056" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="us-air-force" source="Orion">US Air Force</keyword> has some of the world's most sophisticated aircraft and is developing more advanced jets.</li><li>But the Air Force's development of new air-to-air weapons has lagged in many respects.</li></ul>The US Air Force already fields some of the best <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-fighter-planes-and-jets-the-us-military-has-used-2020-11" target="_top">fighters</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/air-force-bombers-b17-b24-b29-b52-b1-b2-b21-2020-9" target="_top">bombers</a> ever built and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-air-force-graphic-reveals-about-new-b21-stealth-bomber-2021-7" target="_top">has more</a> highly sophisticated <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a36122339/air-force-secret-new-fighter-jet-concept-art/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projects</a> in the pipeline.But its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-wants-4-fighter-jets-for-future-wars-2021-11" target="_top">current fleet</a> and those future platforms may face an unexpected obstacle in the next war: their own weapons.The Air Force has invested heavily in sophisticated aircraft, but its air-to-air missile arsenal has fallen behind in many respects. The main concern is that the limited range of outdated weapons will make those aircraft easy targets for adversaries with advanced air defenses and longer-range missiles."We need fifth-gen weapons for our fifth-gen Air Force," Gen. Mark Kelly, head of Air Combat Command, said at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies <a href="https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/event/aerospace-nation-gen-mark-d-kelly/" target="_top">event</a> in October."We've invested a lot of time, energy, and national resources to build a low-observable force," Kelly said. "We will not get a good return on that investment of low-observable platforms if, due to weapons limitations, we have to push them into ranges where everyone is observable."The biggest threat comes from <a href="https://static.rusi.org/russian_and_chinese_combat_air_trends_whr_final_web_version.pdf" target="_top">the air-to-air missiles</a> of the Chinese and Russian air forces, both of which have been <a href="https://www.iiss.org/publications/the-military-balance/the-military-balance-2018/mb2018-01-essays-1" target="_top">modernizing</a> their arsenals with the threat from the US Air Force in mind.<h2>China's arsenal</h2><div type="image" title="Chinese air-to-air missiles" height="1433" width="2000" msid="88033295" hostid="261"></div>China's AAM <a href="https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/Article-Display/Article/2441424/air-to-air-missiles-capabilities-and-developments-in-china/" target="_top">arsenal</a> is particularly impressive, considering its humble origins.China's first AAM, the PL-1, was a copy of the Soviet K-5 and was very underwhelming. China's PL-2 was a licensed-built version of the Soviet K-13. The K-13 was reverse-engineered from a AIM-9 Sidewinder <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42544/the-legendary-sidewinder-missile-made-its-first-kill-over-the-taiwan-strait" target="_top">that hit a Chinese fighter</a> during a dogfight with Taiwanese fighter jets in 1958 but failed to detonate.Later Chinese <keyword id="12649905" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="air-to-air-missiles" source="Orion">air-to-air missiles</keyword> were also copies or licensed-built versions of foreign missiles, but China's AAM arsenal today features domestically produced models with advanced capabilities.The PL-10, China's most advanced short-range AAM, has a range of about 12 miles and has "off-boresight" capability, which enables the pilot to lock onto a target by simply looking at it instead of flying directly behind it.The PL-12, China's medium-range AAM, boasts a range between 43 miles and 62 miles and features a dual-thrust motor that can exceed Mach 4. The missile has a fire-and-forget capability and <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/how-active-radar-homing-missiles-changed-warfare-forever-186464" target="_top">active radar homing</a> and can endure 38Gs.The PL-15 long-range AAM is the most impressive in China's arsenal. With a range between 93 miles and 124 miles, the PL-15 likely outdistances its closest American counterpart, the AIM-120D.The PL-15 has an <a href="https://blog.bliley.com/understanding-aesa-radar-tech" target="_top">active electronically scanned array</a> radar and is believed to have a composite guidance system that enables it to make course corrections with information from an airborne early warning and control aircraft like the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/kj-2000-aewc-aircraft/" target="_top">KJ-2000</a>. Crucially, the missile can make course corrections without the pilot turning on his radar and giving away his position.China is also currently developing the PL-XX, which may have a range between 186 miles to 248 miles.<h2>Russia's arsenal</h2><div type="image" title="Russia R-73 air-to-air missile on a MiG-31BM" height="1403" width="2000" msid="88033297" hostid="261"></div>Russia is also <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36899/russian-air-to-air-missile-tests-signal-potential-new-capabilities-for-flanker-and-felon" target="_top">modernizing</a> its arsenal, recovering from a lull in AAM development after the breakup of the Soviet Union.Most Russian fighter jets use variants of the <a href="http://roe.ru/eng/catalog/aerospace-systems/air-to-air-missile/r-73e/" target="_top">R-73</a> short-range AAM or the <a href="https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/r-27-aa-10-alamo-guided-medium-range-air-missile/" target="_top">R-27</a> medium-range AAM. R-73 variants have ranges of about 18 miles to 24 miles, while R-27 variants have ranges from 15 miles to about 60 miles.In 2010, after years of delays, the <keyword id="12649903" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russian-air-force" source="Orion">Russian Air Force</keyword> introduced the R-77-1, which has active radar guidance and a range of about 68 miles.Russia is also developing newer models with longer ranges. The K-77M, for instance, is an upgraded version of the R-77-1 reportedly being designed for use on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-su57-cant-compete-us-chinese-5th-gen-fighter-jets-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Su-57 stealth fighter</a>.The K-77M is believed to have a range of over 100 miles and will be stored internally on the Su-57, allowing the jet to maintain its stealth profile.The Russians are also developing the R37M, a modernized variant of the R-37 beyond-visual-range missile that will improve upon its 124-mile range. The R-37 was at one time only able to be used with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-the-5-fastest-military-aircraft-in-service-today-2019-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MiG-31 interceptors</a>, but Russia has developed ways to use it with Su-35s and Su-57s.<h2>US development</h2><div type="image" title="AIM-120 AMRAAM missile" height="1200" width="1500" msid="88033301" hostid="261"></div>Aware of the dangers of falling behind, the US is working on several new missiles <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/f22-f35-russia-su57-china-j20-5th-gen-fighter-comparison-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to maintain its air-to-air dominance</a>.The US Air Force specifically wants missiles with longer ranges than its longest-range AAM, the <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/40184/f-15-eagle-scores-longest-known-air-to-air-missile-shot-during-u-s-air-force-test" target="_top">AIM-120D</a>. The AIM-120D's exact range is classified but is estimated to be about 100 miles.Boeing's recently unveiled <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/42454/boeing-unveils-new-two-stage-long-range-air-to-air-missile-concept" target="_top">Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile</a> will have a two-stage rocket motor configuration, giving it a higher speed and longer range than the AIM-120D.Lockheed Martin's <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/28796/new-aim-260-missiles-are-so-secretive-they-will-require-a-custom-storage-bunker-at-hill-afb" target="_top">AIM-260</a> Joint Advanced Tactical Missile is the Air Force's highest priority air-to-air weapon and has been developed in strict secrecy. It may have twice the range of the AIM-120D and is expected to be carried by F-22s, F-35s, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/05/21/the-us-air-forces-f-15ex-could-lob-a-new-outsize-air-to-air-missile-nearly-200-miles/?sh=6bd71f5318b6" target="_top">F-15EXs</a>, and Navy F/A-18s.About 30 <a href="https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/43235/testing-of-air-forces-secretive-new-long-range-air-to-air-missile-is-now-well-underway" target="_top">Full-Scale Aerial Target missions</a> have been flown in support of the AIM-260 program, and the Air Force has <a href="https://www.airforcemag.com/Air-Force-Developing-AMRAAM-Replacement-to-Counter-China/" target="_top">said</a> it hopes to have it in service in 2022.The Air Force also plans to acquire longer-range bombs for ground targets.Last year, Boeing unveiled a plan for a long-range version of the <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104572/joint-direct-attack-munition-gbu-313238/" target="_top">Joint Direct Attack Munition</a>. Called the <a href="https://www.airforcemag.com/power-jdam-boeings-new-alternative-to-cruise-missiles/" target="_top">Powered JDAM</a>, it has a wing kit and propulsion module that will extend its range up to 20 times — though it will decrease the payload to 500 pounds from the JDAM's 2,000 pounds.The Air Force is also <a href="https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/news/feature/stormbreaker-smart-weapon-delivers-power-precision" target="_top">testing</a> the new <a href="https://www.raytheonmissilesanddefense.com/capabilities/products/stormbreaker-smart-weapon" target="_top">GBU-53/B StormBreaker</a>, a 200-pound smart munition that uses millimeter wave radar, infrared imaging, and semi-active lasers to reach targets as far as 45 miles away.Some of those projects will take years to develop, but the efforts reflect the Air Force's focus on working with private industry to develop new weapons for emerging threats."If we do not get our relationship with industry correct, we'll end up with fifth-generation fighters shooting fourth-generation weapons against a sixth-generation threat," Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown Jr. <a href="https://www.airforcemag.com/video-brown-on-accelerating-change-to-empower-airmen-at-afas-air-space-cyber-21/" target="_top">said</a> in September.

