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India has officially joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (<keyword id="735897" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MTCR">MTCR</keyword>) as a full member, saying that it would prove to be mutually beneficial to enhance global non-proliferation norms. 
 Foreign Secretary <keyword id="491850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="S-Jaishankar">S Jaishankar</keyword> signed the instrument of accession to MTCR, marking India's first entry into any <keyword id="3447127" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="multilateral-export-control-regime">multilateral export control regime</keyword>. 
 
"India has joined the MTCR this morning...India's entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives," said a statement from the External Affairs Ministry. 
 
"India would like to thank each of the thirty-four MTCR Partners for their support for India's membership. We would also like to thank Ambassador Pieter de Klerk of The Netherlands and Mr Robert Steinmetz of Luxembourg, co-Chairs of the MTCR," the statement said. 
 
This MTCR entry has come days after it couldn’t get into NSG because of stark opposition from China and a few other countries. China, additionally, is not even a member of MTCR. 
 
By this membership, India will be able to buy high-end missile technology while also being able to enhance its joint ventures with Russia. 
 
<a href="https://twitter.com/NewIndianXpress/status/747310491886723072">Image source</a>

India officially joins MTCR, the elite missile club

After China’s strong opposition against India’s entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), India managed to formally enter the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a group that China hasn't been allowed to enter so far owing to its immoral proliferation record. 
 
Bitten by this, an editorial in the Chinese state-run Global Times has referred Indians as self-centered, self-righteous, lacking morals and blindly following the West. 
 
The editorial is full of insults hurled at Indians, who as per the Chinese paper, don't understand what nationalism is, lack basic morals, are spoiled, and just do what the West does. 
 
While it highlights India's failed attempt to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), it clearly appears to have been written after India’s successful entry into MTCR, and out of jealousy because of that. 
 
The piece goes on to teach Indians a thing or two about patriotism, accusing them for their obsession with the West. 
 
"US backing adds the biggest impetus to India's ambition...The US is not the whole world. Its endorsement does not mean India has won the backing of the world. This basic fact, however, has been ignored by India," it says. 
 
The editorial keeps stressing on the fact that as a country, China follows all the rules, and sings the same old tunes that an NSG member requires to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which India hasn’t so far. 
 
"India is not a signatory to the NPT, but is the most active applicant to join the NSG. Before the Seoul meeting, the Indian media played up the prospects of its bid. Some even claim that among the 48 members of the NSG, 47 have given it a green light, except China, "the editorial flares up. 
 
However, it doesn’t touches the topic of China's nuclear proliferation itself, the reason why it has been kept out of MTCR. 
 
The real reasons of the writer’s anger, although, comes towards the end of the piece. 
 
"Recent years have seen the Western world giving too many thumbs up to India, but thumbs down to China. India is spoiled. Although the South Asian country's GDP accounts for only 20 percent of that of China, it is still a golden boy in the eyes of the West, having a competitive edge and more potential compared to China. The international "adulation" of India makes the country a bit smug in international affairs." 
 
So now we know, why the editorial is so furious over India; it’s the western countries’ increased preference to India over China that stemmed this anger, but all we can say is, jealous much? 
 
<a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2061884/images/o-MODI-XI-JINPING-facebook.jpg">Image source</a>

Chinese media calls Indians self-centered, blind followers of the West, a day after India gets entry into MTCR

The outgoing <keyword id="67373" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="obama-administration">Obama Administration</keyword> has lashed out at China for blocking India from becoming a member of the <keyword id="106964" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nuclear-Suppliers-Group">Nuclear Suppliers Group</keyword> by describing the Communist giant as an "outlier" in its effort to bring New Delhi on board the elite grouping. 
 "Clearly there is one outlier that needs to be addressed and that is China," <keyword id="184648" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nisha-Desai-Biswal">Nisha Desai Biswal</keyword>, assistant secretary of state for South and <keyword id="6360296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Asia">Central Asia</keyword>, told <keyword id="6367495" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="PTI">PTI</keyword> in an interview. 
 The US statement comes a week ahead of the <keyword id="16284" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Obama">Obama</keyword> Administration passing on the baton to the <keyword id="3798493" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="trump-administration">Trump Administration</keyword>. 
 Officials say it is because of the Chinese resistance that India could not become a member of <keyword id="44790" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="NSG">NSG</keyword>, where all decisions are taken on the basis of consensus. 
 "The (US) President (<keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword>) has been very clear and unequivocal that he believes that India has met the criteria for NSG and that the <keyword id="6356955" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="united-states">United States</keyword> supports India's entry that India is ready and India should be brought into the NSG," she said. 
 
