<ul><li><strong>The Indian Space Research Organisation (<keyword id="6358064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro">ISRO</keyword>) completed its design for India’s first manned submersible to boost deep sea exploration.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>Currently, only five other countries around the world have the capability to dive 6,000 meters under the sea with humans onboard.<br /></strong></li><li><strong>The design is yet to be certified but India expects the submersible vehicle to be ready by 2022.<br /><br /></strong></li></ul>The Indian Space Research Organisation (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-wants-moon-stories-after-chandrayaan-2-launch/articleshow/70548181.cms">ISRO</a>) is already exploring the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isro-shares-first-discovery-from-chandrayaan-2-orbiter/articleshow/71435228.cms">depths of space</a> and now it wants to dive down into the oceans. The agency is developing a design for a crew module that can take humans upto 6,000 meters under the sea.<br /><br />The project is a part of India’s ₹6,500 crore Deep Ocean Mission. By 2022, India plans to join the elite list of nations that have their own underwater manned submersibles. Right now, only China, the US, Russia, France and Japan have the technology to conduct <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/12-photos-show-how-humans-explored-earths-oceans-from-the-1600s-to-now/articleshow/63835487.cms">manned deep-sea exploration</a>.<br /><br />
  
  <div type="image" title="manned submerible design" msid="71887525" hostid="261"></div>





<sup>Credits:NIOT</sup><br />Most submersibles that go 6,000 meters deep are ROVs or <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/A-48-million-submarine-will-dive-to-the-deepest-point-in-the-ocean-where-only-3-people-have-been-before/articleshow/66416829.cms">remote operated vehicles</a>. They can be controlled using a cable that attaches to the main ship on the surface but they don’t have any humans on board. <br /><br />India’s submersible vehicle, on the other hand, will be able to carry three people — two scientists and one operator.<br /><br />"The design for the manned submersible's sphere has been successfully developed by ISRO. Now it has to be certified and then we will go ahead with the fabrication," said Madhavan Nair, from the Ministry of Earth Sciences during a press conference at the National Institute of Ocean Technology (<a href="https://www.niot.res.in/niot1/dst_intro.php">NIOT</a>).<br /><strong><br />How India’s deep sea submersible works<br /></strong><br />The submersible is going to be a titanium sphere with a diameter of 3.2 meters. The craft will be lowered from the main ship and can remain underwater for eight to ten hours. Once underwater, the onboard pilot or operator can steer the vehicle underwater. <br /><br />The base of the sphere will be a glass pane so that crew members can view the seafloor. Using a robotic arm, the crew will be able to collect samples. <br /><br />According to NIOT, the goal of the mission is to study <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/scientists-caught-the-deepest-fish-in-the-ocean-on-camera-over-5-miles-below-the-surface---take-a-look/articleshow/62640514.cms">rare marine life</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/these-amazing-images-from-the-bottom-of-the-sea-reveal-a-mysterious-world-scientists-are-just-starting-to-explore/amp_articleshow/50569221.cms">explore the ocean bed</a> for mineral resources, recover lost objects and repair underwater equipment. <br /><strong><br />Building the manned submersible<br /></strong><br />Designing the titanium crew module is a challenge. While the material is ideal to withstand high water pressure, it’s also difficult to mold. <br /><br />The design will take another month to get certified by an agency in Germany. After which, it will take another year to physically put it together.<br /><br />While ISRO is in-charge of the crew module, other agencies in India are going to be pitching in as well. NIOT, for instance, will be developing electronics and navigation for the manned submersible.<br /><br />The National Center for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa, Center for Marine Living Resources and Ecology in Kochi and the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services in Hyderabad are also working on the project.<br /><br /><em>(With agency inputs)</em><br /><br />See also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/isro-nasa-just-spotted-a-black-hole-spinning-so-fast-that-it-could-be-making-space-itself-rotate/articleshow/66416605.cms">ISRO, NASA just spotted a black hole spinning so fast that it could be making space itself rotate</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/deep-sea-explorers-discovered-creatures-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean-feasting-on-decaying-whales/articleshow/71713400.cms">Deep-sea explorers discovered creatures at the bottom of the ocean feasting on decaying whales</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/miscellaneous/an-explorer-took-a-48-million-submarine-on-3-record-breaking-dives-to-the-deepest-corners-of-the-ocean-and-discovered-a-mysterious-new-species/slidelist/68930814.cms">An Explorer Took A $48 Million Submarine On 3 Record-Breaking Dives To The Deepest Corners Of The Ocean - And Discovered A Mysterious New Species</a><br />

After reaching the moon, ISRO plans to dive 6,000 meters deep into the sea by 2022