The Air Force's most advanced jets may be vulnerable because of their own weapons

Crosshairs on the grainy screen float to the right, latching onto the olive-green hulk lurking in a field beyond. The screen hazes for a moment with a "whoosh," and then resolves as the missile's rocket flickers away. Six seconds pass.Boom.Another Russian T-72 battle tank is out of action, many of its crew likely dead.These aren't state-of-the art missiles, like the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/javelins-stingers-nlaws-help-ukraine-destroy-russian-tanks-aircraft-2022-3">shoulder-fired Javelin</a>. This is a Stugna-P, a less sophisticated anti-tank warhead made by <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword>. A small group of soldiers can set up the missile on a tripod and wait for <keyword id="13362075" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tanks" source="Orion">tanks</keyword> to come into range. Using a remote control panel that looks like a hard camera case, an operator can paint the target with a laser until the missile strikes or allow its own laser-guidance to self-direct into the target.It's proving quite effective. In three weeks of fighting, <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> has lost at least 270 tanks, according to the open source weapons tracking site <a href="https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html">Oryx</a> — almost 10% of its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fukraine-has-become-a-graveyard-for-russian-tanks-11647521721">estimated active force</a>.Ukraine's defense is proving so effective, in fact, that many analysts are attributing the failure of Russia's offense not only to its commanders, or to its tanks, but to the very idea of the tank itself, as a front-line weapon platform that can gain ground.<div type="image" title="Vladimir Putin sits inside of a Russian tank." height="1674" width="2232" msid="90384269" hostid="261"></div>The emerging evidence of tanks' tactical weakness is "striking," as one expert put it, and it has opened up a debate about whether tanks might be on their way to joining chariots and mounted cavalry in the boneyard of military history. Cheap, low-flying drones are striking tanks from above. Soldiers are using charred suburban landscape to ambush tanks with a new generation of fire-and-forget weapons that makes tank-killing unsettlingly simple, even in the hands of a volunteer."An infantry that is determined to fight is now super-empowered by having things like a huge number of point-and-shoot disposable anti-tank rockets," Edward Luttwak, a military strategist who consults for governments around the world, told Insider.Tanks have ruled land warfare for more than 80 years. It's their job to punch through enemy positions so infantry can flood in and hold the newly gained ground. Tanks have long been susceptible to soldier-carried weapons like bazookas and recoilless rifles, as well as improvised explosives such as the anti-tank "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLUJsyN7AYg">sticky bombs</a>" seen in the film "Saving Private Ryan." But looking at the ineffectiveness of Russian tank attacks in Ukraine, one can see how technology — particularly advances in high explosives and guided missiles — is further tipping the odds to favor anti-tank defenders, to the point where tanks could arguably be rendered obsolete.One defense analyst who spoke with Insider compared the role of tanks to that of the <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578417">Swiss pikemen</a>, Renaissance-era fighters armed with pikes and halberd who once were an army's frontlines. This vanguard role, held then by foot soldiers and now by tanks, will likely shift to drones, robotic vehicles, and long-range strike systems."Tanks are going to move, over time, into more of a mopping-up role," said Paul Scharre, a former US Army Ranger and a director of studies at the Center for a New American Security.<h2>'Point and shoot'</h2>Shoulder-fired weapons are changing warfare.With very little training, troops and even volunteers can defeat tanks. The Javelin is a fire-and-forget missile that allows its user to immediately move or take cover after firing. It has a mode to hit a tank where its armor is weakest: on top. Ukraine has been training its reservists, some of whom only recently joined, on these weapons since the war broke out. The British- and Swedish-designed <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-provided-nlaw-missiles-help-ukraine-destroy-russian-armor-2022-3">NLAW, or Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon</a>, is also relatively simple to use. It weighs about as much as a case of beer. Balanced on a shoulder, an operator tracks a target within half a mile for a few seconds and then fires. The missile's fire-and-forget guidance system takes over. "The weapon that makes a huge difference is these NLAWs, a light anti-tank weapon, the plastic tube with a hollow charge rocket," Luttwak said. "You point and shoot. A truck can drop 500 of them at the street corner in Kyiv."And NLAWs are designed for exactly the kind of war Ukraine finds itself in."NLAW can attack from almost any position, from up high in a building to behind a tree or in a ditch," weapons manufacturer <a href="https://www.saab.com/products/nlaw#:~:text=Extremely%20flexible%2C%20NLAW%20can%20attack,the%20range%20of%20most%20tanks.">SAAB advertises on its website</a>. "You can fire down 45 degrees and can shoot from inside a building, from a basement or from the second floor of a building out of the range of most tanks."As the SAAB brochure implies, tanks are at their most vulnerable when in or approaching cities. Fighters can ambush them from around a corner, or fire from a window and slip away. These are known dangers to tanks but far beyond what they'd faced in World War II or Vietnam from the ground.A century ago, <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-invented-the-tank-in-the-first-world-war">the British conceived of tanks</a> as land-going battleships, armored hulks that can traverse most terrain and surprise an enemy with an unmatched combination of speed and firepower. They were first deployed during World War I to break the stalemate of trench warfare.<div type="image" title="two tanks are seen among soldiers on a sepia battlefield" height="3000" width="2336" msid="90384270" hostid="261"></div>Like battleships, they are fuel-guzzlers that pack a massive punch. A modern US M1A2 main battle tank weighs over 73 tons and fires a 120mm round. But even it, with its heavier-than-lead armor and missile jammers, is at risk near a city.And the world is increasingly urban. By 2045, six billion people will be living in cities around the world, according to the <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/overview#1">World Bank</a>, growing the city centers and suburban sprawls that armies must battle through.Ukraine is exploiting the contours of its suburbs to negate Russia's advantages. Russia's advance on Kyiv <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lloyd-austin-russia-invasion-of-ukraine-has-essentially-stalled-2022-3">stalled in the city's outlying suburbs</a>, where determined fighters met their vehicle columns. The fighting has been block to block for weeks.In Irpin, to Kyiv's northwest, Ukrainian artillery hammered armored vehicle columns that got within range, and small teams of troops and volunteers set up ambushes with anti-tank weapons. In Brovary, on Kyiv's east, a lieutenant told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/19/world/ukraine-russia-war#the-battle-for-kyiv-could-be-the-biggest-urban-battle-in-decades">The New York Times</a> that her teams set up anti-tank weapons along major highways and thoroughfares and lie in wait for them to come within the three-mile range of their Stugna-P missiles.And then there's drones. They range from the size of fighter jets to the palm of a soldier's glove, and a technology scramble is underway to nullify them. But with so many makes and models, there's no one-size-fits-all way to jam, confuse, or destroy them.<div type="image" title="A collage of four screenshots from what Ukrainian forces say is the viewfinder of Bayraktar TB2 drones targeting Russian-controlled assets" height="1000" width="2000" msid="90384271" hostid="261"></div>Combat in Ukraine has shown that drones offer big advantages. They can loiter close to armored vehicles and strike them with guided missiles, as the Turkish TB2 has shown <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-hypes-bayraktar-drone-as-videos-show-destroyed-russia-tanks-2022-2">again</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1501133327629172737?s=20&amp;t=x6_lsP3WjTtO13-FgE3rpw">again</a>, or spot their positions to relay for artillery fire. The TB2 is like a poor man's MQ-9 Reaper, a drone the size of a Cessna aircraft that can loiter more than a day, fire up to four missiles or bombs, then return to base to be reloaded."We're actually seeing the Ukrainian military employ drones, the TB2 and smaller drones, to significant effect against Russian armored vehicles," said CNAS's Scharre. "Drones can be very effective in contested airspaces, in part because they can fly lower and in part because you're not risking a pilot."Even smaller drones will also play a role. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-sends-ukraine-loitering-drones-for-kamikaze-attacks-on-russia-2022-3">Biden administration is sending 100 Switchblade drones</a> to Ukraine, a single-use aerial vehicle the size of a backpack that can take out armored vehicles by kamikaze flying into them and detonating.<h2>No way to run a war</h2>Russian commanders have made bad decisions that have wasted their forces' potential. That includes tanks.Soldiers, unsure of their ability to navigate through the mud, have been driving them down main roads. Russian tanks have been outrunning the infantry who can protect them. With a range of around 600 miles, the <a href="https://tankmuseum.org/tank-nuts/tank-collection/t-72">T-72</a> weighs 40 tons and gets less than one mile per gallon. In Ukraine, many have strayed too far from the trucks they need to refuel; others have reportedly <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-troops-have-punched-holes-their-own-gas-tanks-2022-3">been sabotaged</a> by their own crews. They have mostly stuck to streets, largely opting not to go off-road, disperse, or conceal their positions. In some instances, they've bunched together within range of artillery and paid a heavy cost.Many Western analysts say they see <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-struggling-military-leaves-putin-with-only-terrifying-options-2022-3">few signs that Russia is capable of combined arms</a> — where, for example, air power and artillery work in tandem to support the movements of tanks.So tank proponents can rightly chalk up a lot of Russia's ruined tanks to terrible tactics, which means that the US's own <a href="https://www.armytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2021/07/14/tanks-are-here-to-stay-what-the-armys-future-armored-fleet-will-look-like/">tank-centric approach</a> to land warfare is unlikely to change anytime soon.Tanks have long been central to US Army doctrine against powerful rivals, and play a central part in Army lore.It was the tanks of Patton's Third Army that helped to rescue the surrounded 101st Airborne in the <a href="https://www.americanheritagemuseum.org/exhibits/world-war-ii/battle-of-the-bulge/">Battle of the Bulge</a>. And during the Gulf War, in 1991, US tanks routed Iraq's. In one encounter, a US group of nine tanks came upon a much larger Iraqi tank force and smashed through them in the <a href="https://history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/desert-storm/index.html?fbclid=IwAR3t7cEfHoMPCqoZbaMtd3UdwvzGUBdbEXZ9xePSv_j57hlzWj2SBXFEDNg">Battle of 73 Easting</a> in a classic tank clash."Mobile protected firepower will continue to be important to fighting and winning battles," said retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the commander of the Eagle tank troop at 73 Easting, who would go on to serve as national security adviser under President Donald Trump, in an email interview with Insider. "No arm is decisive in close combat," McMaster continued. "To defeat a defending enemy in restrictive or urban terrain, commanders must integrate infantry with mobile protected firepower and fires from artillery or aircraft."From my distant vantage point, the Russian army appears to be incompetent in combined arms operations."<div type="image" title="A piece of a Russian tank along a road outside of Kharkiv, Ukraine." height="1665" width="2221" msid="90384273" hostid="261"></div>Still, guided munitions fired from ground and air are posing a massive challenge. Even tank proponents acknowledge that tanks must, like warships, become harder to kill via armor and defensive systems to confuse or intercept missiles. One path, suggested the historian Jeremy Black in his 2020 book, "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tank-Warfare-Jeremy-Black/dp/0253049997">Tank Warfare</a>," is to convert a battle tank into a drone mothership that can launch and control aerial drones or unmanned land vehicles.Even armed with drones, tanks are still likely to be relegated to lesser roles as weaponry becomes more powerful and accurate.When asked what a conventional clash between NATO and Russian forces might look like, Scharre said, "the ideal way to respond would not be necessarily to send tanks upfront," but rather to strike Russia's advancing armored vehicles with long-range artillery and missiles. "Sure, armored vehicles would come but they're probably part of the second wave after we turned those armored columns into rubble."

Ukraine has destroyed nearly 10% of Russia's tanks, making experts ask: Are tanks over?

Imposing sanctions on Turkey for buying the Russian-made S400 Triumf anti-missile system, the US has reiterated its warning to India and other countries about acquiring equipment from Moscow. The Assistant Secretary for <keyword id="10433817" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="international-security-and-nonproliferation">International Security and Nonproliferation</keyword>, Christopher Ford, announced on Monday a series of sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) against <keyword id="10433816" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nato-ally-turkey">NATO ally Turkey</keyword>'s military procurement agency known by the Turkish acronym SSB and four senior Turkish officials. "We hope that other countries around the world will also take note that <keyword id="171985" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-United-States">the United States</keyword> will fully implement CAATSA Section 231 sanctions and that they should avoid further acquisitions of Russian equipment, especially those that could trigger sections," he said. India signed a deal valued at $5.43 billion in 2018 for five units of the S-400 anti-missile system defying the US. US has repeatedly tried to dissuade India from by the Russian system, while dangling the threat of sanctions under CAATSA and the incentive of an alternative anti-missile system. The US has refused to give a blanket exemption for India from the CAATSA, but it has continued selling arms to India. During President Donald Trump's visit to India last year, he and Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> announced a $3.5 billion arms deal that would include 24 Sikorsky MH-60R Sea Hawk multi-role helicopters six Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters. Washington also signed an advanced defence pact, the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement on Geospatial Cooperation, or BECA, in October, giving New Delhi access to intelligence through satellite imagery and data for civilian and military use. Changing policy under President-Elect <keyword id="99719" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Joe-Biden">Joe Biden</keyword> on countries buying Russian arms may be complicated because CAATSA has also the support of Democrats, who are more antagonistic towards Moscow because of their claims it helped Trump win in 2016. The latest sanctions against Turkey come on top of the banning of Ankara from getting the advanced F-35 fighter jets. Ford said that the sanctions would stop SSB from getting export licenses for weapons and from receiving loans and that the US would also oppose loans from other sources to the company. In addition, four Turkish officials will face visa and financial restrictions, he said. At the same time, Ford said, "Turkey is a NATO ally, of course, (and) it is going to be close security partner of ours and we remain committed to that relationship." The US is at loggerheads with Turkey also on regional issues like Anakara's involvement in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere. Asked for the timing of the announcement of sanctions, which come 37 days before the end of Trump's term, even though Turkey had signed the deal with Russia in 2017 and began testing it in October, Ford said that as Turkey was a NATO ally and had contributed to NATO, Washington took time to carefully consider the action against Ankara. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/interview-home-recipes-that-are-set-for-a-7-million-ipo-mrs-bectors-food-is-no-cookie-cutter/articleshow/79721783.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink"> INTERVIEW: Home recipes that are set for a $73 million IPO⁠— Mrs Bector’s Food is no cookie cutter</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/gmail-youtube-google-docs-crash-for-users-across-the-world/articleshow/79720225.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">YouTube, Gmail, Google Meet, Google Docs and Play Store restored for some users as others still face outage</a>

US sanctions on Turkey is a warning to India over buying defense equipment from Russia

