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Source:- As China-Pakistan ties become wider, India must prepare for implications With the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in sight, Pakistan is gearing up to gather support from China to avoid the blacklisting. Reports suggest that Islamabad is likely to persuade the US to support it as it feels it can leverage its much-lauded role as a successful negotiator in the US-Taliban agreement signed on February 29. While Pakistan will have support from Turkey and Malaysia, Beijing is expected to push hard in Pakistan’s favour at the meeting. Pakistan has been on the FATF grey list since June 2018 and even though Islamabad is getting its progress report ready, there is little evidence to suggest that its faith in the use of terrorism as a state policy against India will change. Pakistan’s growing alliance with China has been a major factor that has alleviated international pressure on it, altering its strategic calculus. Beijing’s all-out support to Pakistan provided room to shr

Source:- Sounding rocket Rohini launched with new propellant BANGALORE: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), earlier this month, launched Rohini Sounding Rocket (RH200) with a new propellant formulation based on Hydroxyl-terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) from the Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) at its Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). “This was 180th successive successful flight of RH200 (meteorological) sounding rocket and the first flight with HTPB based propellant. The mission achieved an altitude of 62.7km against the predicted nominal 60.6km in 123 seconds and released the chaff payload successfully. Performance of the motor was normal,” ISRO said. India started its space journey with the establishment of the TERLS on November 21, 1963 by launching the first sounding rocket from Indian soil. Subsequently on November 21, 1967 the first Indian made sounding rocket, RH75 was successfully launched. “Over the years, ISRO has developed various sounding

  The  McNay Art Museum  in San Antonio is offering a rare opportunity to see nearly all of the prints in its Permanent Collection by los tres grandes or “the three greats” of Mexican modernism– Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.  ​​Los Tres Grandes: Obras de Rivera, Siqueiros y Orozco is on view in the Frost Galleries through January 3, 2021. Mexico has the longest printmaking tradition in all the Americas—dating back to 1539. Spurred by the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the golden age of printmaking began in the 1920s and lasted through the 1940s. The great influence of the revolution reveals itself in the prints on view, ranging from Rivera’s heroic depiction of Emiliano Zapata, to Siqueiros’s exploration of sculpture in his large-scale lithographs, to Orozco’s condemnation of war. Through their monumental mural cycles, these three artists became the first Mexican artists to achieve worldwide fame. A selection of artworks in the exhibition by the next ge

Source:- COVID-19 a thrust to strengthen Indigenous Defence Production. The ongoing ceasefire violations and standoff on India’s borders with two of its major hostile neighbours, Pakistan and China, sparked off fresh threats amidst of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. A week ago, the encroachment in the Indian airspace by Chinese PLA’s helicopters at Himachal Pradesh’s border with Tibet and other along the LOC in Kashmir by the Pakistan Air Force, again stroke of a wave of tension regarding the security situation of the Northern Frontier of India. Taking into consideration with the wake of this situation, India’s defence establishments have once again pitched towards re-strengthening the capability of the defence forces. The Chief of Staff of Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhaduria on 18 th May, 2020, Monday in a press conference at New Delhi emphasized on the need of acquiring 450 new fighter aircrafts that will be deployed at the Northern and Western Frontiers of India. He

Source:- This Indian warrior is ready to take on China at 18000 ft,-40 degrees Amid efforts to resolve the issue through dialogue between India and China, the Indian Army has geared up to take on its adversary, if needed. In view of China’s military activities, the army does not want to leave any corps in its preparations on any front. That is why the Indian Army has deployed T-90 and T-72 tanks with BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicles in the Chumar-Demchok area of ​​East Ladakh at an altitude of 16 to 18 thousand feet, which is also at temperatures up to minus 40 degrees Celsius. This deployment also means that the Indian Army is ready for any combat at an altitude of 16 thousand feet in the cold desert of eastern Ladakh. Tanks deployed in the most inaccessible areas The LAC has a flat area for fighting across the Indus River on the eastern border, from eastern Ladakh to China’s occupied Tibet. Here T-90 and T-72 tanks have been deployed in inaccessible areas of East Ladakh. No country

Source:- Why did India purchase Rafale when even MiG-31-like fighter jets are better options available? Comparing the MiG-31 with Rafale is like comparing Bruce Lee with a Para Special Forces commando. Sure Bruce Lee was much faster with his arms & legs but he couldn’t operate 14 different kinds of guns, run 40 km with a 25 kg backpack, navigate through jungles, perform special recon behind enemy lines, kill anyone just with a kitchen knife & rescue hostages. The MIG 31 is absolutely a good platform, no question, However it’s just a Interceptor, While most of the Pakistani and Chinese Fighters can be countered very easily by the Sukohi’s and ground based missile systems, the Pakistani F 16 Block 52 armed with AIM 120 AMRAAM can easily chase the MiG 31 and it down, the same goes for China with Su 30 MK with R 77 missiles can easily kills the MiG 31,   unlike Russia, They need to engage large number of NATO planes and High flying Reconnaissance drones, with the long range Air

Source:- India successfully test-fires BrahMos cruise missile with extended strike range of 450 km India on Wednesday successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos with indigenous components for an extended range from a land based platform off the Odisha coast. The missile deployed in full operational configuration blasted off from launching complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 10.30 am and met all mission parameters as expected. Defence sources said the missile — an Indo-Russian joint venture — was put to trial with indigenous booster, airframe section, propulsion system, power supply and many other major components. The test jointly conducted by DRDO and BrahMos Aerospace for an extended range of 450 km has paved the way for the serial production of the indigenous booster and other indigenous components of the powerful weapon system realising the Atmanirbhar Bharat pledge. “It is one more major step in enhancing the indigeno

Cyber DOD releases interim cybersecurity rule By Lauren C. Williams Sep 30, 2020 The Defense Department released an interim rule for its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification program that will require contractors to prove they are keeping up with key cybersecurity measures. The rule, which goes into effect Nov. 30, was published in the Federal Register Sept. 29. Public comments will be collected until then and are expected to be considered when crafting the final rule. Ellen Lord, DOD's top buyer, announced the rule's publication during a virtual keynote presentation at the Common Defense 2020 conference on defense industry base procurement. "To ensure cybersecurity is also foundational for our partners in industry, the department created the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification or CMMC," Lord said. "Thereby requiring all DOD contracts by Oct. 21, 2025 -- five years from now -- to have some level of CMMC in each of those contracts." Th

Connected Warrior Army experiment highlights need for coders at the edge By Lauren C. Williams Sep 30, 2020 After a large scale experiment using more than 30 different developing technologies at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, the Army is certain it will need two things: more software workers and smaller, more mobile tactical operations centers. "We don't know the exact number, but we have the investments and focus to start cranking them through," Ryan McCarthy, the Army secretary, told reporters Sept. 24, about the Army's need for more coders and data scientists. "We're going to need a lot more of them." The Army spent six weeks in the desert at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona testing prototype technologies experimenting with machine-to-machine data transfers, artificial intelligence capabilities, data analytics, cloud at the edge and new tactical networking tools. The goal was to see if dozens of projects being developed in the labs could actua

Connected Warrior Coast Guard may soon be carrying handheld translators By Defense Systems Staff Sep 30, 2020 The Coast Guard is getting handheld voice-to-text translators. The Silicon Valley Innovation Program, run by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, has awarded Phase 1 funding to Kynamics to build a portable, standalone language translator for Coast Guard personnel. While performing rescue and investigation missions, Coast Guard operators must be able to accurately communicate in real time with vessel occupants – many of whom are non-English speakers. DHS issued the Language Translator solicitation in February, looking for a small handheld device that allows the user to interpret a variety of languages quickly and carry on two-way conversations in multiple languages in real time. Speech would be translated and displayed in real-time on a screen so responders and other parties can understand what each other is saying. The device woul

Heavy Transport Helicopter: Cancellation of the Award Procedure (Source: German Ministry of Defence; issued Sept. 29, 2020) (Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com) The German Ministry of Defence has canceled its tender to replace its Sikorsky CH-53G transport helicopters as both bids were unaffordable, but plans to relaunch the competition with simpler specifications, closer to off-the-shelf standards, to reduce costs. (GE Army photo) We hereby inform you that the award procedure in the "Heavy Transport Helicopter (STH)" project has been canceled. As part of the ongoing award process, it was recognized that the project would be unlikely to be implemented within the budgeted budget while meeting all requirements. The awarding authority of the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Federal Armed Forces assessed the available offers as uneconomical and for this reason canceled the award procedure. The now necessary re-examination of t

AFLCMC Awards Skyborg Second Phase (Source: US Air Force; issued Sept. 29, 2020) WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio --- The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has completed the second phase of awards for the Skyborg Prototyping, Experimentation and Autonomy Development (SPEAD) multiple indefinite-delivery / indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract. This round adds AeroVironment Inc., Simi Valley, California; Autodyne LLC, Boston, Massachusetts; BAE System Controls Inc., Arlington, Virginia; Blue Force Technologies Inc., Morrisville, North Carolina; Fregata System Inc., St. Louis, Missouri; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, Texas; NextGen Aeronautics Inc., Torrance, California; Sierra Technical Services, Tehachapi, California; and Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas. A total of 13 vendors will now compete for up to $400 million in subsequent delivery orders in support of the Skyborg Vanguard Program. “This second phase of awards establishes a diverse and competitive vend

WTO Backs EU Tariffs on $4 Billion U.S. Goods Over Boeing Subsidies: Sources (excerpt) (Source: Reuters; published Sept. 30, 2020) PARIS --- The World Trade Organization has authorized the European Union to impose tariffs on U.S. goods worth $4 billion to retaliate against subsidies for American planemaker Boeing Co, people familiar with the matter said. The delayed award provides a fresh source of potential trade friction weeks before November's U.S. presidential election, after Washington last year began imposing tariffs on $7.5 billion worth of EU goods over state support for Boeing rival Airbus. The two sides have been locked in a 16-year-old dispute at the Geneva-based WTO over aid to their aircraft industries in a pair of cases that together represent the world’s largest-ever corporate trade dispute. They were informed of the decision by WTO arbitrators on Friday, and the award is expected to be published within weeks. The U.S. Trade Representative and the EU’s Washingto

  🇧🇩 The postal service of Bangladesh issued a single stamp on 28 September 2020 to commemorate the 84th birthday of the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hassina. The issue was lithographed. Imagine the fuss if Royal Mail were to issue a stamp to commemorate Boris Johnson’s birthday! Rating:- ****. Thanks to Gene W of Colnect for information about this year. 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post issued a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing the 3 stamps on 22 August 2020 on the subject of Ancient maps of Sri Lanka.This attractive and interesting issue was lithographed and is perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****. 🇬🇧 The Postal Museum in London, though shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic with its Post and Go kiosk A001 inaccessible to the mail-sending public (if such a creature still exists) and collectors alike, will nevertheless issue a strip of Post and Go stamps to commemorate the non-existent Autumn Stampex 2020 philatelic exhibition (well, it does exist but on