Markets regulator <keyword id="35210" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SEBI" source="Orion">SEBI</keyword> has said that any non-profit organisation (<keyword id="172784" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="npo" source="Orion">NPO</keyword>), which wants to get listed, should be registered as a non-profit entity and the registration certificate should be valid for 12 months. Also, There should not be any ongoing scrutiny or notice by the <keyword id="65338" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="income-tax-department" source="Orion">Income Tax Department</keyword>.<br /><br />The SEBI on Monday proposed a new framework for the Social Stock Exchange (<keyword id="474263" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sse" source="Orion">SSE</keyword>). This new framework would allow the listing of non-profit organisations (NPO).<br /><br />The firm should be registered in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> as a "charitable trust registered under the public trust statute of the relevant state" or under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, or the Indian Trusts Act, 1882, or incorporated as a company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. The minimum age of the NPO should be three years, Angel One said in a note.<br /><br />The NPO should declare whether it is government or privately owned. Any NPO entity that wishes to get listed should have 80G registration under the Income Tax Act. Each entity should have a minimum spending of Rs 50 lakh in the last fiscal year and minimum funding of Rs 10 lakh in the past financial year.<br /><br />The primary goal of the NPOs that want to get listed should be social intent and impact. These intents should be focused on various social objectives for unattended and underprivileged populations or regions.<br /><br />The NPO should be engaged in 16 broad social activities listed by the board. The eligible activities include eradicating hunger, poverty, malnutrition and inequality, promoting healthcare, supporting education, employability and livelihoods, gender equality empowerment of women and LGBTQIA communities, and supporting incubators of social enterprise.<br /><br />The NGO sector in India is quite large. There are over 31 lakh NPOs which amount to one NPO per 400 Indians. This new framework suggested by SEBI will definitely help these NPOs take an advanced route for the betterment of the people, Angel One said.<br /><br />To list, SEBI said, "The SSE under the guidance of SSE Governing Council (SGC) shall mandate the structure of the draft fundraising document/final fundraising document. The SSE shall host such requirements on its website."<br /><br />SSE is formed with the intent to give social enterprises an additional avenue to raise money. This novel concept was built with the sole purpose of serving the private and non-profit sectors by routing greater capital to them.<br /><br />The information that is mandated for SSE to collect is the NPO's vision, strategy, details of key management personnel, financial statements for the last three years, and the risks that the NPO sees to its work.<br /><br />"The SSEs will aim at unlocking large pools of social capital, and encourage blended finance structures so that conventional capital can partner with social capital to address the urgent challenges of Covid-19," SEBI stated.<br /><br />In 2019, a working group was created under the chairmanship of Ishaat Hussain (Ex-Director, Tata Sons). This working group consisted of representatives from social welfare, social impact investing, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the stock exchanges and NGOs.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO :<br /><br /><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-to-have-92-93-carbon-neutral-airports-by-2024-scindia/articleshow/94340980.cms">India to have 92-93 carbon-neutral airports by 2024: Scindia</a><br /><br /></strong><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/enterprise/news/saving-costs-managing-manpower-enhancing-guest-experience-the-various-ways-technology-is-helping-the-hospitality-industry/articleshow/94340133.cms"><strong>Saving costs, managing manpower, enhancing guest experience: The various ways technology is helping the hospitality industry</strong></a><br /><br /><br />