"We worked very closely with India to support India's application into the NSG, but we also recognise that there continue to be some concerns, some reservations that some of the members of the NSG have expressed that need to be worked through," she said. 
 "We believe we have made substantial progress on that and as we hand the baton over to the next administration the path forward will be found for that. Clearly there is one outlier that needs to be addressed and that is China. As we move through all the other elements of the NSG membership, I think, we're on a good path forward," <keyword id="776234" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Biswal">Biswal</keyword> said. 
 
So what remains is to be able to have a very clear understanding on what is the basis of China's reservations and to try to work through those. So that will be something that would move on to the next administration to carry forward, she said in response to a question. 
 
"But this is something that the President himself has personally engaged on, the Secretary (of State), (National Security Advisor), Ambassador (Susan) Rice and down the line this has been an area of intense effort by this administration," Biswal said. 
 While India not becoming a NSG member is disappointing, Biswal said the Obama Administration is "very very gratified to see India's entry into the <keyword id="471445" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Missile-Technology-Control-Regime">Missile Technology Control Regime</keyword> (<keyword id="735897" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MTCR">MTCR</keyword>)". 
 China is advocating a two-step "non-discriminatory" approach for admission of countries who have not signed nuclear-Non Proliferation Treaty (<keyword id="51229" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="NPT">NPT</keyword>) in the NSG. 
 As per the new stand announced by <keyword id="1333" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Beijing">Beijing</keyword> in November, it first wants to find a solution that is applicable to the admission of all non-NPT members followed by discussions to admit specific non-NPT member. 
 
China's stand for non-discriminatory criteria is regarded significant as Pakistan, a close ally of Beijing too has applied for the NSG membership along with India.