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A hand-to-hand skirmish high in the Himalayas this month was the deadliest border clash between <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> and <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> in decades.</li><li>The two sides are working to ease tensions, but the showdown still has the potential to spark a broader war between two of the world's largest and well-equipped militaries — here's how those two forces stack up.</li></ul><p>A medieval-style brawl between Chinese and Indian soldiers on their border in <keyword id="26604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="ladakh">Ladakh</keyword> this month turned a usually bloodless dispute into a potential cause for war between the world's two most populous countries.</p><p>The brawl lasted six hours and killed 20 Indian soldiers. Chinese officials have not said how many of their soldiers were killed or wounded but have <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2020/jun/22/china-finally-admits-it-lost-less-than-20-soldiers-in-clash-with-india-2159915.html?fbclid=IwAR0pxiHVF-AmAV6iaEW9FKvYDeTejMoMMoSvrvLBvosmhH5R2sFX4svchig">admitted</a> to losing "less than 20" troops after India reportedly handed over 16 bodies.</p><p>The clash is the biggest development in a standoff that began in early May and was the first time <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/forgotten-in-fog-of-war-the-last-firing-on-the-india-china-border/article31827344.ece">since 1975</a> that the two nuclear-armed nations shed blood over their decades-long <keyword id="6417196" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="border-dispute">border dispute</keyword>.</p><p>Both sides are <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-china/indian-and-chinese-military-agree-to-disengage-on-disputed-himalayan-border-idUSKBN23U115" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working to ease tensions</a> in the region, but the days since, both have deployed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. India and China have also <a href="https://www.opindia.com/2020/06/while-china-builds-new-fortifications-india-moves-its-jets-and-helicopters-to-forward-bases-along-lac-report/">moved</a> advanced air assets to forward operating bases in the region and begun building new fortifications.</p><h2>The world's 2 biggest militaries</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian army soldiers" height="982" width="1500" msid="76580460" hostid="261"></div></p><p>China and India today are giants.</p><p>The two countries together <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/health/india-china-world-population-intl-hnk/index.html#:~:text=China%2520and%2520India%2520currently%2520account,and%2520India%2520to%25201.3%2520billion.&amp;text=That%2520would%2520put%2520China's%2520population,1.5%2520billion%2520forecast%2520for%2520India.dia.">account</a> for about 37% of the world's population and are the second- and fifth-largest <a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/the-5-largest-economies-in-the-world-and-their-growth-in-2020-2020-01-22">economies</a>, respectively. They are also the second- and third-largest <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/global-military-expenditure-sees-largest-annual-increase-decade-says-sipri-reaching-1917-billion">spenders</a> on defense and are <a href="https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.asp">ranked</a> fourth and fifth on the Global Firepower Index, which ranks potential military strength.</p><p>China and India also have the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/militaries-most-active-duty-soldiers-troops-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two largest active-duty armies</a>, China with about 2.1 million active servicemen and India with roughly 1.4 million.</p><h2>China has a technological advantage</h2><p><div type="image" title="China army base Himalayas" height="1729" width="2500" msid="76580464" hostid="261"></div></p><p>On the whole, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) is widely seen as more technologically advanced than India's military.</p><p>In China's arsenal are stealth fighters, a larger number of nuclear submarines, more military <a href="https://ucsusa.org/resources/satellite-database">satellites</a>, and a wider array of modern vehicles and small arms.</p><p>Some of those weapon systems were built with places like the Himalayas in mind, such as the <a href="https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/type-15-meet-tank-china-could-use-fight-india%25E2%2580%2594or-launch-amphibious-invasion-119781">Type 15</a> light tank and a new 155 mm vehicle-mounted howitzer; both were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EueZdJW_DM">recently featured</a> in televised drills in Tibet.</p><p><div type="image" title="China Chinese troops soldiers Tibet training" height="1809" width="2500" msid="76580474" hostid="261"></div></p><p>This technology gap "owes primarily to the fact that the Chinese have invested more resources into modernizing their military for a long time at a sustained and high level," Timothy Heath, a senior international and defense researcher at the Rand Corporation, told Insider.</p><p>The PLA has gone through a massive modernization and restructuring effort since the 1990s, which has been one of the biggest priorities for its leaders, <a href="https://ndupress.ndu.edu/Portals/68/Documents/stratperspective/china/ChinaPerspectives-10.pdf/">especially</a> President Xi Jinping.</p><p>China has also shifted from buying advanced equipment from foreign suppliers to being able to produce its own domestic designs.</p><p><div type="image" title="India border soldier troops Himalayas" height="1667" width="2500" msid="76580482" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Conversely, India has had to rely on foreign suppliers for advanced equipment, and its domestic industries have not been able to produce the type of equipment in the numbers needed to rival China.</p><p>Until recently, India had not been able to invest the amount of money in defense that countries like China, Russia, and the US do because of its smaller economy. India also needs to send resources to address more immediate threats.</p><p>"Part of the issue with India is that their security problem is much more fragmented," Heath said, noting India's long-time fight with insurgents and the constant challenge from Pakistan.</p><h2>The technology gap is smaller the Himalayas</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian fighter jet Himalayas Ladakh" height="1667" width="2500" msid="76580492" hostid="261"></div></p><p>But none of this means that the <a href="https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/india-china-postures/China%2520India%2520Postures.pdf">outcome is preordained</a>. While the PLA has more advanced equipment, most of its best assets and units are focused in eastern and southern China, poised to face off against the US, Japan, or Taiwan.</p><p>A war with India would be fought largely in the tough, mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, landscape that is radically different from what most of the PLA is trained to deal with. Moreover, India's military is a <a href="https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/imbalance-of-power">capable and well-equipped force</a>.</p><p>In particular, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) Su-30MKI all-weather multirole air-superiority fighter is regarded as superior to the Chinese J-8, J-11, and Su-27 fighters stationed in the region.</p><p><div type="image" title="India Chinook helicopter Himalayas Ladakh" height="1666" width="2500" msid="76580501" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The IAF also has a number of US-made Apache attack helicopters and Chinook heavy-lift helicopters already deployed, and unlike the Chinese pilots, they have more dedicated experience flying in the region's <a href="https://www.drivespark.com/off-beat/why-planes-dont-fly-over-himayalas-tibet/articlecontent-pf84128-025108.html">very difficult conditions</a>.</p><p>Further, India has more advanced air assets already in the region and closer to potential conflict zones, whereas China's air bases are fewer and further inland.</p><p>India is also expecting its order of S-400 air-defense systems from Russia this fall. This will free up more IAF aircraft for ground-attack roles.</p><h2>India's army is modernizing</h2><p><div type="image" title="India Brahmos cruise missile" height="920" width="1400" msid="76580514" hostid="261"></div></p><p>India's army is going through a modernization process. It's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkxWgZZlHeU">replacing</a> its domestically made INSAS rifle and AK-47s with the modern AK-203 and SIG 716 assault rifles. It is also replacing the World War II-era Sterling submachine gun with Caracal CAR 816s and for the first time introducing dedicated sniper rifles like the Barret M95 and Scorpio TGT.</p><p>In February, the army <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/india-us-sign-contract-for-additional-apache-attack-choppers/articleshow/74299279.cms">signed</a> a contract for six US-made Apache helicopter gunships and is expected to soon order a number of Indian-made HAL light combat helicopters, which are designed to operate in the Himalayas.</p><p>When it comes to armor, India's T-90 and T-72 tanks should also be worthy adversaries to China's Type 99 and Type 96 tanks.</p><p>India also has the Brahmos ram-jet supersonic cruise missile. Developed in a joint venture between India and Russia, it is capable of reaching Mach 3, making it one of the fastest missiles in the world. It can be launched from ground and naval launchers and was recently <a href="https://swarajyamag.com/insta/amid-mounting-tensions-with-china-iafs-brahmos-a-supersonic-cruise-missile-is-now-ready-for-combat-use">approved</a> for use by the Indian Air Force.</p><h2>Experience is a factor</h2><p><div type="image" title="Indian soldiers troops Himalayas Ladakh" height="1666" width="2500" msid="76580525" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The Indian army also has an edge in experience. India has fought numerous wars with Pakistan, most recently the Kargil War in 1999. It has also fought decades-long insurgencies in Jammu and Kashmir and was involved in the Sri Lankan Civil War.</p><p>One Chinese analyst <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-has-largest-most-experienced-mountain-army-in-the-world-says-chinese-military-expert/story-4eR8hDrrshV7j59OHvfIYO.html">acknowledged</a> that India is "the world's largest and experienced country with plateau and mountain troops."</p><p>Conversely, China has not fought a major war with anyone since its brief war with Vietnam in 1979 and has used <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/what-motivates-chinese-peacekeeping">UN peacekeeping missions</a> as a way for its troops to gain experience.</p><p><div type="image" title="China Chinese troops soldiers Tibet training" height="1833" width="2500" msid="76580537" hostid="261"></div></p><p>However, as Heath <a href="https://www.rand.org/blog/2018/11/chinas-military-has-no-combat-experience-does-it-matter.html">points out</a>, "combat experience does not automatically translate into military advantage."</p><p>In particular, the Chinese "are in a better position to concentrate and mass force than the Indians," Heath says. "It doesn't matter how good and experienced your troops are if you're outnumbered 10 to one."</p><p>Moreover, China's ability to move forces means it may be able to quickly redeploy some of its best equipment and assets, like stealth fighters and ballistic-missile systems.</p><h2>A naval confrontation</h2><p><div type="image" title="Chinese China navy submarine" height="920" width="1400" msid="76580546" hostid="261"></div></p><p>While China and India don't share a maritime border, they both have vested interests in the Indian Ocean, particularly in the Strait of Malacca, the shipping channel that connects the Indian and Pacific oceans.</p><p>The vast majority of China's oil imports flow through that strait, as does a large percentage of global trade.</p><p>China is <a href="https://bpr.berkeley.edu/2019/08/26/the-malacca-dilemma-a-hindrance-to-chinese-ambitions-in-the-21st-century/">keenly aware</a> of its importance and is determined strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean. China has established <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-troops-to-overseas-base-operational-security-concerns-for-us-2017-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a naval base in Djibouti</a>, may be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/06/02/chinas-new-high-security-compound-in-pakistan-may-indicate-naval-plans/#7c1ce8631020">building</a> another in Pakistan, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/world/asia/china-sri-lanka-port.html">controls</a> a port in Sri Lanka.</p><p>The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has benefited greatly from investment and reforms. It is now one of the <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/navy-ships/a27532437/china-now-has-more-warships-than-the-us/">largest and strongest</a> navies in the world and has advanced vessels like nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines, guided-missile frigates and destroyers, and two aircraft carriers with more on the way.</p><p><div type="image" title="India navy Kalvari submarine" height="667" width="1000" msid="76580556" hostid="261"></div></p><p>India too has advanced naval assets and <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/top-story/indian-navy-to-build-24-submarines-including-six-nuclear-warships/story/392809.html">plans</a> to build more. It currently has one active aircraft carrier with another expected to start sea trials next year and has a number of advanced frigates and submarines, including two nuclear ones.</p><p>But the Indian Navy is still outclassed. China's Southern Theater Command alone has more diesel-electric attack submarines and guided-missile frigates than the entire Indian fleet.</p><p>However, India has the same advantage that China enjoys in the East China Sea: proximity to its mainland. Any fight with the PLAN would likely be in India's backyard, which means it can use land-based aircraft and coastal defenses against PLAN ships.</p><h2>Ballistic and nuclear missiles</h2><p><div type="image" title="India missile" height="1454" width="2200" msid="76580563" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The biggest fear, of course, is that any conflict between China and India will turn nuclear. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute <a href="https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2020/nuclear-weapon-modernization-continues-outlook-arms-control-bleak-new-sipri-yearbook-out-now">estimates</a> that China has 320 nuclear warheads while India has 150.</p><p>Though China has more advanced delivery systems and warheads, the proximity of the two countries means that even conventional missiles and aircraft could still deliver massive destruction to Chinese and Indian cities.</p><p>However, most observers don't believe that a conflict stemming from current border disputes will lead to nuclear war. Both countries have a "no first use" policy, meaning they will only use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear attack.</p><p><div type="image" title="China soldiers India border guard" height="1094" width="2300" msid="76580571" hostid="261"></div></p><p>The mass use of ballistic missiles also runs the risk of unintended escalation and prolonging conflict, as they would likely only create stretches of no man's land.</p><p>The disputes in question may not be seen as worth such destruction. As Heath put it: "risking such massive losses over a barren and desolate stretch of land up in the mountains — it's hard to see how that would be justified."</p><p>Any war between China and India, then, will most likely see troops attempting to take and hold land in the harsh Himalayas, where air support will be limited, and Indian efforts to fend Chinese ships off of its mainland.</p>