Non-profits wanting to get listed should have no ongoing IT scrutiny: SEBI

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51257429.cms" /><br /> The philanthropic arm of Google, called Google.org, has announced a grant funding of Rs 54 million for three Indian non-profit organisations, namely <keyword id="3271283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ratnanidhi-Charitable-Trust">Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust</keyword>, <keyword id="3271179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Leprosy-Mission-Trust-India">Leprosy Mission Trust India</keyword> and <keyword id="3271180" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Public-Health-Foundation-India">Public Health Foundation India</keyword>.<br />
<br />
As per sources, this grant will be used towards using technology so that people living with disabilities can have more access and opportunities.<br />
These grants are the result of the global Google Impact Challenge for disabilities, which is an initiative to invest US$20 million in non-profit organisations, which are using emerging technologies so that disabled people can be made independent.<br />
<br />
In the event, NGOs from across the world were invited so that they could submit ideas for making a real and positive impact for disable people. <br />
<br />
"Innovative technologies are already helping to improve everyday life for people living with disabilities. Through these grants, we want to empower organizations to build impactful solutions that will create better access for people living with disabilities in India," Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Google India and Southeast Asia told ET. <br />
<br />
<br />
Individudally, Ratnanidhi Charitable Trust will use the money to provide improved access to a well-fitting artificial leg by using 3D scanning and printing technologies. The Leprosy Mission Trust India, on the other hand, will be establishing a facility to create high-quality, customized, protective footwear using 3D technologies for people suffering from leprosy. The Public Health Foundation India, however, will focus on developing a mobile app so that village healthcare workers can rapidly and reliably assess eligibility for government disability benefits. <br />
<br />
The announcement was made today at the TechShare India event in New Delhi. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-KXDDb7SZts/maxresdefault.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a>

Three Indian non-profit organisations get grants worth Rs 54 million from Google.org

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12379891" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elton-john" source="Orion">Elton John</keyword> said <keyword id="12095724" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ed-sheeran" source="Orion">Ed Sheeran</keyword> was a "big mouth" for prematurely revealing a secret collaboration.</li><li>John told the music outlet NME that he was "sworn to secrecy" about the unreleased <keyword id="11895190" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="song" source="Orion">song</keyword>.</li></ul><p>The British singer Elton John used some choice words about Ed Sheeran in <a href="https://www.nme.com/big-reads/elton-john-cover-interview-2021-the-lockdown-sessions-3075718">a recent interview with NME</a> after Sheeran leaked the news of a surprise <keyword id="12030580" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christmas" source="Orion">Christmas</keyword> duet.</p><p>Sheeran, 30, publicized the collaboration during an appearance on the Dutch radio station <a href="https://www.nporadio2.nl/">NPO Radio 2</a> earlier this month - unbeknownst to John, 74.</p><p>"Yeah, he let the cat out of the bag didn't he?" John told NME.</p><p>"I was sworn to secrecy and then big mouth fucking Sheeran goes to the Netherlands! It's supposed to come out - we haven't finished it yet, so there's still work to be done," John continued. The song has no release date or title.</p><p>Sheeran said the idea for the duet came from John, who called him last year after his song "Step Into Christmas" landed in the UK top 10 for the first time, <a href="https://www.nme.com/news/music/ed-sheeran-and-elton-john-set-to-release-joint-christmas-single-3063961">NME reported</a>.</p><p>"Elton rang me on Christmas Day to say Merry Christmas. Elton rings me almost every single day," he told NPO Radio 2, according to NME.</p><p>"He said, 'Step Into Christmas is Number 6 in the charts! I want to do another Christmas song - will you do it with me?'" Sheeran continued, according to the outlet.</p><p>Sheeran said that while he initially didn't feel like the song "suited me," having the opportunity to work on a track with his mentor changed his mind. "It's just me and him. It's great," Sheeran told NPO Radio 2, according to NME.</p><p>Sheeran and John have teamed up before, performing together at the 2013 Grammys. John has also spent time off-stage advising the "Bad Habits" singer under his label Rocket Music <keyword id="11896019" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="entertainment" source="Orion">Entertainment</keyword> Group.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/elton-john-on-protege-ed-sheeran-hes-got-a-lot-of-balls-194640/">interview with Rolling Stone</a> in 2017, John said Sheeran reminded him of himself when he was starting out.</p><p>"And just the fact that he's got the balls to go and do that in front of 90,000 people - that takes a lot of balls," John told Rolling Stone.</p><p>He added, "That takes a lot of confidence. And he has no shortage of confidence."</p>

Elton John called Ed Sheeran a 'big mouth' after the singer leaked the news about a secret Christmas duet

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="10986979" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ever-Given">Ever Given</keyword> has been re-floated and its rear freed from the bank of the <keyword id="168216" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Suez-canal">Suez Canal</keyword>.</li><li>But its front is still stuck, and freeing that will be harder, said an expert involved in the work. </li><li>Dutch dredging CEO Peter Berdowski said "don't cheer too soon" at progress so far.</li></ul><p>The CEO of the Dutch company that helped re-float the Ever Given in the Suez Canal said it's too soon to celebrate, predicting that the last stages will be the most difficult. </p><p>Peter Berdowski, CEO of dredging specialists Boskalis, has been working with Egyptian authorities to free the massive container ship that got stuck almost a week ago. </p><p>For six days, the ship has blocked one of the world's most crucial maritime passages, causing havoc for at some 400 ships waiting to pass through, <a href="https://lloydslist.maritimeintelligence.informa.com/LL1136281/Ever-Given-refloated-and-Suez-Canal-set-to-reopen">according to Lloyd's List</a>. </p><p>So the news early Monday that the Ever Given had been re-floated, and its stern freed, was greeted with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/post/preview?post_id=60619d5a50e31d0dcc629138&amp;mode=desktopktop">relief from mariners</a> and a victory lap by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Egypt Today Magazine  (@EgyptTodayMag) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1376472309465223173?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote><p>As of 11.30 a.m. local time, new maneuvers were under way to continue the progress, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SuezCanalAuthorityEG/posts/418505013123869">according to a statement from the Suez Canal Authority (SCA)</a>.</p><p>Lt. Commander Osama Rabie, chair of the SCA, said that "in all certainty work will be complete very soon."</p><p>But Berdowski warned Monday that there are more struggles ahead. "Don't cheer too soon," he told Dutch radio station NPO Radio 1, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/egypt-suez-canal-48f856c9afed58feb908878c2a495287">according to the Associated Press (AP)</a>. </p><p>While the stern of the ship is free, its bow is still stuck fast in the canal's clay sand banks, he said Monday.</p><p>"The good news is that the stern is free but we saw that as the simplest part of the job," the AP reported him as saying. </p><p>"But she is still stuck in the mud," he said, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-egypt-suezcanal-ship/huge-ship-blocking-suez-canal-partially-refloated-more-work-needed-idUKKBN2BL0AU?edition-redirect=uk">according to Reuters</a>. </p><p>A spokesperson for the company said there is a 70% chance the ship would come free on Monday, <a href="https://www.telegraaf.nl/financieel/568020510/live-blokkeerschip-suezkanaal-met-kop-nog-vast">according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf</a>.</p><p>"If we don't succeed, we will also dredge underneath the ship. So far, this has only been done on the sides," the paper reported the spokesperson as saying. </p><div type="image" title="ever given suez canal" height="733" width="1466" msid="81746386" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://twitter.com/mickbk/status/1376439222501007362">CNN producer Mick Krever tweeted</a> translated excerpts of the interview, in which Berdowski said that lightering the vessel - taking the cargo off - might still prove necessary. </p><p>Without the stern fixed in one place to provide leverage, the work to move the bow will be harder, Krever quoted Berdowski as saying. The bow is still stuck "rock solid," he added. </p>

An engineer working to free the Suez container ship says the bow is still stuck and re-floating it was the easy part