Obama administration annoyed
with China for blocking India’s NSG membership

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Democratic Sen. <keyword id="157666" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chris-Murphy">Chris Murphy</keyword> and a bipartisan group of his colleagues just introduced legislation aiming to block President <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword> from allowing the sale of armed <keyword id="94769" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="drones">drones</keyword> to the Saudis.</li><li>The senators are concerned selling weaponized drones to the Saudis could exacerbate the Yemen conflict and fuel an arms race with <keyword id="41896" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Iran">Iran</keyword>.</li><li>"Do we really want a <keyword id="30350" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Middle-East">Middle East</keyword> in which Iranian and Saudi drones are flying all over the region? That sounds like a nightmare," Murphy told Insider.</li></ul>A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced <a href="https://www.murphy.senate.gov/download/murphy-arms-control-legislation">legislation</a> to block the Trump administration from allowing the sale of weaponized drones to countries like <keyword id="50996" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Saudi-Arabia">Saudi Arabia</keyword>, fearing it would exacerbate the devastating Yemen conflict while fueling an arms race with Iran. "We are loading up our Gulf allies with weapons, and that has the consequence of fueling an arms race in the region. Every time we sell something to the Saudis, the Iranians go and try to obtain a version of the same thing," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a top lawmaker on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and sponsor of the bill, told Insider. "Do we really want a Middle East in which Iranian and Saudi drones are flying all over the region? That sounds like a nightmare," Murphy added.The legislation would block the sale of advanced weaponized drones to countries the US is not closely allied with, excluding governments of countries of fellow NATO members, in addition to Australia, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan.GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, independent Sen. <keyword id="6656369" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Bernie-Sanders">Bernie Sanders</keyword> of Vermont, GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware are co-sponsors of the legislation.The bipartisan group introduced the bill not long after the Trump administration announced it would <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/24/us/politics/trump-arms-sales-drones.html">bypass a decades-old arms control pact</a> in order to expand the sale weaponized drones.The 1987 Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), which the US played a key role in establishing, is not legally binding but is generally adhered to by its 35 members. Clauses in the agreement prohibit the sale of large, advanced armed drones. "This is an international agreement that stops countries from selling lethal weapons systems to countries like Iran and North Korea," Murphy told Insider over the phone last week while in the process of crafting the legislation."If the US walks away from the MTCR, then other countries are going to feel less restraint in selling weapons to some really bad actors like the Iranians and North Koreans," the Connecticut Democrat added. The US has already offered significant levels of support to the Saudi-led coalition as it wages a brutal war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, which has fostered a devastating humanitarian crisis and sparked bipartisan concerns in Washington. Murphy has been among the most vocal proponents in Congress of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-goes-around-congress-to-sell-bombs-to-saudi-arabia-2019-5">reassessing the US-Saudi relationship</a>, especially with respect to arms sales and in relation to the Yemen conflict. The senator said he cannot image a "more dangerous idea" tha selling Reaper drones in the Middle East given the irresponsible ways in which the Saudis have acted with the weapons already sold to it by the US. "Nearly 10,000 civilians in Yemen have been killed by Saudi fighter jets dropping bombs on churches, hospitals, and schools," Murphy added. "Why on earth, given the Saudi's miserable record of killing civilians in Yemen, would we want to make it easier for them to kill more civilians?"<div type="image" title="trump saudi arabia" height="640" width="853" msid="77424493" hostid="261"></div>Murphy is also concerned that the technology could be passed along to extremists in the region, while warning that the "risk calculation" of dropping a bomb from a drone is "fundamentally different" than when dropping a bomb from a plane. "The US, even with all of our procedures in place, still kills the wrong person with drones — in some places 80% of the time," Murphy said. "These drones that can be controlled from an air-conditioned office building with a joystick end up getting used much more irresponsibly than do smart bombs that require a human being to fly into contested territory to release."Top advisers to President Donald Trump, such as White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, have fervently advocated for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/us/politics/trump-drones-sales.html">expanding arms sales</a> while citing the need to compete with China, which is not a member of the MTCR and has been <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/21/pentagon-is-scrambling-as-china-sells-the-hell-out-of-armed-drones-to-americas-allies.html">selling armed drones to US allies in the Middle East</a>. Murphy adamantly rejected this position, characterizing it as incompatible with the national security goals of the US."If China decides to sell chemical weapons, that doesn't obligate the US to start selling chemical weapons. We are not obligated to replicate irresponsible decisions made by the Chinese just because it might end up with a Chinese defense firm making a little bit more money," the senator said. "This argument that if we don't sell it to country x then the Chinese will is an invitation to fall into a national security abyss."The Connecticut senator portrayed the recent push to expand armed drone sales as the latest example of Trump capitulating to the Saudis and following their "orders.""Apparently, the Saudis called and asked for weaponized drones and Trump said 'yes,'" Murphy said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider. Trump has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-second-veto-yemen-resolution-bernie-sanders-2019-4">rejected calls in Congress</a> for the US to reevaluate its relationship with the Saudis, with the president often citing (and exagerrating) the benefit of arms sales. The Trump administration's support for the Saudis <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-mbs-suspected-khashoggi-killing-made-missteps-but-good-ally-2020-7">has remained unwavering</a>, even after the brutal killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and despite global outcry over the Yemen war.

Bipartisan group of senators introduce bill to stop Trump from allowing drone sales to Saudis, fearing an arms race with Iran

<ul><li>The Defence Research &amp; Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully test fired the new version of the <keyword id="42900" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BrahMos">BrahMos</keyword> missile increasing its range to 500 km. </li><li>India has become the first country in the world to successfully integrate long range missile into its fighter jets. </li><li>This development has come after India became a permanent member of the multinational <keyword id="471445" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Missile-Technology-Control-Regime">Missile Technology Control Regime</keyword> (MTCR). </li><li>This test also successfully conducted first vertical deep dive version of BrahMos. </li></ul>The world’s fastest supersonic <keyword id="144458" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cruise-missile">cruise missile</keyword>, BrahMos has turned deadlier with the new technological advancements made by the <keyword id="152819" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-and-Development-Organisation">Defence Research and Development Organisation</keyword> (DRDO). The missile which was earlier capable of striking upto 300 km range, will now be able to strike as far as 500 km after the latest tests, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/upgraded-brahmos-with-500-km-range-ready-ceo-of-brahmos-aerospace/articleshow/70117273.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=ETTWMain">according to</a> CEO of Brahmos Aerospace, Sudhir Kumar Mishra. This development came after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) last year. “India has successfully test fired a vertical deep dive version of BrahMos, world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile, that can now change the dynamics of conventional warfare. The upgraded version of the missile with enhanced range of upto 500 km is also ready,” <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/upgraded-brahmos-with-500-km-range-ready-ceo-of-brahmos-aerospace/articleshow/70117273.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_campaign=ETTWMain">Mishra told</a> in an interview to the Doordarshan news. The new test has made India the only country in the world to have successfully integrated long-range missiles into fighter jets. DRDO has integrated and tested the BrahMos with Indian Air Forces (IAF) mainstay fighter jet Sukhoi 30. BrahMos travels at 2.8 Mach, which is almost three times the speed of sound. It is also the heaviest weapon to be deployed onboard Sukhoi 30. “We can take on any ship at sea up to 300 to 400 km far away and after sometime, maybe longer, we can take on land targets up to hundreds of km and with the test that we have conducted some time back, ranges up to thousands of km,” Mishra said. Mishra added that the BrahMos has become the mainstay weapon of choice for the Army, Air Force and Navy, and the steep 90-degree version has come out as an ultimate aircraft hitter. The joint venture which started with ₹1,300 crore, has now become a ₹48,000 crore entity, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/brahmos-jv-value-now-stands-at-rs-40000-crore/articleshow/69688556.cms?from=mdr">as per reports</a>.

India's flagship missile can now cruise at 3 times the speed of sound

<ul><li><keyword id="42900" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BrahMos">BrahMos</keyword> missile successfully tested its ‘life extension’ technology this morning. </li><li>It’s the first missile in the India’s war chest to have its life extended. </li><li>BrahMos also happens to be the world’s fastest <keyword id="417054" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="supersonic-cruise-missile">supersonic cruise missile</keyword>. </li></ul>Today, India successfully <a href="http://www.rediff.com/news/report/india-successfully-test-fires-brahmos-supersonic-cruise-missile/20180521.htm">tested</a> the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a test range in <keyword id="6357961" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha">Odisha</keyword>, a state along India’s eastern coast. Fired from launchpad 3 of the Integrated Test Range at <keyword id="58580" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandipur">Chandipur</keyword> located near <keyword id="50861" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Balasore">Balasore</keyword> in Odisha, the trial was conducted with the intention of validating the missile’s ‘life extension’ technologies. 
 
 
 
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 The missile’s successful life extension test makes BrahMos the <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/may/21/odisha-first-test-of-supersonic-cruise-missile-brahmos-with-life-extension-technology-successful-1817530.html">first weapon</a> in India’s arsenal that got its life extended from 10 years to 15 years. It managed to take off successfully and hit the designated target while meeting all parameters of the mission. What makes the BrahMos special is the fact that it’s the only supersonic cruise missile with advanced capabilities to allow the user to make a precise hit. In simple terms, its accuracy is its unique feature. Other than the missile’s life being extended, its range was also extended from 290 km to 450 km. This was a fortunate result of India gaining <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-joins-mtcr-7-things-the-country-stands-to-gain/articleshow/52934056.cms">full membership</a> to the <keyword id="471445" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Missile-Technology-Control-Regime">Missile Technology Control Regime</keyword> (MTCR). BrahMos is currently the <a href="https://www.quora.com/in/Is-BrahMos-the-worlds-fastest-cruise-missile">fastest</a> supersonic cruise missile in the world. Its various models can be launched from land, air, sea or underwater. The two-stage missile has already been introduced into the army and navy inventories. Its entry into the air-force is awaiting a <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/in-big-leap-towards-deep-surgical-strike-capability-brahmos-missile-successfully-test-fired-from-sukhoi-jet/articleshow/61757371.cms">successful</a> trial. There have been other contenders in the field but most haven’t seen any progress beyond the prototype stage. It should also be noted that though BrahMos is the fastest ‘supersonic’ missile, the <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/why-china-russia-america-are-obsessed-hypersonic-weapons-25635">Zircon missile</a> can travel at hypersonic speeds and is already a part of the Russian military might. That being said, the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/defense/2017-04-25/russia-and-india-test-hypersonic-and-supersonic-missiles">BrahMos 2</a> will be based on the design of the Zircon missile. It’s already in the works under a collaboration between India and <keyword id="6358826" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Russia">Russia</keyword>. The estimation is that this missile will be able to travel at the speed of Mach 7.