India and China's deadliest border clash in decades risks war between nuclear-armed rivals — here's how the world's 2 largest militaries stack up

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/556efb835afbd36e398b4567-450-300/india-us-clear-two-ground-breaking-defense-projects-as-carter-holds-talks-2015-6.jpg" border="0" alt="U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter (front, L) shakes hands with India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar (front, R) during his ceremonial reception in New Delhi, India, June 3, 2015. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi "><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter shakes hands with India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during his ceremonial reception in New Delhi, India</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>India and the United States have sealed an agreement to jointly develop protective gear for soldiers against biological and chemical warfare, and another on building generators, <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">defense</keyword> officials said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.</p><p>The projects were cleared as US Defense Secretary Ash Carter held talks with Indian leaders to expand security ties between countries that were on at odds at times during the Cold War but have since drawn closer against the rising weight of China.</p><p>The United States has become one of the top sources of weapons for the Indian military, upstaging Russia in recent years. Meanwhile under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make-in-India" program the country is offering joint development and production of military technologies.</p><p>While the two projects approved are modest in scale, India and the United States are also exploring collaboration at the higher end of technology, Carter told reporters.</p><p>"We have big ambitions, and jet engines, aircraft carrier technology are big projects that we're working very hard on," he said.</p><p>Carter is due to sign a new 10-year defense cooperation pact with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parikkar later on Wednesday that will include cooperation in maritime security, another official said.</p><p>The two countries conduct annual naval exercises in the Indian Ocean where China has made forays in recent years in a sign of its expanding reach.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ecee94ecad0486448b456d-1200-858/rtx12ic4-1.jpg" border="0" alt="India carrier" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">India's Indigenous Aircraft Carrier P-71 "Vikrant", built for the Indian Navy, leaves Cochin Shipyard after its launch in the southern Indian city of Kochi on August 12, 2013</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Both the project on protective clothing for soldiers as well as developing the next-generation power source for the battlefield will each have $1 million in funding shared equally by the two sides, a </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">US</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> defense official said, according to Reuters. </span></p><p>"We've negotiated texts, we've agreed to texts and they'll be signed into effect at the end of this month. We went from flash to bang, meaning from the joint statement in January to agreed to and signed texts in just under five months," the official said.</p><p>The other two projects under the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative that Carter himself launched before his elevation as defense secretary relate to Raven mini-UAVs and surveillance modules for the C-130J military transport plane.</p><p>India is also eyeing US aircraft launch technology for a carrier it plans to build to replace an aging British warship. The two sides have set up a working group to explore cooperation and the defense official said military officials will meet later this month in the United States.</p><p>One of the key carrier technologies India is interested in is General Atomics' <a href="http://www.ga.com/emals">Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> (EMALS). EMALS works in concert with catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) systems which are used aboard </span><a href="http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/nimitz/">US Nimitz-class</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> aircraft carriers, the most advanced carriers currently in the US fleet. </span></p><p>This technology would allow Indian vessels to launch aircraft at a faster rate and with improved ease, compared to previous models. An EMALS and CATOBAR system would also allow Indian carriers to launch a range of heavy fighters and surveillance planes. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ee0f91ecad04ba7003c983-807-910/screen shot 2015-02-25 at 1.07.34 pm.png" border="0" alt="Asia aircraft carriers" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>RNGS Reuters</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>India has become increasingly concerned over Chinese expansionism, particularly in the Indian Ocean. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Beijing has been </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">steadily investing</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in port installations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, countries in India's strategic backyard. These ports have allowed for Chinese merchant vessels, in addition to submarines and warships, to have </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-chinas-strategy-for-building-a-military-presence-in-the-indian-ocean-2015-1">safe harbor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> throughout the Indian Ocean.</span></p><p>China recently <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-suspicious-as-Chinese-submarine-docks-in-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/43672064.cms">raised Indian suspicions</a> by docking submarines at the port of Colombo in nearby Sri Lanka and there is concern that Beijing is trying to construct a "<a href="http://csis.org/publication/pacnet-7-pla-n-chinese-maritime-bases-indian-ocean">string of pearls</a>" through the Indian Ocean in order to establish naval and commercial superiority in the region. China and India also have a number of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">simmering territorial disputes</a> along their extensive shared land border.</p><p>New Delhi's growing wariness of China has created further openings for an expansion of defense relations with the US. Washington is currently involved in its "Pivot to Asia," an attempt to refocus military and political efforts towards China's areas of strategic interest. The US might see India as a local counterbalance to Chinese power, which may explain why the US is willing to share such advanced technologies.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-vladimir-putin-most-powerful-man-world-2015-5">Why Putin is the most powerful man in the world </a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RhNTFkdTovrJg1rP-s9ZqAiCXm6cMBEh" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RhNTFkdTovrJg1rP-s9ZqAiCXm6cMBEh',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

India and the US just agreed to cooperate on major defense projects in order to contain China

<p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ece66f6bb3f704168b4567-1200-924/india-aircraft-carrier-viraat.jpg" border="0" alt="India Aircraft Carrier Viraat"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Adnan Abidi </span></p><p class="caption">The Indian aircraft carrier "Viraat" sails during war games with the U.S., Japan, Australia and Singapore in the Bay of Bengal September 7, 2007. It will be retired next year.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>India's newest aircraft carrier could be equipped with state-of-the-art American technology. </span></p><p><span><keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Undersecretary Frank Kendall, who also oversees US-India defense trade, told Reuters on April 3rd that he was optimistic about the possible sale of the latest US carrier equipment to New Delhi. </span></p><p><span id="articleText">"They're going to have to make their own decision about what technology they want, but I don't see any fundamental obstacles to them acquiring some of our carrier technologies, if they want them," Kendall <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/03/usa-india-navy-carrier-idUSL2N0WX2TO20150403">said</a>. </span></p><p>The system India is reportedly considering purchasing is General Atomics' <a href="http://www.ga.com/emals">Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System</a> (EMALS). EMALS works in concert with catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) systems which are used aboard <a href="http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/nimitz/">US Nimitz-class</a> aircraft carriers, the most advanced carriers currently in the US fleet. </p><p>This technology would allow Indian vessels to launch aircraft at a faster rate and with improved ease, compared to previous models. An EMALS and CATOBAR system would also allow Indian carriers to launch a range of heavy fighters and surveillance planes. </p><p><a href="http://www.ga.com/emals">According</a> to General Atomics, the main benefits of an EMALS system are "reduced manning workload, reduced thermal signature, increased launch availability, reduced topside weight, reduced installed volume, and launch capability for unmanned aerial vehicles."</p><p>India is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fast-tracking-new-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">currently building two carriers</a>, and these increased capabilities would greatly enhance its developing carrier fleet. It could also give New Delhi a possible upper hand in its maritime rivalry with China. </p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ee0f91ecad04ba7003c983-807-910/screen shot 2015-02-25 at 1.07.34 pm.png" border="0" alt="Asia aircraft carriers"><p class="source"><span>RNGS Reuters</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Beijing has been </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">steadily investing</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in port installations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar, countries right in India's strategic backyard. These ports have allowed for Chinese merchant vessels, in addition to submarines and warships, to have </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-chinas-strategy-for-building-a-military-presence-in-the-indian-ocean-2015-1">safe harbor</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> throughout the Indian Ocean.</span></p><p><span>China recently <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-suspicious-as-Chinese-submarine-docks-in-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/43672064.cms">raised Indian suspicions</a> by docking submarines at the port of Colombo in nearby Sri Lanka, and there is concern that Beijing is trying to construct a "<a href="http://csis.org/publication/pacnet-7-pla-n-chinese-maritime-bases-indian-ocean">string of pearls</a>" through the Indian Ocean in order to establish naval and commercial superiority in the region. China and India also have a number of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">simmering territorial disputes</a> along their extensive shared land border.</span></p><p><span>China is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-may-be-developing-a-second-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">expecting</a> to have two operational aircraft carriers by the 2020s. The construction of these carriers, and China's push into the Indian Ocean, could pit these two rising powers against each other for maritime control. And the US might see India as a local counterbalance to Indian power, which may explain why the US is willing to share such advanced carrier-related technology.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trailer-point-and-shoot-documentary-libyan-revolution-2015-2">This 26-year-old from Baltimore took a 35,000-mile road trip and ended up fighting in the Libyan revolution</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="szNGZoczpV6FOp_YiVp_j5fNW4DvFIZ8" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'szNGZoczpV6FOp_YiVp_j5fNW4DvFIZ8',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The US may supply India with state-of-the-art aircraft carrier technology

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12500522" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carriers" source="Orion">Aircraft carriers</keyword> have been a dominant naval asset for nearly a century.</li><li>Their high cost and sturdy construction means those flattops often serve for decades.</li></ul><p>Since World War II, aircraft carriers have been one of the most important weapons in a military's arsenal.</p><p>A nation with flattops can influence affairs far from its shores, and the more of them it can deploy, the farther it can project force around the world.</p><p>The financial and technological requirements to build and deploy carriers means only a few countries can develop and maintain them. That barrier to entry means only few countries can field even one carrier.</p><p>The US can deploy <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-us-navy-aircraft-carriers-supercarriers-to-ford-class-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers</a>, reflecting its superpower status. China is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-chinas-aircraft-carriers-compare-to-us-navy-flattops-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">building or testing three flattops</a>, and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-uk-aircraft-carrier-ends-first-deployment-with-milestones-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UK has two new carriers</a>. Several other countries, including France, Russia, and India, have at least one.</p><p>But carriers, once built, can serve for a long time. One of the longest-serving was <keyword id="13638258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hms-hermes" source="Orion">HMS Hermes</keyword>, which spent a total of 58 years in the British and Indian navies.</p><h2>HMS Hermes</h2><div type="image" title="UK British aircraft carrier Hermes" height="1371" width="1828" msid="90901032" hostid="261"></div><p>HMS Hermes was a conventionally powered Centaur-class flattop that was laid down in 1944. Construction was paused for several years and the carrier wasn't launched until 1953. It entered service with the <keyword id="12018460" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="royal-navy" source="Orion">Royal Navy</keyword> in 1959.</p><p>The flattop began its career as a CATOBAR <keyword id="11898296" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aircraft-carrier" source="Orion">aircraft carrier</keyword> and could carry up to five fixed- and rotary-wing squadrons.</p><p>Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery, or CATOBAR, carriers use catapults to launch aircraft and arresting wires to recover them, allowing planes to take off and land on a deck that's only a few hundred feet long instead of a mile or longer.</p><p>But in the early 1970s, the Royal Navy decided to convert Hermes to support operations by Royal Marine Commandos — like the amphibious assault ships of the US Navy. Berthing space for 800 troops was added, and helicopters became Hermes' primary aircraft.</p><p>Hermes was refit again in the early 1980s, when the threat from Soviet submarines prompted the Royal Navy to repurpose the ship for anti-submarine warfare. This modification also converted Hermes into a Short Take-Off, Barrier Arrested Recovery, or STOBAR, carrier.</p><p>A ski jump was added to Hermes' bow and it once more hosted fighter jets, namely the Sea Harrier, which was designed for short and vertical takeoffs and landings.</p><div type="image" title="Royal Navy crewmen aboard aircraft carrier HMS Hermes" height="1278" width="2000" msid="90901033" hostid="261"></div><p>During the Falklands War in 1982, the HMS Hermes was the flagship of the British armada, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/falklands-war-almost-had-first-aircraft-carrier-battle-since-wwii-2021-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading more than 100 ships to the South Atlantic</a> to reclaim the islands from the Argentines.</p><p>Hermes' sister ship and fellow STOBAR carrier, HMS Invincible, were crucial to the UK's success. Sea Harrier fighter jets operating from the two flattops gave the British air dominance and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sas-revisited-wwii-roots-in-daring-raid-during-falklands-war-2021-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ensured that ground troops could land on</a> and retake the Falklands.</p><p>The Argentines recognized the importance of the British aircraft carriers and tried to sink them multiple times with daring air attacks. They sunk several escort ships and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/31/world/argentines-assert-they-hit-a-carrier.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed to have hit</a> Invincible, but the flattops emerged from the conflict unscathed. (The British armada <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-navy-used-impromptu-aircraft-carriers-to-recapture-falklands-2021-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included two improvised carriers</a>, one of which was sunk.)</p><p>Hermes' post-Falklands life was brief. After a refit and an exercise, the carrier was decommissioned in 1984, but that wasn't the end of its career.</p><p>The British had previously tried to offload Hermes — including a mid-1960s offer to Australia that fell through because of the high cost to man and operate the carrier — and in 1983, they again offered to sell it to Australia, which once more turned them down.</p><div type="image" title="Indian navy sailor on aircraft carrier Viraat" height="1154" width="2000" msid="90901034" hostid="261"></div><p>The carrier was sold to India in 1986. After undergoing a refit, the carrier was commissioned into the <keyword id="11895652" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="indian-navy" source="Orion">Indian navy</keyword> as <keyword id="13638259" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ins-viraat" source="Orion">INS Viraat</keyword> in a ceremony held in the UK in May 1987.</p><p>It became the flagship of the Indian Navy and participated in a number of operations, including in the Indian peacekeeping mission in Sri Lanka in 1989 and in the Indian blockade of Pakistani ports during the Kargil War in 1999. Viraat als took part in exercise Malabar, an annual exercise involving the US, India, and other navies.</p><p>After almost six decades in service, the Hermes was finally decommissioned by the Indian Navy in 2017. In 2019, the Indian government <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/economy-politics/story/goodbye-ins-viraat-after-33-years-of-serving-indian-navy-warship-put-to-rest-274220-2020-09-29" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> to scrap the carrier.</p><p>After years of attempts by state governments and private actors to preserve the carrier as a museum, including a last-minute <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ins-viraat-now-private-property-sc/article34244872.ece" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal effort</a> to prevent it from being totally dismantled, the carrier was broken up in 2021.</p><p><em>Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.</em></p>

58 years, 2 navies, one war: A short history of one of the world's longest-serving aircraft carriers

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5bc5fc1bdee789117d1f5843-1400/3350395.jpg" border="0" alt="US Navy P-8 Poseidon Keflavik Iceland" data-mce-source="US Navy/Lt. j.g. Grade Matthew Skoglund" data-mce-caption="A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 16 in Keflavik, Iceland, for anti-submarine warfare training, April 28, 2017." /><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Lt. j.g. Grade Matthew Skoglund</span></p><p class="caption">A P-8A Poseidon aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 16 in Keflavik, Iceland, for anti-submarine warfare training, April 28, 2017.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Boeing-made P-8A Poseidon is one of the most advanced maritime patrol aircraft in service.</li><li>Its high-tech surveillance gear has made it a mainstay of the Navy's air fleet and drawn the interest of allied forces around the world.</li><li>But some nagging problems are affecting the Navy's P-8As, according to a recent Pentagon report.</li></ul><p>Introduced in 2013 to replace the P-3 Orion, the P-8A Poseidon as quickly become one of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-p8a-poseidon-sub-hunting-aircraft-features-sales-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most highly regarded maritime patrol aircraft</a> in service, fielded by the Navy and sought after by partner countries all over the world.</p><p>But the P-8A is dealing with some lingering issues that could affect the force as a whole, according to the fiscal year 2018 annual report produced by the Pentagon's <span>Office of the Director of Operational Test &amp; Evaluation.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a256d68f914c35a018b7a77-1240/boeing p-8 poseidon .jpg" border="0" alt="Boeing P 8 Poseidon " data-mce-source="US Navy" data-mce-caption="US Navy crew members on board a P-8A Poseidon assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 man their workstations while assisting in search and rescue operations for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 March 16, 2014 in the Indian Ocean." /><p class="source"><span>US Navy</span></p><p class="caption">US Navy crew members on board a P-8A Poseidon assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 16 man their workstations while assisting in search and rescue operations for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 March 16, 2014 in the Indian Ocean.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The Poseidon can now count among its capabilities receiver air refueling, employment of the AGM-84D Harpoon Block I anti-ship missile, and several upgrades to its communications systems.</span></p><p><span>But, the report says, "despite significant efforts to improve P-8A intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, overall P-8A ISR mission capabilities remain limited by sensor performance shortfalls."</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-p8a-poseidon-sub-hunting-aircraft-features-sales-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Submarines are increasingly lurking in seas around the world, and the US Navy's high-tech Poseidon is there to hunt them</a></em></p><p><span>Moreover, the report finds, data from the operational testing and evaluation of the P-8A's latest software engineering upgrade as well as metrics from the Navy "show consistently negative trends in fleet-wide aircraft operational availability due to a shortage of spare parts and increased maintenance requirements."</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af60af3b9ea5329008b48a0-1400/p64816p-8radar.jpg" border="0" alt="Boeing P-8A Poseidon radar" data-mce-source="Boeing" data-mce-caption="A Boeing and a Raytheon employee complete installation of an APY-10 radar antenna on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2, November 2009." data-link="http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2009-12-02-Boeing-Team-Installs-Radar-Antenna-on-P-8A-Poseidon#assets_20295_970-117" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2009-12-02-Boeing-Team-Installs-Radar-Antenna-on-P-8A-Poseidon#assets_20295_970-117">Boeing</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Boeing and a Raytheon employee complete installation of an APY-10 radar antenna on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2, November 2009.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Forward-deployed P-8A units have reported "relatively high mission capable rates" when they have access to enough spare parts, sufficient logistics supply support, and priority maintenance.</span></p><p><span>However, the report states, focusing on supporting forward-deployed units "frequently reduces aircraft availability and increases part cannibalization rates at other fleet operating locations."</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-active-in-north-atlantic-but-russia-sub-activity-may-be-in-arctic-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The US Navy is returning to a Cold War submarine flash point, but the real action may be much farther north</a></em></p><p><span>Shortages in spare parts for the Poseidon are exacerbated by the nature of the contracting and delivery system for the P-8A, according to the report.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af859763a08eb24008b49df-1400/140410-n-vd564-008.jpg" border="0" alt="US Navy P-8A Poseidon sonobuoy buoy" data-mce-source="US Navy/Chief Mass Comm. Specialist Keith DeVinney" data-mce-caption="Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 2nd Class Karl Shinn unloads a sonobuoy on a P-8A Poseidon to prepare it for use, April 10, 2014." /><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Chief Mass Comm. Specialist Keith DeVinney</span></p><p class="caption">Naval Aircrewman (Operator) 2nd Class Karl Shinn unloads a sonobuoy on a P-8A Poseidon to prepare it for use, April 10, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The use of engineering model predictions rather than reliability data from the fleet itself, "ensures that some mission critical spare part contracts lag actual fleet needs," lengthening the already long six- to nine-month contracting process.</span></p><p><span>These delays are exacerbated by consumable-item processes at the <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> Logistics Agency, which requires depleting stocks and backorders before starting to procure new items, according to the report.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-requests-more-sonobuoys-amid-concerns-about-russian-subs-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Western navies are worried about Russia's submarines, and the US Navy is placing an order for more sub-hunting gear</a></em></p><p><span>"These delays are a major contributing factor to the observed increases in aircraft downtime awaiting parts and higher part cannibalization," it adds, noting that the P-8A program is working with Naval Supply Systems Command to procure parts on a more flexible and proactive basis and to start basing procurement on fleet-reliability data.</span></p><h2><span>Keeping an eye on things</span></h2><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55dd884d5afbd3d12e8b4567-800/us-plans-more-asia-pacific-drills-to-counter-china-reclamation-2015-8.jpg" border="0" alt="A U.S. Navy crewman aboard a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft views a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. REUTERS/U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Still image from United States Navy video shows a U.S. Navy crewman aboard a surveillance aircraft viewing a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A US Navy crewman on a P-8A Poseidon in front of a computer screen purportedly showing Chinese construction on the reclaimed land of Fiery Cross Reef in in the South China Sea, May 21, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>More than 60 P-8As are in service for the US Navy. The plane is based on Boeing's 737 airliner but built to withstand more stress and outfitted with a suite of electronic gear to allow it to detect and track ships and subs - even just their periscopes - across wide swaths of ocean as well as to conduct surveillance of ports and coastlines.</span></p><p>"I went up on a training flight, and basically ... they could read the insignia on a sailor's hat from thousands of feet above," Michael Fabey, author of the 2017 book "<a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Crashback/Michael-Fabey/9781501112041" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crashback</a>," about China-US tensions in the Pacific, told Business Insider in early 2018. "It's not the aircraft itself of course," he added, but "all the goodies they put in there."</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/s-korea-new-zealand-poised-to-buy-us-p-8-poseidon-sub-hunting-plane-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2 more US allies are buying the world's most advanced sub-hunting airplane, and that should concern China</a></em></p><p>The Navy plans to improve the aircraft's capability going forward by adding the Advanced Airborne Sensor radar and by integrating the AGM-84 Harpoon Block II+ missile and the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability MK 54 torpedo.</p><p>Interest in the P-8A continues to grow.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a5e433b28eeccbc0c8b4fed-2400/140408-n-vd564-035.jpg" border="0" alt="US Navy P-8A Poseidon Indian Ocean" data-mce-source="US Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney" data-mce-caption="US Navy aircrew members look out the windows of a  P-8A Poseidon while flying over the Indian Ocean in support of the international effort to locate Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, April 8, 2014." /><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney</span></p><p class="caption">US Navy aircrew members look out the windows of a  P-8A Poseidon while flying over the Indian Ocean in support of the international effort to locate Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, April 8, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>India has bought 12 of the P-8I variant, and the country's navy chief has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-china-more-us-made-sub-hunting-planes-2018-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said it's looking to buy more</a>. Australia is buying eight and has an option for four more.</p><p>Other countries in the Asia-Pacific region are looking to buy, including South Korea, to which the US State Department approved for the <a href="https://navaltoday.com/2018/09/17/south-korea-cleared-to-buy-six-p-8a-maritime-patrol-aircraft-under-2-1b-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sale of six</a> in 2018.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-nato-navies-in-arctic-circle-in-harsh-weather-for-trident-juncture-2018-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The US Navy is pushing north, closer to Russia in freezing conditions - and it's planning on hanging around up there</a></em></p><p>NATO countries are also looking to reinvigorate their airborne anti-submarine-warfare capabilities, including the UK and Norway, whose are adjacent to the Greenland-Iceland-UK Gap, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-active-in-north-atlantic-but-russia-sub-activity-may-be-in-arctic-2018-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a chokepoint for submarines</a> traveling between the Atlantic and the Arctic, where Russia's Northern Fleet and nuclear forces are based. The US recently <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-p8a-poseidon-sub-hunting-aircraft-features-sales-2018-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent P-8As back</a> to Keflavik airbase in Iceland, though it does not plan to reestablish a permanent presence.</p><p>At the end of January, Boeing was awarded <a href="https://dod.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/1741001/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a $2.46 billion</a> modification to an existing contract for the production and delivery of 19 P-8A Poseidons - 10 for the US Navy, four for the UK, and five for Norway.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life-us-navy-submarine-military-training-armed-forces-2016-9">Everything you've ever wanted to know about life on a US Navy submarine</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/7rZoegKy-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The US Navy's best sub-hunting aircraft is facing some nagging problems