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dutch border guards have been filmed confiscating sandwiches and other food items from bemused British drivers arriving in the country.</li><li>The UK left EU trade and customs rules at the end of 2020 triggering a whole host of new border checks in and out of the UK.</li><li>"Welcome to the Brexit sir, I'm sorry" one border guard told a driver.</li><li>UK supermarkets are already suffering shortages of some items due to the new trading rules.</li></ul><p>Dutch border officials have been filmed confiscating ham sandwiches from British drivers arriving in the Netherlands after a post-Brexit ban on the personal import of meat came into force.</p><p>Footage filmed by Dutch TV station NPO 1 at the Hook of Holland, a Netherlands port, shows officers telling British drivers that the UK's departure from the EU means they are no longer allowed to bring meat or dairy products into the country.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—OwenAdamsYT  (@OwenAdamsYT1) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1348256421331275776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2021</a></blockquote><p>In one instance, a border guard wearing a high-vis jacket is seen inspecting several sandwiches wrapped in tin foil which belong to a British driver and telling him they will be confiscated because they contain meat.</p><p>The bemused driver asks the officer if he could keep the bread and lose only the sandwich filling, to which the border officer replies: "No, everything will be confiscated. Welcome to the Brexit, sir, I'm sorry."</p><p>In another clip, a border guard tells a driver that "since Brexit, you're no longer allowed to take certain food through Europe, like meat or fruit, vegetables, fish, those kinds of stuff."</p><p>Since the UK stopped following EU rules on December 31, new measures have come into force which bans the personal import of meat, milk, or animal products from the UK.</p><p>The EU Commission <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/animalproducts/personal_imports_en">says the rules are necessary</a> because such products can carry diseases including swine flu and Foot and Mouth Disease into the bloc.</p><p>The new rules have resulted in <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/food-shortages-brexit-covid-uk-b828192.html">shortages of some fresh food items</a> in UK shops and delays to other imported goods.</p>

'Welcome to the Brexit': Dutch border guards confiscate sandwiches from British drivers

<ul><li>India's <keyword id="152819" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research-and-Development-Organisation">Defence Research and Development Organisation</keyword> has successfully tested the <keyword id="7770499" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hypersonic-Technology-Demonstrator-Vehicle">Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle</keyword> (HSTDV), which has an indigenously development scramjet proplusion system. </li><li>The hypersonic missile carrier can travel faster than the speed of sound at Mach 6 while carrying a mother rocket or even help launch satellites into Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).</li><li>The successful test of this technology will help the <keyword id="6355142" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="DRDO">DRDO</keyword> advance its development of India's hypersonic missle, the BrahMos-II.</li></ul><br />India’s <keyword id="170967" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Defence-Research">Defence Research</keyword> and Development Organisation (DRDO) has successfully tested its Hypersonic Technology <keyword id="9894986" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="demonstrator-vehicle">Demonstrator Vehicle</keyword> (HSTDV) with an indigenously developed scramjet propulsion system. <br /><br /><div type="twitter" handle="rajnathsingh" handlename="Rajnath Singh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1251443637491122176/x5OH_3pf_normal.jpg" favoritecount="6475" retweetcount="1348" status="The @DRDO_India has today successfully flight tested the Hypersonic Technology Demontrator Vehicle using the indige… https://t.co/AYayZ0zees" createdat="1599459912000" id="1302855419270844424"></div><br />This puts India at par with other countries like the US, Russia, Japan and China, who have already tested this technology with success in the past.<br /><br />The unmanned scramjet demonstration aircraft is capable of cruising at Mach 6 speed while carrying long-range and hypersonic cruise missiles. Travelling faster than the speed of sound, which is Mach 1, the HSTDV can be anywhere on Earth within one hour.<br /><br />It’s biggest selling point is that it can also be used for launching satellites at a low cost.<br /><br /><strong>What makes a hypersonic weapon so dangerous?<br /></strong>In order for a weapon to be categorised as hypersonic there are three factors that need to be taken into account. It needs to be able to fly at speeds of at least 5,000 kilometres per hour (Mach 5), keep low and not lose maneuverability during flight. <br /><br />This makes it more unpredictable and lethal as compared to conventional missile systems. Missile systems generally follow a ‘ballistic trajectory’ — paths that are easy to follow and detect. This gives the adversary time to prepare and launch a counter attack. <br /><br />A hypersonic weapons system on the other hand can change course at will and doesn’t follow any kind of flight plan that the enemy can predict. This also puts a larger area under threat. There’s no time for the targeted region to detect, identify, alert and then try to hit back.<br /><br /><strong>Limitations when it comes to carrying satellites into space<br /></strong>While the HSTDV can carry satellites into space at a low cost, it will mostly be useful for launching them into low-Earth orbit (LEO). This is because in order to launch satellites, rocket engines conventionally use fuel. This fuel consists of two parts — the oxidizer and the igniter. <br /><br />The HSTDV, on the other hand, uses a scramjet engine. If it goes too high, there won’t be enough oxygen in the atmosphere to support its flight beyond an attitude of 1,000 kilometres.<br /><br />Nonetheless, the success of HSTDV will help India bring its next-generation hypersonic missile to live — BrahMos-II. It is currently under development by the DRDO in a collaboration with Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyenia.<br />