India successfully test fires the fastest supersonic cruise missile in the world

After a wait of two years, India is all set to test its <keyword id="59897" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Agni-V">Agni-V</keyword> intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from <keyword id="6588220" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wheeler-Island">Wheeler Island</keyword> off Odisha. 
 According to the sources, preparations were on in full swing to launch the <keyword id="174323" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nuclear-capable">nuclear-capable</keyword> Agni-V from its canister on a launcher truck towards December-end or early January. 
 
"There were some minor technical snags in Agni-V, which required tweaking of its internal battery and electronic configurations after its last test in January 2015," a source tod TOI. 
 However, India wanted to exercise some strategic restraint while making a bid to join the 48-country Nuclear Suppliers Group, which China thwarted earlier this year. However, India somehow managed to join the 34-nation <keyword id="471445" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Missile-Technology-Control-Regime">Missile Technology Control Regime</keyword> ( MTCR), as also ink a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan. 
 
The missile is capable of striking even the northernmost parts of China, is in itself significant. "This will be the final test of the three-stage Agni-V, which will be tested for its full range, before the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) begins its user trials," the source told TOI. 
 The tri-Service SFC, established in 2003 to manage <keyword id="3956387" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indias-nuclear-arsenal">India's nuclear arsenal</keyword>, will conduct at least two tests before the missile is produced in adequate numbers for induction. 
 
(Image Credits: Indiatimes)