<ul><li><keyword id="32723" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence">Defence</keyword> Minister <keyword id="6355121" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajnath-Singh">Rajnath Singh</keyword>, on August 9, said that Indian government is introducing an <keyword id="9725098" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="import-embargo">import embargo</keyword> on 101 items beyong timelines to boost indigenisation of defense production</li><li>The list of items include a range of transport aircraft, artillery guns, combat helicopters, radar systems, simulators, assault rifles, warships etc. </li><li>Here's the full list of items put under "import embargo" by the Indian government, <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajnath-singh-announces-embargo-on-import-of-101-defence-items-here-s-the-full-list/story-GFYz2cBxsbxvyFMrEif6sN.html">according to </a> Hindustan Times. </li></ul> India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on August 9, said that Indian government is introducing an import embargo on 101 items beyong timelines to boost indigenisation of defense production. "This decision will offer a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to manufacture the items in the negative list by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting the technologies designed &amp; developed by DRDO to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. The list of items include a range of transport aircraft, artillery guns, combat helicopters, radar systems, simulators, assault rifles, warships etc. Here's the full list of items put under "import embargo" by the Indian government, <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajnath-singh-announces-embargo-on-import-of-101-defence-items-here-s-the-full-list/story-GFYz2cBxsbxvyFMrEif6sN.html">according to </a> Hindustan Times. 1. 120mm Fin Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS) Mark II Ammunition 2.7.62x51 Sniper Rifle 3.Tracked Self Propelled (SP) Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) 4.Towed Artillery Gun (155mm x 52 Cal) 5.Short Range Surface to Air Missiles (Land variant) 6.Shipborne Cruise Missiles 7.Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) (Pinaka Variant) 8.Simulators Presenting Smart Ranges And Multi-Function Targets 9.Battalion Support Weapons Simulators 10.Container-based Simulators for Live Fire Training 11.Tailor-made Simulators for Counter Insurgency (CI)/Counter Terrorism (CT) based Training 12.Force-on-force Live Tactical Simulators / Infantry Weapon 13.Tank Simulators (driving, as well as, crew gunnery) 14.155mm/39 Cal Ultra-Light Howitzer 15.Successor of Flycatcher &amp;Upgraded Super Fledermaus (USFM) / Air Defence Fire Control Radar (ADFCR) 16.Component Level Repair Facility for Tank T-90 17.Shipborne Close in Weapon System 18.Bullet Proof Jackets 19.Ballistic Helmets 20.Missile Destroyers 21.Multi-Purpose Vessel 22.Offshore Patrol Vessel 23.Next Generation Missile Vessels 24.Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts 25.Water Jet Fast Attack Craft 26.Ammunition Barges 27.50ton Bollard - Pull Tugs 28.Survey Vessels 29.Floating Dock 30.Diving Support Vessels 31.Pollution Control Vessels 32.Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers 33.Shipborne Medium Range Gun 34.Torpedo Tube Launcher for Light Weight Torpedoes 35.Magneto - Rheological Anti Vibration Mounts 36.All variants of Depth Charges 37.Shipborne Sonar System for Large Ships 38.Hull Mounted Submarine Sonar 39.Short Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft 40.Anti-Submarine Rocket 41.Chaff Rockets 42.Chaff Rocket Launcher 43.Integrated Ship’s Bridge System 44.Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) MK I A - Enhanced Indigenised Content 45.Light Combat Helicopters 46.General Purpose Pre Fragmentation Bombs between 250-500 Kg 47.Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) for Transport Aircraft 48.Ground Based Mobile ELINT System 49.Transport Aircraft (Light) 50.GSAT-6 Satellite Terminals 51.Aerial Delivery Systems for Transport Aircraft 52.Digital Tropo Scatter/LOS Communication System 53.Low Level Transportable Radar 54.High Power Radar (HPR) 55.CBRN Detection &amp; Monitoring System 56.CBRN Decontamination &amp; Protection System 57.Parachute Tactical Assault (PTA)- G2 58.Dragunov Upgrade System 59.PKMG Upgrade System 60.Simulators for A Vehicles / B Vehicles 61.Simulators for Towed and Self Propelled Guns of Air Defence 62.Simulators for Correction of Fire by Observers 63.Military trucks of 4x4 and above variants: 12x12, 10x10, 8x8, 6x6 64.Fixed Wing Mini UAVs 65.500 Ton Self Propelled Water Barges 66.Software Defined Radio (TAC) for IN 67.Next Generation Maritime Mobile Coastal Battery (Long Range) 68.Advance Landing Ground Communication Terminals (ALGCTs)for AGLs 69.Field Artillery Tractor (FAT) 6X6 for Medium Guns 70.Wheeled Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) 71.Light Machine Gun 72.125 mmFin Stabilised Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot (FSAPDS)New Generation Ammunition 73.Assault Rifle 7.62 x 39mm 74.30 mm Ammunition for Infantry Fighting Systems 75.Mine Fragmentation 76.Mine Anti-tank 77.Mine Anti-Personnel Blast 78.Multipurpose Grenade 79.Inertial Navigation System for Ship Application 80.Conventional Submarines 81.40mm UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher) 82.Lightweight Rocket Launcher 83.155 mm Artillery Ammunition 84.EW Systems 85.Material Handling Crane 2.5 to 7.5 Tons (Vehicle Mounted) 86.GRAD BM Rocket 87.30MM HEI/HET 88. ASTRA-MK I Beyond Visual Range Air to Air Missile (BVR AAM) 89.EW Suit for MI-17 V5 90.Communication Satellite GSAT-7C 91.Satellite GSAT 7R 92.Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) 93.Expendable Aerial Targets 94.Small Jet Engines with 120kgf thrust 95.Light Low Level Terrain Radar (LLLWR) 96.Close in Weapon System (Land based) 97.23 mm ZU Ammunitions 98.30mm VOG 17 99.Electronic Fuses for Artillery Ammunitions 100.Bi- Modular Charge System (BMCS ) 101.Long Range – Land Attack Cruise Missile SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tech-mahindra-cfo-says-lateral-hiring-will-take-time-and-only-after-utilisation-improves-to-pre-covid-levels/articleshow/77440879.cms">Tech Mahindra CFO says lateral hiring will take time — and only after utilisation improves to pre-COVID levels</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/how-karan-bajaj-sold-his-less-than-18-month-old-startup-white-hat-jr-to-byjus/articleshow/77415329.cms">A WhatsApp message, six weeks of talks and a $300 million deal – how Karan Bajaj sold his less than 18-month old startup White Hat Jr to Byju’s</a>