India successfully tests its hypersonic missile carrier than can also launch satellites into orbit

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56cb7cbc2e526557008b8c5e-1960-3008/new_horizons_launch.jpg" alt="New_Horizons_launch" data-mce-source="NASA/Kim Shiflett" data-link="http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=27774" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=27774">NASA/Kim Shiflett</a></span></p><p class="caption">Photo of an Atlas V rocket launching the New Horizons project into space.</p></div><p></p></div></div>A <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-air-force-might-cancel-its-contract-with-ula-early-2016-1">prime SpaceX competitor</a> - United Launch Alliance (ULA) - might be banned from flying one of its most important rockets, which could spell ruin for the company.</p><p>Right now, the US Government is determining whether importing Russian-made RD-180 rocket engines - which power ULA's Atlas V rockets - violates sanctions against Russia.</p><p>The US first imposed these sanctions on dozens of Russian officials after Russia seized Crimea in 2014, <a href="http://spacenews.com/one-of-several-u-s-senators-moscow-barred-from-russia-in-retaliation-for-the-2014-sanctions/">SpaceNews reported</a>.</p><p>If the government finds that violation is in play, space company ULA will be unable to purchase new engines with which to launch its Atlas V rockets.</p><p>The Atlas V is one of four launch vehicles the ULA uses to carry out missions for government and commercial companies. And it's one of their most popular - ULA's last <a href="http://www.ulalaunch.com/news-press.aspx?archived=True&amp;Category=2&amp;Page=1">11 missions</a> were all conducted on Atlas V rockets.</p><p>The only problem is that the main rocket stage runs on Russian RD-180 engines, which are made by the Russian company called NPO Energomash.</p><p>And Energomash is run by numerous sanctioned Russia officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.</p><p>"These folks are on the sanctions list, and if the Department of the Treasury comes back and says there's a problem with that relationship, then we have to work with the Congress and others to determine a way ahead," Samuel Greaves, who heads the US Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, told <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/shift-u-sanctions-could-ground-russian-rocket-engines-231112057--finance.html">Reuters</a>.</p><p>The US Air Force stands to lose a lot if RD-180 engine imports are banned because ULA is currently only one of two space companies the Air Force has certified to conduct important national security launches.</p><p>The other company is SpaceX.</p><p>If ULA loses the launch capability of its Atlas V rockets, it will be more difficult for the company to compete against SpaceX for national security launch contracts - a main source of business for the company.</p><p>The evaluations were performed last week in time for a deadline set for this week by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain. Therefore, we could know soon whether the Atlas V is grounded, or not.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-2011-discusses-space-travel-spacex-rocket-2015-12">Here's Elon Musk back in 2011, explaining how ridiculously hard it would be for SpaceX to land its first reusable rocket</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="x5bGNveToykP2EHqpKtyAaDp90W6ZSbh" 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', 'x5bGNveToykP2EHqpKtyAaDp90W6ZSbh',{ 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 government is evaluating sanctions against Russia that could destroy SpaceX's biggest competitor

South Korea's millennials say their lives aren't that different from 'Squid Game' as they face a crisis of mounting debt, unaffordable homes, and dead-end jobs

India-China decide ‘early date’ needed for military talks on border issue — but stalemate continues