India to test Agni-V ICBM missile, capable of striking China

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">US Air ForceA Boeing X-51 hypersonic cruise missile at Edwards Air Force Base, California, May 26, 2010</div></div></div><ul><li>Hypersonic cruise missiles and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) can bypass missile defenses because they are so fast and can maneuver mid-flight. </li><li>Technology is now being developed that overcomes previous obstacles to sustained hypersonic flight, and the RAND Corporation estimates that these weapons will become operable in ten years. </li><li>The US, Russia, and China are leading the way in hypersonic missile development.</li></ul>The Cold War gave the world intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could carry nuclear weapons, and cruise missiles that could be launched from ships and aircraft.Now, like a lot of Cold War era military equipment, these weapons are getting a 21st century tune up. But it is not the payloads that are becoming more advanced - it's the delivery systems.Missiles that can fly at hypersonic speeds could render global missile defenses useless, and, if left unchecked, could become the next global arms race amongst the nations of the world.There are mainly two types of missiles being pursued in this race: hypersonic cruise missiles (HCMs) and hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs). Both are being pursued by a number of nations, but China, Russia, and the US are leading the way.<h2>Two types of weapons</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyUTNRIuAqc">TheRANDCorporation/Youtube</a>A screenshot from a video about hypersonic missile nonproliferation made by the RAND Corporation that shows the two types of hypersonic weapons under development</div></div></div>HCMs are essentially faster cruise missiles, and HGVs are basically replacements for conventional re-entry vehicles that are put on ICBMs. Of the two, HGVs are the easiest to make, since they only have to overcome one of the three obstacles - material science.HGVs are put on top of ICBMs. When they reach a maximum altitude they separate from the missile and glide on top of the atmosphere to their target, in this case at hypersonic speeds.Because of their hypersonic speeds, there may not even need to be any explosives on the weapons themselves, since the kinetic energy could be strong enough to cause damage in a limited area - although nowhere near the size of a nuclear blast.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Advanced Research Projects AgencyAn image from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) showing how a hypersonic glide vehicle is launched</div></div></div>What makes both weapons so threatening is the fact that they are maneuverable, meaning they can change direction at any moment and keep their intended target secret until the last few moments before impact.Current missiles can be intercepted because their flight paths are determined by momentum and gravity. Most, if not all, anti-ballistic missile defenses like THAAD and Aegis Ashore require a projectile to make physical contact for a successful intercept, or be close enough so that shrapnel from a proximity explosion could damage an incoming missile.Because HCMs and HGVs are maneuverable, and coupled with the fact that they fly at such high speeds, interception of such missiles are almost impossible.<h2>Dangerous potential results of hypersonic weapons</h2>Widespread proliferation of this technology could have results that increase the risk of conflict and destabilization, especially when these weapons are armed with nuclear payloads.According to a <a href="https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR2100/RR2137/RAND_RR2137.pdf">report</a> on hypersonic weapons that was published by the RAND Corporation, governments may be so concerned with maintaining first-strike capability, since the response time for these weapons is so short, that they may take be forced to take risky actions.These include devolving the command and control of the weapons to the military instead of the national leaders, wider dispersement of the weapons across the globe, a launch-on-warning posture, and a decision to strike first.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/Chinese_Hypersonic_Gliding_Vehicle.jpg">Wikimedia commons</a>Concept art of the WU-14, a Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle</div></div></div>The RAND report shows that at least 23 countries are active in pursuing hypersonic technology for commercial or military use. Currently, the US, Russia, and China are leading the race.The report suggests that widespread proliferation of hypersonic technology could lead to militaries around the world, particularly those that have tense relations with their neighbors, having capabilities that could be destabilizing.The RAND Corporation suggests that this could also spur changes or amendments to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a voluntary agreement with 35 nations that aims to prevent the proliferation of missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.RAND believes that the MTCR should include completed hypersonic delivery vehicles, scramjets, and other hypersonic components to the list of items that cannot be exported. At the very least, a trilateral agreement between the US, Russia, and China could be made to prevent hypersonic weapons from falling into dangerous hands.RAND believes that hypersonic missiles will become operable on the battlefield in the next 10 years.<h2>Obstacles preventing sustained hypersonic flight</h2>Hypersonic technology allows cruise missiles and nuclear weapons to go as fast as mach five or above - roughly 3,800 miles per hour, or 340 miles every six minutes.Missiles and rockets have long been able to go hypersonic; space shuttles and ICBMs, for instance, both fly at hypersonic speeds, sometimes as high as mach 20 or 24 (mach 25 is the upper limit). However, they only do so for a short period of time.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Wikimedia commonsA Pratt &amp; Whitney SJX61-2 successfully completes ground tests simulating Mach 5 flight conditions at NASA's Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, 2008.</div></div></div>Technology is now being developed that will allow sustained hypersonic flight, overcoming three different challenges: material science; aerodynamics and flight control; and propulsion.The problem of material science is relatively straightforward. Because the missile will be flying at such high speed, materials with high melting points are needed so they can absorb heat that would be gathered over a long period of time, so as to prevent the disintegration of the missile."You can think of it as flying into this blow torch," Rich Moore, a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation, said. "The faster a vehicle flies, the pressure and temperature rises exponentially."The problem of aerodynamics and flight control is somewhat related. In order to achieve hypersonic speeds, the body of the missile needs to be constructed so that air resistance is minimal. Furthermore, the shape of the missile must be structurally strong enough to prevent bending and flexing which would affect the flight performance."You're under such high pressures, you are going so fast, that the body itself may not keep its shape all the time," George Nacouzi, a senior engineer at the RAND Corporation, told Business Insider in an interview.Propulsion is probably the most complex challenge after material science. Once an object reaches mach five, traditional jet engines cannot generate enough power to maintain the speed or go faster. "It has been compared to lighting a match in a 2,000 mile an hour wind," said Richard Speier, a political scientist at RAND.Trying to keep the engine going is extremely complex."You have potential shockwaves, the combustion has to be just at the right rate, you have to have the right mixture of fuel and oxidizer," Nacouzi said of the difficulties.The results of trying to overcome this problem is a scramjet, an uncluttered air breathing engine that uses oxygen from the atmosphere as the oxidizer for combustion. Though scramjets are currently in a testing phase, they have <a href="http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/12456/the-united-states-and-australia-quietly-test-hypersonic-missiles">already reached</a> hypersonic speeds.Dr. Nacouzi believes that out of those three problems, flight control may be the easiest to overcome. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-3-best-worst-features-elon-musk-2018-2">The best and worst things about the Tesla Model 3</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Hypersonic weapons can make virtually all missile defenses useless - and destabilize the world order

It’s been long that India was denied entry into the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and it also seems to have moved on, having joined the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/India-officially-joins-MTCR-the-elite-missile-club/articleshow/52939007.cms">MTCR missile club</a>; but looks like China, the main reason behind India staying out of NSG, wants to drag the issue for long. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/China-nuclear-proliferation-records/articleshow/52882142.cms">China is opposing India’s NSG entry, even when its own proliferation records are objectionable</a> 
 
China's state-run media, which has been printing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Chinese-media-insults-Indians/articleshow/52957202.cms">insulting articles against India</a>, has now said that India wants to take "revenge" on China Beijing by refusing the renewal of its journalists, who were expelled by the country a few days back. 
 
