SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS SEPTEMBER 2010

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS SEPTEMBER 2010

• India test-fired the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile, which has a range of 290 kms, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur off the Orissa coast. The Brahmos-II, a result of an Indo-Russian joint venture, can be potentially used for surgical strikes, including at terror camps, without causing collateral damage. It can carry conventional warheads up to 300 kg and effectively engage ground targets from an altitude of just 10 metres. The missile can travel at three times the speed of sound. 
• The 13 computer cabinets containing the Tianhe-1, China's first domestically-made petaflop supercomputer, have been installed and it is scheduled to begin system debugging and testing in September, according to the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin.