Defence and Security Current Affairs May 2017

Defence and Security Current Affairs May 2017

Boeing P-8Is Inducted into Indian Navy

• Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar dedicated the Boeing PS! i hatkinn Eight India) Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft to the nation at IKviUiih Arakkonam, a naval air station on March 30, 2017.
• It is armed with Harpoon block-2 missile MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges.
• Its communication and sensor suite includes indigenous equipment developed by defence PSUs and private manufacturers. Equipped with foreign and indigenous sensors for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine operations and electronic intelligence missions.
• The aircraft is fully integrated with state-of-the-art sensors and highly potent anti-surface and anti-submarine weapons.
• With a maximum speed of 907 km/h and an operating range of over 1200 nautical miles, ‘with four hours on station’, the P-8Is will be able to detect
• ‘threats’ (and neutralise them if required) far before they come anywhere near Indian shores.

Indian Navy got New Weather Monitoring System

• Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on March 30, 2017 unveiled an integrated aviation meteorological system which is expected to bring accuracy in weather monitoring mechanism in the Indian Navy.
• The aim of IAAMS is to modernise the meteorological infrastructure of the nine Naval Air Stations (NAS).
• It equipped with the state-of-the-art meteorological sensors, IAAMS undertakes automatic and continuous recording of relevant weather parameters that are vital for accurate weather forecasting.
• It has a special alarm feature that alerts the duty staff during abnormal change of weather parameters that may affect safe flying operations.

Indian Navy Inducted Surveillance Ship INLCU L51

• Indian Navy’s latest surveillance ship, INLCU L51 was commissioned on March 28, 2017 and it will be part of the fleet deployed to check poaching, illegal fishing, drug trafficking and other unlawful activities in the Indian Ocean region.
• It is the first of the eight ships of the LCU Mk IV Class and has been built by Garden Reach Ship Builders & Engineers Limited, Kolkata.
• With a displacement of 900 tonnes, the ship is 62.8 m in length and 11 m in breadth.
• The armament onboard the ship include 30 mm CRN -91 guns, 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Guns and 7.62 mm Medium Machine Guns.

Indian Navy Fired Surface-to-Air Missile from IN S-Vikramaditya

• The Indian Navy successfully conducted the maiden trial firing of newly installed Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system from its aircraft carrier INS-Vikramaditya, on March 24, 2017.
• INS-Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier which entered into service with the Indian Navy in 2013. She has been renamed in honour of Vikramaditya, a legendary emperor of Ujjain, India.
• Originally built as Baku and commissioned in 1987, the carrier served with the Soviet Navy and later with the Russian Navy (as Admiral Gorshkov).

India Successfully Test-fired New BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile

• A new BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, with an extended range of 450 km from the earlier 290 km, was successfully test-fired from the integrated test range at Balasorc off the Odisha coast on March 12, 2017.
• The land-attack version of the missile, which flies almost three limes the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, was fired at ‘an electronic target’.
• The technology upgrade to the extended range BrahMos comes after India gained entry into the 34-nation Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June last year, which ‘removed the caps’ on the -range of the missile developed with the help of Russia.
• The MTCR basically prevents the proliferation of missiles and UAV$ (unmanned aerial vehicles) over the range of 300 km.

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Iran Successfully Test-Fired Hormuz-2 Ballistic Missile

• Iranian military successfully test-fired a Hormuz-2 ballistic missile on March 9, 2017.
• Hormuz-2 is a naval strike ballistic missile intended to hit moving targets at sea with high precision, arid has a range of nearly 300 km (186 miles).
• Iran successfully tested the S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system purchased by Tehran from Russia.

INS-Tillanchang Commissioned to Indian Navy

• The Vice-Admiral Girish Lpthra commissiohed INS-Tillanchang to the Indian Navy in Karnataka on March 8, 2017.
• INS-Tillanchang is a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) and will add to the firepower of the Indian Navy.
• It was the home of Sea Hamers of INAS-300, popularly called ‘White Tigers’, Anti-Submarine aircraft Sea king Mk 42B — also known as ‘Harpoons’, Sea King Mk 42 C and the SAR helicopter Chetak as an integral flight.
• It also participated in many international joint operations like Exercise Malabar (USA), Exercise Vanina (French), Naseem-Al-Bahar (Oman Navy).

India-Oman Armed Forces Exercise ‘Al Nagah-IF Held

• A 14-day joint training exercise of the armies of India and Oman began at Bakloh (Himachal Pradesh) on March 6, 2017. The exercise, Al Nagah-H, drew contingents comprised of platoon strength troops from both the armies.
• The second edition of the exercise is in continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman. The first edition was held at Muscat in 2015.
• The aim of the joint exercise is to acquaint both forces with j each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment-as also to enhance the existing military relationship between the two armies.

World’s Oldest Serving Aircraft Carrier INS-Viraat Decommissioned

• INS-Viraat, the world’s oldest aircraft carrier in active service was decommissioned with a ceremonial send-off in Mumbai on March 6, 2017. INS-Viraat was commissioned in Indian Navy in 1987, before that the historic ship served Royal British Navy for 27 long years.
• It was built in 1943, during the Second World War. The carrier has provided utmost protection to the country during many tense situations. INS-Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy.

Army Received WLR Swathi Radar from DRDO

• An indigenous weapon locating radar was handed over to the army by State-run military weapons developer DRDO and it is likely to deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on March 3, 2017.
• Developed by DRDO’s Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRUE). It has a range of 50 km which brings all artillery guns presently in service worldwide under its coverage.
• Performs two roles i.e., Weapon Location Mode for enemy Artillery and Direction of Own artillery Fire (DOOAF) Mode for Artillery.

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HEALTH

Highest Number of Arsenic-affected People Found in Bengal

• Following tabled in the Lok Sabha on March 20, 2017 a report stating that West Bengal has the highest number of arsenic-affected people in the country.
• There are 83 blocks in eight districts (Bardhaman, Malda, Hooghly, Howrah, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24 Paraganas) where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination.
• Bengal topped the list with more than 1.04 crore arsenic-affected persons as on March 4, 2017, Bihar comes second with 16.88 lakh persons, with Assam in third spot with 14.48 lakh victims. The total number of arsenic-affected people in the country is about 1.48 crore.

First Blood Test for Autism Developed

• The scientists have discovered a way to accurately predict whether a child has autism spectrum disorder by analysing a blood sample, an advance that opens the door to earlief diagnosis and potential future development of therapeutics on March 16, 2017.
• By measuring 24 metabolites from a blood sample, this algorithm can tell whether or not an individual is on the Autism spectrum and even to some degree where on the spectrum they land.
• Early intervention can improve development, but diagnosis currently depends on clinical observation of behaviour, an obstacle to early diagnosis and treatment. Most children are not diagnosed with ASD until after age 4 years.

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