Apparently, as per the Chinese state-run Global Times, India’s business visa policy is "a pain in the butt." 
 
"Although news about India's latest galvanized waves of optimism among business communities across China, for Chinese nationals, a business visa to India remains a pain in the butt," said an article in the state-run news agency. 
 
It added that India is using the visa policy as a "weapon" against the neighbouring country as it sees China as the "culprit" for not allowing it into NSG. 
 
Recently, three Chinese journalists working for the state-run Xinhua were expelled from India since they were using fake names to get into sensitive areas and to talk to high-level government personnel. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Chinese-media-warns-India-of-serious-consequences-for-expelling-its-journalists/articleshow/53379744.cms">Chinese media warns India of a ‘tit for tat’ reaction for expelling its journalists</a> 
 
However, as per Global Times, all these allegations were false and India was just making up excuses to get back at China. 
 
On the other hand, China is known to have thrown out foreign journalists for writing critical articles, and having a tough visa process of its own. 
 
<a href="http://gdb.voanews.com/7F757563-8DFC-4E1B-A30B-8400B9C14BC3_cx0_cy9_cw0_mw1024_s_n_r1.jpg">Image source</a>

Butthurt over journalists expulsion, Chinese media calls India's business visa policy 'a pain in the butt'

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">US Coast Guard Collection/US National Archives/Handout via REUTERSUS Army troops and crewmen aboard a Coast Guard-manned LCVP approach a beach on D-Day in Normandy, France, June 6, 1944.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Seventy-five years after Allied troops stormed ashore in Normandy, the world continues to enjoy a peace they and other Allied forces helped secure.</li><li>The international system built in the decades that followed is not guaranteed, however, and we must do more now to ensure it survives, writes Jim Townsend, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a former US <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">defense</keyword> official.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>As you read this, you are enjoying the legacy of the "Greatest Generation." Their greatest achievement is not the victory over Japan and Germany in 1945 but the 74 years of peace that followed.That peace eluded the victors of World War I, who, without the participation of an isolationist United States, struggled for 21 years to find a way to never again experience the horror of 1914-1918. But the political structures they made, such as the League of Nations, could not stop the terrible second convulsion in 1939 of an even bloodier war in Europe. The victors of that second war, however, this time including the United States, turned again to diplomacy and statecraft to build an international system that could keep not just war, but nuclear war, at bay. They succeeded beyond their expectations; the international system built over decades by the same generation that had fought one another has held the line of peace for 74 years.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERSBritish World War II veteran Frederick Glover watches soldiers parachute during a D-Day commemoration event in Ranville, northern France, June 5, 2014.</div></div></div>The bones of this structure include organizations you have heard of, such as the UN and NATO, the European Union and the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as those less known (until a crisis occurs), such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). This alphabet soup of institutions was developed based on lessons learned from failed diplomacy and geopolitics in the 1930s, modified for the nuclear age. It absorbed Cold War tensions and contained hot wars between superpower proxies. But more importantly, this post-World War II system and its organizations tackled those problems that caused instability and that fed conflict, such as poverty and political unrest.One of the major reasons the post-World War II system has been so successful is because of US leadership in the building and the operation of this system. The fear of nuclear war - along with a better appreciation of the importance of global leadership to US interests - compelled the US to take on global responsibility unlike it had ever done in the past. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Associated PressMacedonian soldiers raise the NATO flag in front of the government building during a ceremony in Skopje, February 12, 2019.</div></div></div>Working closely with Allies and partners not just in Europe but in other parts of the world, the US bore, sometimes uneasily, a heavy burden as a global policeman. The international system overseen by the US and its allies was not always fair, efficient, or successful. There were "freeloader" nations that didn't carry their fair share of the weight as well as nations that didn't buy into a post-war system led by the United States and either followed the Soviet lead or went their own way. But flawed as it could be, the international systems of institutions and bilateral relations between nations, underpinned by shared values and history, absorbed the shocks and tended to the catastrophes made by man and nature that in days past could have led to war.<h2>The post-war system under fire</h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/german-chancellor-angela-merkel-belgian-prime-minister-news-photo/996209950">Sean Gallup/Getty Images</a>President Donald Trump and other member-country leaders the opening ceremony of the 2018 NATO Summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, July 11, 2018.</div></div></div>It is a fair question whether this creation of the "greatest generation" can stand the test of time and so ask if it is fit for purpose today. Patience is running out with international organizations that seem to cost more than they are worth. That ever-moving stream of national <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword> in Europe has built up a vocal opposition to the European Union - one of the chief vehicles for keeping peace in Europe - believing that not only is the EU too expensive and too intrusive into European life, but that it squelches the sovereign rights of nations to run their enterprise the way they wish, even if that means slipping toward a totalitarian approach once fought against 74 years ago.The post-war system seems to be under fire from many directions in both the US and in Europe, without many suggestions of an alternative. The values that are shared by the transatlantic community that provide it unity are even being questioned.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/men-and-women-soldiers-from-different-nations-march-in-the-news-photo/996215250">Sean Gallup/Getty Images</a></div></div></div>So as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings and once again raise a glass to honor those members of the greatest generation still among us, we should take care to remember they passed on to us a legacy - a system of international governance to keep the peace so there would not have to be another Omaha beach. That generation built this peace on the shoulders of those who died fighting for values that the survivors knew had to be protected. The system they built to do this was imperfect, but it is our legacy now. It is good to question and revalidate the ways we've always done business. The United States is right to expect the nations that benefit from this system to do their fair share to carry the burden of its maintenance and operation.But we must not take for granted this legacy, this system built from hard lessons learned during a bloody 20th century by those that had to fight those wars. To do that is not worthy of a generation that we thank for its service but then turn away from as we avoid the hard work of maintaining the legacy that generation left us.<a href="https://www.cnas.org/people/jim-townsend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Townsend</a> is an adjunct senior fellow in the CNAS Transatlantic Security Program. He worked on NATO and European issues in the Pentagon, at NATO, and at the Atlantic Council for over two decades, including eight years as deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/animated-map-how-wwi-changed-europe-borders-2017-4">This animated map shows how World War I changed Europe's borders</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Americans are still enjoying the security won by the troops who stormed the beaches on D-Day, but that safety is not guaranteed