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ef64d769beddb32f86bcca-1200-924/pla-china-naval-submarine-navy-4.jpg" border="0" alt="PLA China naval submarine navy"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A Chinese Naval submarine docks at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base in Hong Kong.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div>China's drive to expand its influence throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans has alarmed the rest of Asia and caused countries in the region try their best to counter Beijing's rise. </p><p>India, in particular, is wary of China's apparent desire to expand its role <span>and become a dominant naval player</span> in the Indian Ocean.</p><p>This concern over its own backyard has led to New Delhi and the US, two of the world's largest militaries, inking a military cooperation agreement that would provide India with sensitive US military technology. </p><p><a href="http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/04/us-to-provide-india-help-to-develop-aircraft-carrier-fleet.html">According</a> to a statement from the US <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Department, the deal "agreed to expedite discussions to take forward cooperation on jet engines, aircraft carrier design and construction, and other areas."</p><p>India hopes to complete two <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fast-tracking-new-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">indigenous carrier</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fast-tracking-new-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">s</a> with US aid within the next decade, although one of those carriers has yet to progress out of the planning stage. This aid will help to quicken the pace of construction as well as contributing to the utility of future aircraft carriers within India's navy. </p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In addition, one of the key carrier technologies India is interested in is General Atomics' </span><a href="http://www.ga.com/emals">Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> (EMALS). EMALS works in concert with catapult assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) systems which are used aboard </span><a href="http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/nimitz/">US Nimitz-class</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> aircraft carriers, the most advanced carriers currently in the US fleet. </span></p><p>This technology would allow Indian vessels to launch aircraft at a faster rate and with improved ease, compared to previous models. An EMALS and CATOBAR system would also allow Indian carriers to launch a range of heavy fighters and surveillance planes. </p><p>This willingness to partner with India against showcases the unease over China's rise and the consequent US push to create a coalition to check Beijing's expanding influence. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ecee94ecad0486448b456d-1200-858/rtx12ic4-1.jpg" border="0" alt="India carrier"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">India's Indigenous Aircraft Carrier P-71 "Vikrant", built for the Indian Navy, leaves Cochin Shipyard after its launch in the southern Indian city of Kochi on August 12, 2013</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>China has consistently increased military spending year over year. In 2014, the Stockholm Insternational Peace Research Institute <a href="http://www.sipri.org/research/armaments/milex/milex_database/milex_database">estimated</a> Beijing spent $216 billion on its military compared to $610 billion for the US and $50 billion for India. </p><p>Aside from military spending, Beijing has been <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-has-slowly-been-eating-away-at-india-2014-9">steadily investing</a> in port installations in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. These ports have allowed for Chinese merchant vessels, in addition to submarines and warships, to have <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-chinas-strategy-for-building-a-military-presence-in-the-indian-ocean-2015-1">safe harbor</a> throughout the entirety of the ocean.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">China has </span><a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-suspicious-as-Chinese-submarine-docks-in-Sri-Lanka/articleshow/43672064.cms">raised Indian suspicions</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> by docking submarines at the port of Colombo in nearby Sri Lanka, and there is concern that Beijing, in the words of Indian General Deepak Kapoor, is trying to construct a "</span><a href="http://csis.org/publication/pacnet-7-pla-n-chinese-maritime-bases-indian-ocean">string of pearls</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">" through the Indian Ocean in order to establish naval and commercial superiority on India's strategic turf. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In addition to the naval bases, China has raised concern within India by further expanding its maritime powers with the development of aircraft carrier battle groups. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Currently, China </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">has the largest aircraft carrier in Asia in the Liaoning, a 302 meter former Soviet vessel which is capable of carrying 50 aircraft or helicopters. Although the carrier's size is daunting, the Liaoning is an older vessel that's </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-troubled-air-craft-carriers-2014-10">prone to mechanical problems</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. It's more of a test carrier than an actual tool for Chinese force projection. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54ee0f91ecad04ba7003c983-807-910/screen shot 2015-02-25 at 1.07.34 pm.png" border="0" alt="Asia aircraft carriers" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>RNGS Reuters</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>China is hoping to rectify that problem with an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-may-be-developing-a-second-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">indigenously produced</a> carrier that Beijing hopes will be ready by the 2020s. Currently, the carrier is still in the development stage and is not yet under construction. </p><p>India has similar carrier-related problems to China. Although it has three vessels, the Viraat is set to be <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fast-tracking-new-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">retired next year</a> and the Vikrant, though set to premier in 2018 or 2019, is years behind in delays and cost overruns. That leaves only the Vikramaditya operational - although, like the Liaoning, it's a repurposed Soviet carrier built in the early 1980s that suffers from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chinas-troubled-air-craft-carriers-2014-10">frequent mechanical problems</a>. </p><p>However, with US aid, India should have a new carrier <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/india-fast-tracking-new-aircraft-carrier-2015-2">operational</a> within 10 to 12 years. </p><p>Further afield, China has also pushed its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Although India does not directly border the sea, New Delhi retains interest in the region for both commercial shipping as well as oil exploration. Beijing's aggresive claims to the region disrupt both of these interests while playing into the US' interest of forming a loose international coalition as part of its Pacific Pivot. </p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"I think what the U.S. is doing if you look carefully with the defense guidelines with Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere, is we're putting together a loose coalition of allies and security partners that includes India, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia and so on," Atlantic Council senior fellow Robert Manning <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/4/us-india-join-forces-to-counter-beijing-aggression/print/">told</a> the Washington Times. "What we're doing in India is kind of a piece of that counterbalancing strategy."</span></p><p>So far, China has constructed over 1.5 square miles of artificial islands on top of reefs in the South China Sea. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-to-project-power-from-artificial-islands-in-south-china-sea-2015-2">According</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> to Reuters, Beijing has completed advanced stages of construction for six different island reefs throughout the sea with construction starting on a seventh. </span></p><p>The expansion of Chinese construction in the South China Sea is kicking off a series of territorial disputes with Beijing's neighbors in the south, all of whom also have competing maritime claims to the reefs and islands: </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53bfe7bceab8ea390978d751-1200-2356/south china sea map_05.png" border="0" alt="South China Sea Map_05"><p class="source"><span>Mike Nudelman/Business Insider</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines all have military bases within the South China Sea on islands that those countries control.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-vladimir-putin-most-powerful-man-world-2015-5">Why Putin is the most powerful man in the world </a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RhNTFkdTovrJg1rP-s9ZqAiCXm6cMBEh" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'RhNTFkdTovrJg1rP-s9ZqAiCXm6cMBEh',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

China's influence is growing so fast that two of the world's biggest militaries are teaming up to block it