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/511c0ddd69bedd521300000b-900/tallafar.jpg" alt="abrams tank in iraq" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons" data-link="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">US Army M1A2 Abrams tanks conduct a combat patrol in the city of Tall Afar, Iraq, on February 3, 2005.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The US Army is considering various systems to better shield tanks and armored vehicles from RPGs, antitank missiles, and other enemy fire.</p><p>But the latest version of the RPG, a staple in the arsenals of Russia and other forces, may already be a step ahead of the active-protection systems the US may soon adopt.</p><p>The Pentagon has purchased active-protection systems to test out on Abrams tanks and Bradley and Stryker armored vehicles, and may even mount them on lighter vehicles, like the successor to the Humvee, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-tanks-strykers-and-bradleys-getting-active-protection-systems-2017-6">according to a report</a> from Scout Warrior.</p><p><span>"The Army is looking at a range of domestically produced and allied international solutions from companies participating in the Army's Modular Active Protection Systems (MAPS) program," an Army official <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-tanks-strykers-and-bradleys-getting-active-protection-systems-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Scout Warrior</a>.</span></p><p><span>The Army intends to outfit Abrams tanks with the Israeli-made Trophy APS and Bradley vehicles with the Iron Fist system, which is also Israeli-made. It plans to put the US-made Iron Curtain system on Stryker vehicles. (The Army leased several of the Trophy systems <a href="https://news.usni.org/2016/04/14/walsh-marines-may-protect-tanks-with-active-and-ew-protection-systems-much-like-ship-self-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">last spring</a>, working with the Marine Corps to test them.)</span></p><p><span>"The one that is farthest along in terms of installing it is ... Trophy on Abrams," Lt. Gen. John Murray, the Army's deputy chief of staff, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-army-tanks-strykers-and-bradleys-getting-active-protection-systems-2017-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said in a statement</a>. "We're getting some pretty ... good results. It adds to the protection level of the tank."</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/57d1d59109d29327008b6ca9-869/screen shot 2016-09-08 at 51722 pm.png" alt="active protection system tank army" data-mce-source="Congressional Research Service" data-mce-caption="How an APS works." data-link="https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/R44598.pdf#viewer.action=download"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://news.usni.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/R44598.pdf#viewer.action=download">Congressional Research Service</a></span></p><p class="caption">How an APS works.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>The US's look to APS comes as other countries adopt the technology.</span></p><p><span>Israeli's Merkava comes standard with the Trophy, as does <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-tank-active-protection-systems-norway-nato-countermeasures-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Russia's new T-14 Armata</a>. Both Israel's and Russia's tanks, as well as the UK's Challenger 2, are <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-m1-abrams-tanks-parity-overmatch-compared-to-enemy-tanks-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">considered by US officials to be close to or at parity</a> with the US's mainstay, the Abrams tank. (Though some officials don't consider the Armata fielded.)</span><span></span></p><p><span>As militaries have adopted active-protection systems and other means to up-armor tanks, arms makers have looked for new antitank weaponry to counter them. Whenever US vehicles equipped with APS join similarly outfitted vehicles in the field, they will face a new challenge from an old foe, the RPG.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5936daa279474c462f8b5b52-2400/rtr3bxn6.jpg" alt="RPG-29 Free Syrian Army Aleppo" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano" data-mce-caption="A Free Syrian Army fighter carries an RPG-29 anti tank rocket propeller grenade during a fight with forces loyal to President Bashar Assad at Menagh military airport in north Aleppo, December 27, 2012."><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano</span></p><p class="caption">A Free Syrian Army fighter with an RPG-29 during fighting with forces loyal to President Bashar Assad at Menagh military airport in north Aleppo, December 27, 2012.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russian arms manufacturers first introduced the RPG - short for Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomet, <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-old-tank-killer-could-still-terrorize-nato-20986?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meaning</a> "handheld antitank grenade launcher," not "rocket-propelled grenade" - in 1949, updating it over the decades since.