All the 101 items that India's Defence Ministry will  put under "import embargo"

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Lisa Maree Williams/Getty</div></div></div>The Dow extended Monday's rally to close at another record high as the Federal Reserve began its two-day policy meeting in Washington DC. First, the scoreboard:<ul><li>Dow: 22,375.08 +43.73 (0.20%)</li><li>S&amp;P 500: 2,506.78 +2.91 (0.12%)</li><li>Nasdaq: 6,459.73 +5.09 (0.08%)</li></ul><ol><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ap-a-major-earthquake-shakes-mexico-city-2017-9">A powerful earthquake jolted Mexico City, swaying buildings on the anniversary of a 1985 quake that did major damage to the capital</a>. All Mexican exchanges were closed down. The peso dipped by 0.3% to 17.8121 per dollar.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kkr-bain-and-vornado-toys-r-us-bankruptcy-flop-2017-9">A trio of the world's foremost asset managers got whacked on their ill-fated buyout of Toys R Us, which filed for bankruptcy protection</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kkr-bain-and-vornado-toys-r-us-bankruptcy-flop-2017-9"> Tuesday</a>. <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/KKR-Quote">KKR</a>, Bain Capital, and <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/VNO-Quote">Vornado Realty Trust</a> acquired the toy retailer in a $7.5 billion leveraged buyout in 2005 and now stand to see their investment wiped out, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-19/bain-kkr-vornado-suffer-wipeout-in-toys-r-us-bankruptcy">Bloomberg</a> reported. </li><li><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/t-mobile-sprint-stock-reaction-reports-of-possible-merger-2017-9-1002383405">Shares of T-Mobile and Sprint spiked after CNBC reported that the two wireless carriers were in talks for a possible merger for the third time</a>. A merger of the two would be a stock-for-stock deal, with T-Mobile controlling shareholder Deutsche Telecom coming out with the most shares, CNBC reported.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-north-korea-united-nations-speech-2017-9">President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy North Korea" during his first speech to the United Nations General Assembly</a>. In recent weeks, North Korea has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/north-korea-selling-nuke-secrets-cia-director-mike-pompeo-2017-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ramped up its missile tests</a>, sending shockwaves through world governments.</li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/graham-cassidy-health-bill-governors-bill-walker-alaska-2017-9">A bipartisan group of 10 governors attacked the latest Republican attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act in a strongly worded letter to Senate leaders</a>. Instead, the group said, the Senate should prioritize the bipartisan bill being drafted in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to stabilize the law known as Obamacare.</li></ol> Additionally: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-iphone-x-value-price-actually-2017-9">Tim Cook on the $1,000 iPhone X: 'It's a value price, actually'</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/toys-r-us-bankruptcy-is-a-warning-for-kohls-amazon-deal-2017-9">Kohl's might be making the same catastrophic mistake that spelled doom for Toys R Us</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-whole-foods-effect-has-traders-making-record-short-bets-against-kroger-2017-9">The Amazon juggernaut has traders making record bets against America's largest grocer</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/oil-opec-big-question-2017-9">There's one big question mark hanging over OPEC heading into 2018</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-update-1-investment-bank-jefferies-quarterly-profit-doubles-2017-9">Bankers at Jefferies are crushing it - but prospects for traders remain bleak</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/norway-sovereign-wealth-fund-tops-1-trillion-2017-9">The world's largest sovereign wealth fund tops $1 trillion for the first time</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-price-speculative-bubble-swells-new-record-high-2017-8">Bitcoin's bubble swells with a new record high</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

DOW HITS ALL-TIME HIGH: Here's what you need to know

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Vietnam-APEC-Trump-Putin/a0711d3ce8f94e16b3436b8a3ce67cdc/30/0">Mikhail Klimentyev/AP</a>Trump (R) and Putin (L)</div></div></div>As investors digested inflation data and news of geopolitical turmoil, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-today-dow-jones-industrial-average-drops-amid-trump-russia-tweets-cpi-inflation-report-2018-4">stocks ended up down after swaying back and forth</a> Wednesday. Here's the scoreboard: <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/index/realtime-chart/dow_jones?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dow Jones Industrial Average</a>: 24,189.73 -218.27 (-0.89%)<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/index/s&amp;p_500?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500</a>: 2,645.65 -11.22 (-0.42%)<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/aud-usd?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AUD/USD</a>: 0.7756 -0.0007 (-0.09%)<a href="https://www.investing.com/indices/australia-200-futures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ASX 200 SPI futures:</a> 5,791.0 -47.0 (-0.81%)<ol><li>Federal Reserve officials could speed up fiscal tightening, according to minutes from their policy meeting released Wednesday. They expressed confidence that inflation will hit their 2% target and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/federal-reserve-march-meeting-minutes-2018-4?r=UK&amp;IR=T">concern over a potential trade war with China</a>. </li><li>Oil prices soared after President Donald Trump <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tells-russia-us-missile-strike-on-syria-2018-4">vowed</a> to strike Syria with missiles in an early morning tweet. <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=wti">West Texas Intermediate Oil</a> hit a three-year high, up 1.74% to $66.68 per barrel. </li><li>The Russian ruble continued to sink after President Donald Trump taunted Moscow on Twitter. The currency is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-ruble-price-us-dollar-april-11-worst-week-sanctions-2018-4">on track for its worst week since 1999</a>. </li><li><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-exclusive-tesla-targets-november-2019-for-start-of-model-y-production-sources-2018-4">Tesla plans to start production for its Model Y sports utility vehicle in November of next year</a>. The company is accepting preliminary bids for supplier contracts, Reuters reports. </li><li>Shares of Facebook <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/facebook-stock-price-today-zuckerberg-second-day-of-congressional-testimony-2018-4-1021175816">are up nearly 2%</a>, after another day of Mark Zuckerberg testifying before US lawmakers on Capitol Hill. </li></ol>Here is Thursday's <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/economic-calendar?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingest#date=04/05/2018&amp;name=&amp;countries=eg,fr,lt,ch,ar,gr,mx,sg,au,hk,nz,sk,bh,in,ne,es,be,id,no,za,br,ie,at,kr,cl,is,pe,tw,cn,it,ph,cz,dk,jp,pl,tr,de,ca,pt,hu,ee,qa,ro,us,eu,co,ru,ae,fi,lv,gb&amp;eventtypes=&amp;tab=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic calendar</a>:<ul><li>Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will give a speech.</li><li>The European Central Bank will release minutes from its last meeting. </li><li>US weekly jobless claims are out. </li></ul>Get the latest Oil WTI price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=WTI"> here.</a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-bull-explains-trade-war-trade-war-fears-overblown-2018-4">Wall Street's biggest bull explains why trade war fears are way overblown</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Stocks close lower after Trump tweets and Fed rate hike hints