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48267310.cms" /><br /> Former President <keyword id="6402687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="APJ-Abdul-Kalam">APJ Abdul Kalam</keyword>, who passed away on Monday evening, probably is one of those few personalities who brought an entire nation together in his mourning. But while this beloved president is fondly remembered as ‘People’s President’, his successor, the twelfth President of India, <keyword id="5979" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pratibha-Patil">Pratibha Patil</keyword>, has failed to come anywhere close to the popularity of late Dr. Kalam.<br />
<br />
She in fact courted so many controversies that she is probably one of the most little liked Presidents of India. So when we decided to dig up a bit about this former President, here’s what we found – a query on the question-and-answer website Quora, asking why former President Pratibha Patil is widely hated and disrespected.<br />
<br />
The query has received over answers, most of which compares her tenure as the President with that of her predecessor, late Dr Kalam. Here are some of the most interesting responses that the query got.<br />
<br />
“… Ms. Patil used Indian government's money to take useless foreign trips with her grandchildren. When they are on travel, Presidents are supposed to meet foreign dignitaries and improve diplomatic relationships &amp; cultural exchange. In her foreign trips, her huge extended family travels at taxpayer's expense to tourist spots. 22 trips and $40 million in travel expenses. Even when she traveled in India, she seemed to like beaches more than people,” said Balaji Viswanathan, who was the first to reply to the query.<br />
<br />
He added, “Most importantly, during her Presidency of five years, she has precisely done nothing. In contrast, her predecessor Dr. Kalam was widely respected and took bold political moves to keep the government on track. Paired with a toothless Prime Minister, she proved doubly disastrous for India…Her image had already been tarnished even before she took the role. Her predecessor is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who is very highly revered among Indians. When Mrs. Patil became president instead of him, needless to say, Indian citizens did not welcome the decision. And then her actions further fueled their anger.,”<br />
<br /> Another reader listed out controversies that involved her, some of which include allegations of her shielding her brother <keyword id="2408155" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="GN-Patil">GN Patil</keyword> in the Vishram Patil murder in 2005. Further the reader listed out scams allegedly involving this former President. Besides, she is also accused of not doing anything for sports despite being a former table-tennis champion herself.<br />
<br />
“There is absolutely no question over whether she ever deserved the Presidency. She's a shockingly unimpressive personality with no aspirations, values, virtues or characteristics. There is absolutely nothing about her that would make you want to look at her twice. She has never done anything of value and arrived in the Presidential House by pure luck. For god's sake, she can't even speak for thirty seconds without a script in front of her,” wrote another respondent who chose to remain anonymous.<br />
<br />
Readers also take a dig at her foreign trips and exorbitant holidays with her family(that are supposed to forge relationships with other world leaders) and compared her to the simple life that former President Dr Kalam lived during his tenure.<br />
<br />
“We had Dr. Abdul Kalaam as the President before Prathiba Patil was sworn in. In Dr. Kalam, we found a president who flew a supersonic fighter jet, dived down the ocean in a submarine, met the soldiers at the world's highest battlefield… and connected so well with people. But when Ms. Patil became the president she tried doing many of the above things to sound like her predecessor but Dr. Kalam was the epitome of simplicity and a man of his actions which she was not, we hadn't seen Dr. Kalam waste the tax we pay on unnecessary foreign trips or holidays to Goa nor did he get himself prime property in any state,” posted another reader Balakrishnan Vasudevan in his response.<br />
<br />
Well, it seems that former President Patil still hasn’t learned her lesson from her predecessor. While late Dr Kalam believed in simplicity, a report suggested that Patil has demanded the Centre to allow her to use official vehicle as well as get fuel allowance. As per the rules, a former President is entitled to either an official vehicle or fuel allowance. Well, all we can say is Dr Kalam has set a standard that is difficult to match but like he says—“Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness”<br />
<br />
<em>Image Credit: Quora.com</em><br />



Oops, she
did it again! Here’s why former president Pratibha Patil failed to live up to her
predecessor late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s popularity<b></b>