</p><p>The most recent variant, the RPG-30, <a href="http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/11/20/rpg-30-unveiled-the-m1-abrams-killer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">unveiled</a> in 2008, has a 105 mm tandem high explosive antitank round, and features a second, smaller-caliber projectile meant to bait the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/russia-tank-active-protection-systems-norway-nato-countermeasures-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">active-protection systems that have become common</a> on armored vehicles in recent years.</p><p>A tandem HEAT round carries two explosive charges. One neutralizes a vehicle's reactive armor (which uses explosions to counter incoming projectiles), and the other is designed to penetrate the armor of the vehicle itself.</p><p><span>"The novelty of the Russian rocket launcher is that two rockets are fired at the target at the same time. One is a so-called 'agent provocateur' 42 mm in caliber, followed a bit later by a primary 105-mm tandem warhead rocket," Vladimir Porkhachyov, the director general of arms manufacturer NPO Bazalt, <a href="http://tass.com/defense/820411" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Russian state news agency Tass</a> of the RPG-30 in September 2015.</span></p><p>The RPG-30 <a href="https://sputniknews.com/russia/201509181027179302-russia-grenade-launcher/#ixzz3mAywiNFk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reportedly</a> cleared testing and went into active service with the Russian military sometime between 2012 and 2013. At that point, according to <a href="https://sputniknews.com/russia/201509181027179302-russia-grenade-launcher/#ixzz3mAywiNFk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 2015 report</a> by Russian state-owned outlet Sputnik, the Pentagon put it on its list of "asymmetrical threats to the US armed forces."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56cf3fc86e97c631008b9af6-840/m1a1.jpg" alt="destroyed m1 abrams tank" data-mce-source="US Department of Defense" data-mce-caption="A destroyed M1A1, lost to friendly fire." data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams#/media/File:Destroyed_M1A1_Abrams.jpg"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1_Abrams#/media/File:Destroyed_M1A1_Abrams.jpg">US Department of Defense</a></span></p><p class="caption">A destroyed M1A1, lost to friendly fire.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The effectiveness of the RPG-30 against active-protection systems, and whether those systems need be upgraded to adapt to the RPG-30 and similar munitions, remains to be seen. But the RPG - though <a href="https://www.wired.com/2008/11/russia-unveils/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited by the size</a> of its warhead - has long been potent on the battlefield, even against modern tanks.</p><p>The previous model, the RPG-29, was <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-old-tank-killer-could-still-terrorize-nato-20986?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">introduced in 1991</a> and is still in service with the Russian armed forces. It fires a 105 mm tandem HEAT round and <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-old-tank-killer-could-still-terrorize-nato-20986?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">can also fire</a> a thermobaric fuel-air round against bunkers and buildings.</p><p>Russian RPG-29s were used by Hezbollah in the mid-2000s, deployed against Israeli tanks and personnel during the 2006 Lebanon War.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5818f27b362ca486238b6102-2400/flickr-israeldefenseforces-188thbrigadetrainingdaymarch2008-cropped.jpg" alt="Merkava tank israel" data-mce-source="IDF" data-mce-caption="Merkava IIID Baz fires - the Baz Fire-control system increases the Merkava's accuracy and lethality." data-link="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#/media/File:Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_188th_Brigade_Training_Day,_March_2008-cropped.jpg"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkava#/media/File:Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_188th_Brigade_Training_Day,_March_2008-cropped.jpg">IDF</a></span></p><p class="caption">A Merkava IIID Baz.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>According to <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/hezbollah-anti-tank-fire-causing-most-idf-casualties-in-lebanon-1.194528" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a Haaretz report</a> from the time, Hezbollah antitank teams using RPG-29s managed on some occasions to get through the armor of Israel's advanced Merkava tanks.</p><p>In other cases, Hezbollah fighters used the RPG-29 to fire on buildings containing Israeli troops, penetrating the walls.</p><p>"The majority of Israel <keyword id="6354810" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Defense">Defense</keyword> Forces ground troops casualties, both infantry and armored, were the result of special antitank units of Hezbollah," which used other antitank missiles as well, according to the Haaretz report, published in the final days of the conflict and citing intelligence sources.</p><p>Those RPG-29s were reportedly supplied to Hezbollah by the Syrian military, which got them from Russia. Moscow disputed those origins, however, with <a href="https://sputniknews.com/analysis/2006081152523923/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">some suggesting</a> they were exported from former Communist bloc countries after the fall of the Soviet Union.</p><p>In August 2006, a RPG-29 was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551418/MoD-kept-failure-of-best-tank-quiet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">used successfully</a> against a British Challenger 2 tank in southern Iraq.