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/India-BRICS-Summit/af6369aab3b24f8fab8bb24a7ca8c5c0/10/0">Manish Swarup/AP Photo</a>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.</div></div></div><ul><li>China has reportedly been working on electromagnetic launchers for rocket artillery.</li><li>That kind of launch could make rockets more effective at high altitudes - such as in the Himalayas or on the Tibetan Plateau.</li><li>Those areas were the scene of a border standoff between China and India last year, their worst dispute in decades and one that Beijing is reportedly still smarting from.</li></ul>Over the past month, Chinese officials have touted their progress with a new type of rocket propulsion that they say could give them an advantage in a potential conflict around the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan mountains.The project reportedly intends to add electromagnetic force to the launch of traditional rocket artillery, which is typically cheaper than missiles and can be fired in larger quantities.Han Junli, lead researcher on the project, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161338/china-developing-electromagnetic-rocket-greater-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the state-run Science and Technology Daily that an electromagnetic launch "can give the rocket a very high initial speed on its launching state."Zhou Chenming, a Beijing-based military expert, told <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161338/china-developing-electromagnetic-rocket-greater-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the South China Morning Post</a> that an electromagnetic catapult "may also be able to help stabilise the rocket during launch and improve its accuracy."Han, who researches the use of China's ground forces, called the project the first of its kind and said work on it had been progressing steadily "with great breakthroughs."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Wang Liang/Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of ChinaChinese Type PHZ-89 122 mm 40-tube self-propelled multiple rocket launchers assigned to an army artillery regiment during a live-fire exercise in Jiangxi Province, August 21, 2016.</div></div></div>Han's work has reportedly involved <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161338/china-developing-electromagnetic-rocket-greater-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gathering data</a> from the Tibetan Plateau, which has an altitude of about 13,000 to 15,000 feet and is surrounded by mountains that reach higher.Han <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161338/china-developing-electromagnetic-rocket-greater-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Science and Technology Daily that the greater range of electromagnetically launched rockets would mean they don't need to deploy to the front lines - a challenging task in the region's rough terrain.Thinner air at higher elections, which may hinder traditional rockets, would also not be as big an obstacle for electromagnetically launched rockets. Reduced friction from thinner air may also allow such rockets to hit higher speeds, though thinner air may mean less precision."Conventional artillery that uses powder may suffer from lack of oxygen on plateaus," Song Zhongping, a military expert, told <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1113596.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the state-run Global Times</a> earlier this month.Electromagnetically launched rockets - which Song said could reach distances of 200 kilometers, or roughly 125 miles - would not face that issue, which "makes [them] very valuable in warfare on plateaus."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesThe mountains and grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau seen the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China's Qinghai Province, May 24, 2016.</div></div></div>"The plateau covers 26 per cent of China's entire land territory," Han <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161338/china-developing-electromagnetic-rocket-greater-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was quoted</a> as saying. "Rockets deployed in the field can cause severe damage to any invader in hundreds of square kilometres.""It is like in boxing," he reportedly said. "The person who has longer arms and harder fists enjoys the advantage."Details about electromagnetic rocket artillery, like its range and how far along work on it is, remain unclear, but it is not the only potential venue for such technology.Electromagnetic force is used in rail guns to fire projectiles with more precision and greater range that typical propulsion systems, and China's military may include electromagnetic catapults on its next aircraft carrier.China's progress may be overstated, however.While the rail gun appeared to be undergoing testing on a Chinese navy ship, sources <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2132263/chinas-military-fires-world-first-revolutionary-rail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told the Post</a> that the vessel was a landing ship repurposed to hold the bulky electrical equipment needed to power the expensive-to-use weapon and that the new destroyers on which the rail gun is supposed to be deployed are not well suited for it.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://twitter.com/xinfengcao/status/959054896350703616">@xinfengcao/Twitter</a>A possible rail gun mounted on the Chinese Navy Type 072III-class landing ship Haiyang Shan.</div></div></div>Electromagnetic catapults for aircraft, which China is said to be considering for its next aircraft carrier, may not yet be viable either.The US Navy - which has <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18489/despite-what-youve-heard-the-navy-isnt-ditching-its-railgun-and-budget-docs-prove-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggled</a> with its own rail-gun research - has an electromagnetic catapult aboard its newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, but <a href="https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/02/16/report-emals-might-not-be-ready-for-the-fight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Pentagon report</a> released earlier this year called into question that system's ability "to conduct the type of high-intensity flight operations expected during wartime."<h2>A 'win' over a 'bullying neighbor'</h2>Han <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1113596.shtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> Science and Technology Daily earlier this month that the necessity of rocket artillery was illustrated by a "military incident" that took place in a border region on a plateau in southwest China.He did not specify what he was referring to, though he may have meant the 73-day border standoff between China and India in summer 2017 in the Doklam region where China, India, and Bhutan's borders meet. After that incident, Han reportedly started making plans to target an unnamed opponent's military installations in the area.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Google MapsDeployments and activity at Chinese and Indian airbases around the Doklam Plateau increased in late 2017 and early 2018.</div></div></div>Chinese and Indian forces both backed away in late August that year, though troops from both sides <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tensions-between-china-and-india-continue-year-after-doklam-standoff-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have remained in the area</a> and are believed to be reinforcing their positions, including upgrades to Chinese airbases in Lhasa and Shigatse and increased deployments to Indian airbases at Siliguri Bagdogra and Hasimara.India has also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-may-get-russia-s-400-missile-defense-system-before-end-of-us-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved forward with its purchase</a> of Russia's S-400 air-defense system, which is designed to intercept targets at greater distances and altitudes.In the year since, Beijing and New Dehli have worked to mend relations, including the Chinese <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> minister's first visit since the standoff, during which he hailed their friendship as one dating to ancient times.The two sides <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2161221/india-and-china-increase-military-cooperation-after" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also agreed</a> to "expand the engagement between their armed forces relating to training, joint exercises and other professional interactions" and to implement "confidence-building measures" along their border, including a hotline between armed forces there.But China is reportedly still smarting from the incident. In the months since, Indian <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/has-india-just-beaten-china-in-the-doklam-conflict/articleshow/60256870.cms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commentary</a> has described the incident as a "win" for Dehli over a "bullying neighbor." Comments this spring by India's ambassador to China that attributed the standoff to Chinese actions <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/doklam-belongs-to-china-india-should-have-learnt-lessons-says-beijing-1828803" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drew a rebuke</a> from Beijing."I imagine the Chinese are not pleased with how events unfolded last year, and there are some who felt like they were somewhat embarrassed by India," Jeff Smith, a research fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, said in an interview earlier this month. "So I'm sure they're redoubling their efforts down there to ensure that something like that doesn't happen again." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-electromagnetic-catapult-fighter-jet-2015-6">The US Navy just tested a giant electromagnetic catapult </a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