THE TRUMP 5: Meet the fabulous offspring of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52f041016bb3f790363e1f60-966-724/beth-flanagan-1.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Beth Flanagan" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Beth Flanagan</span></p><p class="caption">Beth Flanagan</p></div><p></p></div>It's no secret that there are far fewer women technologists working in the industry than men.</p>
<p>When it comes to computer-related jobs, <a href="http://dpeaflcio.org/programs-publications/issue-fact-sheets/women-in-stem/">men outnumber women at a rate of about 4 to 1.</a></p>
<p>And when it comes to the open-source software industry, women are even harder to find. A recent study found that <a href="http://floss2013.libresoft.es/">1 out 10 open-source programmers are women (about 10%)</a>, and that's up from 2007, <a href="http://flosspols.org/deliverables/D16HTML/FLOSSPOLS-D16-Gender_Integrated_Report_of_Findings.htm">when only 2 out of every 100 were women (about 2%).</a></p>
<p>The lack of women gives the tech industry, and particularly the open-source portion of it, a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/sexism">distinctly sexist feel.</a></p>
<p>Despite these sad statistics, it is absolutely possible for a woman in the field to go far and have a fabulous career. So we asked the Linux Foundation, the granddaddy of all open-source projects, to give us a list of stand-out women doing fabulous work.</p>
<p>Linux is an operating system software (a competitor to Microsoft Windows) that is quietly running the world. It is the foundation of the Android operating system. It's the software behind a lot of consumer tech, from televisions to washing machines. It is used in nearly every corporate data center and on most supercomputers. It powers everything from banks to nuclear submarines.</p>
<p>So, here's our list of women with awesome careers working on Linux, the tech that's quietly running the world.</p>
<hr />
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52f0176aeab8ea3a5d235771-1200-924/oracle-linux-elena-zannoni.jpg" border="0" alt="Oracle Linux Elena Zannoni" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Elena Zannoni</span></p><p class="caption">Elena Zannoni</p></div><p></p></div><strong>Elena Zannoni, director of the Linux Tools and Languages team at Oracle.</strong></p>
<p>Oracle is a big player in the Linux world, supplying its customers with a version of Linux based on Red Hat's Linux.</p>
<p>Zannoni came to the Linux world from years working on other open-source projects, starting at Cygnus Solutions bought by Red Hat and then eventually being hired away by Oracle. She's a regular Linux conference speaker, and she volunteers to organize the Linux Plumbers Conference.</p>
<p>She offers this advice to other women programmers: "I tried always to give my best without thinking too much about gender bias. One important thing is to not doubt oneself. There are plenty of other people that will undermine your confidence, no need for you to do it to yourself."</p>
<hr />
<p><span class="gD" name="Lisa Nguyen"><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/52f0192e6da8110b3e3e1f68-948-711/lisa-nguyen.jpg" border="0" alt="Lisa Nguyen" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Lisa Nguyen</span></p><p class="caption">Lisa Nguyen</p></div><p></p></div><strong>Lisa Nguyen, Linux Software Engineer at Linaro</strong><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lisa Nguyen">Linaro is a not-for-profit engineering organization bringing Linux to ARM devices. ARM is a chip that powers smartphones and tablets and is moving into corporate servers.<br /></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lisa Nguyen">Nguyen discovered Linux when studying </span>digitial forensics and information<br /> security in college, she says.</p>
<p>"I didn't want go back to using Windows, and thought that a career in Linux was more fitting than becoming a digital forensics analyst."</p>
<p>She got more involved in the community through an internship <a href="https://wiki.gnome.org/OutreachProgramForWomen">outreach program for women.</a> That helped her learn "how to overcome self-doubt, take risks, and accept feedback," in the often sharp-tongued open-source world.</p>
<p>"Some people in the Linux community will be blunt, yet I'm aware that they're critiquing my code, not my character. Even the most experienced Linux engineers are learning something new every day," she says.</p>
<hr />
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52f01def69bedd946e3e1f60-225-168/sarah-sharp.jpg" border="0" alt="Sarah Sharp" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://plus.google.com/116960357493251979546/posts">Google+/Sarah Sharp</a></span></p><p class="caption">Sarah Sharp</p></div><p></p></div><strong>Sarah Sharp, Linux Software Engineer at Intel</strong></p>
<p>Sharp is one of the best- known women in the Linux world today. She's been a Linux fan since 2003, as she <a href="http://sarah.thesharps.us/about-me/">describes on her blog,</a> and has led some high-profile projects like putting USB 3.0 support into Linux "before any other operating system, including Windows," she says.</p>
<p>Last summer, Sharp publicly took on Linux creator Linus Torvalds,  <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/geekess-calls-linus-torvalds-out-for-rants-2013-7">telling him to knock off the "verbal abuse"</a> that makes the Linux community so daunting for young programmers.</p>
<p>He responded with a humorous rant loaded with four-letter words.</p>
<p>But her point was well taken and raised awareness in the broader Linux community, particularly at commercial Linux companies like Red Hat, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-hat-ceo-cussing-at-employees-2013-9">CEO Jim Whitehurst told us.</a></p>
<hr />
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52f02d286da811fa173e1f68-1200-924/angie-byron.jpg" border="0" alt="Angie Byron" width="480" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/5261837362/sizes/o/">Kris Krug Drupal</a></span></p><p class="caption">Angie Byron</p></div><p></p></div>Angie Byron, Director of Community Development at Acquia</strong><br /></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps">Acquia</span> is the commercial arm of Drupal, a free open-source content management system for websites. Drupal is another hugely popular open-source project and is often used on servers running Linux.<br /></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps">Byron</span> has been a face in the open-source software world since 2011, when she was the first women to be <a href="http://thenextweb.com/ca/2011/02/26/angela-byron-will-be-the-first-woman-to-ever-hit-the-cover-of-linux-journal/#!ukdaF">featured on the cover of Linux Journal</a>. <br /></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"></span></p>
<p>She's been involved with open source since the mid-'90s, she said, because she loves how it lets anyone "tinker with" <span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"></span>software written by others.</p>
<p>"I've found that the community of folks I've encountered in Drupal, Linux and other open-source projects is also simply amazing: friendly, intelligent (but down to earth about it), hilarious, sincere, and endlessly passionate."</p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"></span></p>
<p>She wants newbies to know that there's "room for absolutely everyone to contribute to open source, regardless of skills and experience." <br /><br />Go ahead and contribute code with a "needs work" warning. "Fail early, fail often, and fail in public. Otherwise you risk never contributing because you'll never meet your own high standards of perfection," she says.</p>
<hr />
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52f02e256da81185223e1f5e-1200-924/suparna-bhattacharya.jpg" border="0" alt="Suparna Bhattacharya" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Suparna Bhattacharya</span></p><p class="caption">Suparna Bhattacharya</p></div><p></p></div>Suparna Bhattacharya, Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM Research, India</strong><br /><strong>Member, IBM Academy of Technology</strong></span></p>
<p><span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps">Bhattacharya has loved writing operating systems since she started her career in the '90s. She's worked on a bunch of them including the precursor to Linux, known as Unix, an earlier version of Windows (NT) and IBM's one-time Windows competitor OS/2. <br /></span></p>
<p>She was drawn to Linux by the "sheer joy" of working with so many people all hacking at something together.</p>
<p>Her advice for newbies is simply, "<span class="gD" name="Lucia Schepps"></span>Go for it - it is a lot of fun! Just be yourself. Forget everything else and go play with the code."</p>
<p>While she says that it's good to "do your homework" before you submit your first bit of code to the Linux community, she always say "don't be afraid to learn, even stumble." No one, not even experts like her, always get everything right.</p>
<p>"Everyone is learning constantly from each other (occasionally shouting at each other just to get heard above the din :)," she says.</p>
<hr />
<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/52f0339e69bedde3463e1f60-957-717/beth-flanagan.jpg" border="0" alt="Beth Flanagan" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Beth Flanagan</span></p><p class="caption">Beth Flanagan</p></div><p></p></div>Beth Flanagan, Senior Software Engineer for the Yocto Project at Intel</strong></p>
<p>Yocto is a project at Intel that <a href="https://www.yoctoproject.org/ecosystem/showcase">creates custom versions of Linux</a> that can then run on all sorts of hardware devices.</p>
<p>Flanagan has been involved with open source for 20 years and loves it because "it has literally transformed how industry does business," she says. "Open source is everywhere. In our phones, in our cars, in our airplanes."</p>
<p>She's also known as an advocate for women in tech, sometimes known as "geek feminism."</p>
<p>Her advice is to first "find a project that speaks to your passion. Find out how that community works, what their<br />engineering standards are ... and then find a place to start making improvements." It helps to find a mentor, too.</p>
<p>She also suggests that once you get involved, spend time helping  "other women in technology, especially open source. "</p>
<p>Programs for that include the <a href="https://wiki.gnome.org/OutreachProgramForWomen">Gnome Foundation's Outreach Program for Women</a>, the <a href="http://adainitiative.org/">Ada Initiative</a> and the <a href="http://anitaborg.org/">Anita Borg Institute.</a></p>
<div><hr /></div>
<p class="gD"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/52f036466bb3f722123e1f5e-1200-924/ursula-braun.jpg" border="0" alt="Ursula Braun" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Ursula Braun</span></p><p class="caption">Ursula Braun</p></div><p></p></div>Ursula Braun, IBM Systems Software Development, Linux on System Z</strong></p>
<p>Braun began her career working on software for IBM mainframes, she says. In 2000, IBM made waves by spending $1 billion on Linux and using it to run its mainframes. Braun was on the team that made that happen.</p>
<p>A few months ago, IBM doubled down its support of Linux, vowing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ibm-to-spend-another-1-billion-on-linux-2013-9">to spend another $1 billion on it.</a></p>
<p>She and her team, in IBM Germany, are helping with that, too.</p>
<p>Her advice for newbies is: "Don't hesitate to join the Linux community. It is a technical community and it does not count whether you are a woman or a man."</p>
<hr />
<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/52f03a8069bedd955d3e1f5e-479-360/laura-vasilescu.jpg" border="0" alt="Laura Vasilescu" /><p class="source"><span>Laura Vasilescu</span></p><p class="caption">Laura Vasilescu</p></div><p></p></div></div>Laura Vasilescu, Linux Foundation intern from the Outreach Program for Women, and PhD graduate student at the University <span class="st">Politehnica</span> of Bucharest</strong></p>
<p>Vasilescu worked with the Linux Foundation last summer as an intern after finishing her degree in computer science in Bucharest, Romania.</p>
<p>She became fascinated by Linux, applied for the internship and wound up working on the part of the software that lets it use Ethernet network connections. She's gone back to school for her doctorate, working on artificial intelligence.</p>
<p>Plus she's volunteering as a teaching assistent, teaching programming. "My objective is to create something that will improve the world ... And I'm sure Linux will be involved!"</p>
<p>Her advice for other newbies is, "You don't have anything to lose. Start working today on the things you actually like."</p>
<hr />
<p class="gD"><span class="gD" name="Chaiken, Alison"><span class="gD" name="Chaiken, Alison"><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image"><img src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/52f03fc8eab8ea3b71235774-737-537/lkhc_bohlman_2011c.jpg" border="0" alt="Alison Chaiken" width="480" /><p class="source"><span>Alison Chaiken</span></p><p class="caption">Alison Chaiken</p></div><p></p></div><strong>Alison</strong></span><strong> Chaiken, software engineer, <span class="st">Embedded Software Division</span></strong><br /></span></p>
<p class="gD"><span class="gD" name="Chaiken, Alison">C</span><span name="Chaiken, Alison">haiken</span> describes herself as a "career-changer who took my first programming class in 2007 at night." She was in her mid 40s. She was previously working as a physicist.</p>
<p class="gD">"The progress of my career is a source of amazement to me," she says. "My use of computers predates Windows." (She started with Linux's predecessor BSD Unix.)</p>
<p class="gD">But, as her physics career slowed, Android and open-source hardware from companies like <a href="http://buglabs.net/">Bug Labs </a>arrived. "I was immediately smitten, and realized that my hobby of playing with computers was a more viable career than my original one."</p>
<p class="gD">She learned to program and even helped Nokia work on its Linux-based Android competitor, MeeGo. That was killed when Nokia standardized on Windows Phone, but it was a high-profile project in the open-source world.</p>
<p class="gD">She landed at Mentor Graphics and is now working on putting Linux into cars.</p>
<p class="gD">Her advice is to stay flexible, change paths if you need to and "never, ever work on something you don't love unless doing so is a stepping stone to another goal.</p>
<p class="gD">Above all, "keep your sense of humor ... very often well-meaning folks can be offensive unintentionally, and many will apologize and modify their behavior if asked politely."</p>
<p class="gD">Her best tip for newbies is to join a Web chat community where like-minded developers hang out. She joined FreeNode and says it's been "magic for me."</p>

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