</p><p>During operations in Al Amarah, an RPG-29 rocket defeated the reactive armor installed on the Challenger, penetrating the driver's cabin and blowing off half of one soldier's foot and wounding several other troops.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/592b022a5124c9df4e2dc784-800/iraqs-iran-backed-paramilitary-advances-toward-syria-border-2017-5.jpg" alt="An Iraqi Federal Police member fires an RPG towards Islamic State militants during a battle in western Mosul, Iraq, May 28, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="An Iraqi Federal Police member fires an RPG towards Islamic State militants during a battle in western Mosul"><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">An Iraqi federal policeman fires an RPG toward ISIS militants during a battle in western Mosul.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>UK military officials were accused of <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551418/MoD-kept-failure-of-best-tank-quiet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a cover-up</a> in 2007, after it emerged that they hadn't reported the August 2006 incident.</p><p>Two years later, during fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City - a Shiite neighborhood in the Iraqi capital - a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/21/world/middleeast/21sadr.html?pagewanted=2&amp;_r=3&amp;hp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US M1 Abrams tank was damaged</a> by an RPG-29. (The US has long avoided reactive armor systems but <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/feature/americas-m1-abrams-tank-still-the-best-the-world-17263?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">accepted them in recent years</a> as a cheap, easy way to up-armor vulnerable parts of the Abrams, particularly against RPGs.)</p><p>During fighting in Iraq, RPG-29s penetrated the armor on the Abrams tanks twice and the Challenger once, <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-old-tank-killer-could-still-terrorize-nato-20986?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to The National Interest. Other Abrams tanks in Iraq were <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/feature/americas-m1-abrams-tank-still-the-best-the-world-17263?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">knocked out</a> by antitank missiles, like the Russian-made AT-14 Kornet.</p><p>The threat goes beyond tanks. Seven of eight US Army helicopters shot down in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2009 <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/russias-old-tank-killer-could-still-terrorize-nato-20986?page=show" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">were brought down by RPGs</a>.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57f7dbd69bd9782a188b56d3-2400/rtr2htjs.jpg" alt="US helicopter soldiers war in Afghanistan" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Ahmad Masood" data-mce-caption="A Chinook helicopter hovers over US troops in the village of Jegdelic, about 56 miles southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, in this picture taken on December 24, 2004. A US military helicopter carrying up to 20 American troops crashed during an anti-guerrilla mission in eastern Afghanistan, US officials said. The fate of those on board was not immediately known."><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Ahmad Masood</span></p><p class="caption">A Chinook helicopter hovers over US troops in the village of Jegdelic, about 56 miles southwest of Kabul, Afghanistan, December 24, 2004.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>RPGs remain in service around the world, filling the arsenals of both state and non-state actors, <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/Weapons_and_Markets/Tools/Weapons_ID_DB/SAS_weapons-rocket-launchers-RPG7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to the Small Arms Survey. The weapon and parts for it have popped in arms bazaars in Libya in recent years.</p><p>The RPG-7, the RPG-29's predecessor, <a href="http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/Weapons_and_Markets/Tools/Weapons_ID_DB/SAS_weapons-rocket-launchers-RPG7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">would be or would likely be</a> used by forces in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Central, South, and East Asia.</p><p>Regular and irregular forces in Latin America also have RPGs, and the weapons have made their way <a href="http://world.time.com/2012/10/25/mexicos-drug-lords-ramp-up-their-arsenals-with-rpgs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">into the hands</a> of criminal groups in the region. The Jalisco New Generation cartel reportedly <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mexico-helicopter-kills-cartel-kingpin-amid-cartel-conflict-2017-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">used one to down a Mexican military helicopter</a> in early 2015.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-buying-weapons-deal-us-110-billion-tanks-choppers-trump-thaad-2017-5">Trump approved the largest weapons deal in US history - here's what Saudi Arabia is buying</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="cxN3ZiYjE6_BBWc94SGzygHJ9bgBQHyh" 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', 'cxN3ZiYjE6_BBWc94SGzygHJ9bgBQHyh',{ 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>

You Searched For "npo" and got 10 results

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