India is fast-pacing its efforts for entry into the elite <keyword id="106964" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nuclear-Suppliers-Group">Nuclear Suppliers Group</keyword> (NSG) and is making all diplomatic efforts to gain the membership in the 48-member nuclear group. 
 
India’s blitzkrieg efforts for NSG come in the backdrop that the country wants to expand its nuclear power generation and also enter the export market. 
 
New Delhi has been pushing for NSG membership since 2008 and there has been increasing appreciation for Indian nuclear controls and capabilities since then. 
 
The country becomes more hopeful of entry into the nuclear club as it gained membership in Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit. 
 
However, India’s NSG efforts have been stonewalled by China, which has raised objection on India’s membership, saying even Pakistan should be given entry. 
 
In all its efforts to coax China, the two-day plenary session of the NSG in Seoul becomes important where Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. 
 
As Modi is bidding high for India’s entry, here’s what you should know about NSG 
 
What is NSG? 
NSG is a 48-nation grouping, which controls nuclear related exports, was formed in 1974 to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. 
 
Ironically, it was formed to counter Indian nuclear tests. 
 
Who all are backing India? 
During Modi’s recent US visit, President Barack Obama backed India’s bid for NSG and also urged other countries to back India. 
 
Presently, 34 nations support India’s application. However, China, Turkey, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa and Austria are opposing India’s stand. 
 
China is leading the opposition, arguing that India has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that even Pakistan was eligible for NSG entry. China says if India is admitted, it will shake up the nuclear-arms balance in South Asia as India will engage in a massive nuclear weaponisation programme. 
 
The Dragon stated that India's membership will 'jeopardise' China's national interests and touch a 'raw nerve' in Pakistan. 
 
But why is NSG so important for India? 
 
India’s entry into NSG is important due to following factors: 
1. India wants to become a player in this international arena where nuclear commerce norms are laid. It will also get access to technology for a range of uses from medicine to building nuclear power plants for India. 
2. If India wins the bid, it will have access to international market for export as well as for import of nuclear related materials. India can also commercialize the production of nuclear power equipment, which will boost innovation and high tech manufacturing in India-a fillip to ‘Make in India’ 
3. India needs NSG membership to build nuclear reactors, provide clean energy. 
4. If India gets the membership, it can block Pakistan entry by consensus, which is why China is against New Delhi.

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