China claims 'great breakthroughs' with rocket technology that could give it an edge in a high altitude fight

NEW DELHI: When the <keyword id="6376012" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tejas">Tejas</keyword> light combat aircraft tears into the sky over Bangalore on Friday, its sonic boom will finally herald a major milestone in the long, tortuous developmental saga of the homegrown supersonic fighter. 
 Having clocked almost 2,420 flight tests since its prototype first flew in January 2011, the lightweight multirole Tejas fighter will finally zoom past the initial operational clearance (<keyword id="6354733" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IOC">IOC</keyword>) mark on Friday. For long wary of <keyword id="508910" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-Fighter">the fighter</keyword> being prematurely thrust down its throat, even the IAF will clap this time. 
 "This Tejas Mark-I is much better than a MiG-21 'Bison' on several counts, including weapon-carrying capability and range. But the fighter's full capabilities will emerge only in the Tejas Mark-II version, with a more powerful engine, radar and weapons, which is slated to be ready by December 2018," said a top <keyword id="194542" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IAF-officer">IAF officer</keyword>. 
 But that is in the future. Friday will mark the actual IOC - which basically signifies the fighter is fully airworthy in different conditions, from extremely low temperatures of high-altitude areas to the searing heat of deserts - of the Tejas Mark-I. It will not be the specious one that the combine of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), <keyword id="139969" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Development-Agency">Aeronautical Development Agency</keyword> (ADA) and <keyword id="139970" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Hindustan-Aeronautics-Ltd">Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd</keyword> (HAL) passed off as IOC-I in January 2011. 
 
 
 
The Tejas Mark-I fighter, however, will be ready to go to battle only in 2015 once it gets the final operational clearance (FOC), after integration of all weapons and other systems to ensure it can fi re 23mm guns, rockets and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as undergo air-to-air refuelling. As of now, the Tejas can let loose only close-range R-73 air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground laser and unguided bombs. 
 It's a no-brainer that India needs to have its own <keyword id="6500558" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indigenous">indigenous</keyword> fighter in an era where the supremacy of airpower in shaping modern-day battles is unquestioned, and foreign imports can be choked in times of emergencies. 
 But the way the LCA project has meandered over the years, since it was fi rst approved in August 1983 at a paltry cost of Rs 560 crore to replace the ageing MiG-21s, has tested everyone's patience. So much so that TOI in April 2003, just before then PM <keyword id="47100" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee">Atal Bihari Vajpayee</keyword> named it "Tejas", had suggested it be christened "Jet-Ayu" - 'Ayu' being the Hindi word for age, and 'Jatayu', the bird king who fought Ravana in vain to prevent him from abducting Sita. 
 
Down to just 34 fighter squadrons, IAF is of course still fl ying the obsolete MiG-21s. Due to the huge delay in the LCA project, it still has around 250 MiG-21s in its combat fleet, having further staggered their already long-delayed retirement by at least another five years. Not only has the LCA been in the making for 30 years, with deadlines being missed time and again, its overall developmental cost has also zoomed up to Rs 17,269 crore. This includes the Kaveri aero engine, sanctioned in 1989 at a cost of Rs 2,839 crore, which flopped miserably. 
 Consequently, while the first lot of Tejas will be powered by the American <keyword id="45528" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="GE">GE</keyword>-404 engines, the Mark-II ones will have the more powerful GE F-414 engines. Over and above the developmental cost, each Tejas will cost around Rs 210-250 crore. So, the induction of 160 Tejas - 120 for IAF, 40 for Navy - will cost another Rs 35,000 crore. 
 
However, defence scientists pooh-pooh all this talk of high costs. 
 "A fourth-generation-plus fighter, Tejas will still be among the cheapest fighters in its class in the world. It's not easy to develop a digital fl y-by-wire supersonic fighter from scratch, especially when India faced international sanctions for several years after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests," said a <keyword id="9662" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Scientist">scientist</keyword>. 
 Though late in coming, the Tejas is certainly critical for the IAF to meet its lightweight fighter requirements. While the heavyweight fighter category is taken care of by the Sukhoi-30MKIs, the medium range is to be met by the proposed almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multirole combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 <keyword id="6381048" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rafale">Rafale</keyword> fighters. 
 "The MMRCA and Tejas squadrons are very critical for us to maintain our deterrence capability. Otherwise, our force levels will go down rapidly," says <keyword id="483998" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IAF-Chief-Air-Chief-Marshal">IAF chief Air Chief Marshal</keyword> NAK Browne.

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