Prelims Focus 18th June 2025
ET-LDHCM
In News: India is preparing to test its most advanced indigenously developed hypersonic missile, the Extended Trajectory-Long Duration Hypersonic Cruise Missile (ET-LDHCM), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) classified initiative, Project Vishnu. This marks a significant leap in India’s missile technology and places the country among a select group of nations—namely the US, China, and Russia—with operational hypersonic weapon systems.
Technical Specifications
- Speed: Up to Mach 8 (approximately 11,000 km/h).
- Range: Approximately 1,500 kilometers.
- Warhead Capacity: Can carry conventional or nuclear warheads weighing between 1,000 and 2,000 kg.
- Propulsion: Powered by an advanced scramjet engine that uses atmospheric oxygen, enabling sustained hypersonic speeds for extended periods.
- Flight Profile: Flies at low altitudes, features mid-air manoeuvrability, and is capable of course correction during flight. This profile is designed to evade modern radar and air defence systems.
- Launch Platforms: Can be launched from land, sea, or air, offering flexibility across different strike platforms.
Kali Tiger Reserve
In News: Conservation activists have voiced concerns that the growing promotion of tourism through wildlife safaris in the Kali Tiger Reserve could negatively affect the reserve’s delicate ecosystem and its wildlife populations.
Key Issues Highlighted by Activists
- Disturbance to Wildlife: Increased safari activity can disturb the natural behavior of key species such as tigers, leopards, elephants, and the rare black panther, as well as the region’s significant population of Great Indian Hornbills.
- Ecological Sensitivity: The Kali Tiger Reserve is located in the Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot with moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, and evergreen forests. The area is home to a complex mix of flora and fauna that could be disrupted by excessive human presence and vehicle movement.
- Habitat Degradation: Frequent safaris and associated infrastructure development may lead to habitat fragmentation, soil compaction, and degradation of the undergrowth, which is vital for many species.
- Water Resource Impact: The Kali River, a critical water source for both wildlife and local communities, flows through the reserve. Increased tourism could put additional pressure on this resource.
Arabian Peninsula
In News: New studies support the ‘Green Arabia’ speculation, displaying that the Arabian Peninsula experienced several humid stages over the past 8 million years.
- It is a piece of land in southwestern Asia. It is the original native land of the Arab people. It is likewise the birthplace of the religion of Islam.
- It also includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain, and parts of Jordan and Iraq.
- It is bordered by the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf.
- The Arabian Desert covers nearly all of the peninsula.
- The recent findings project the belief that Arabia was always barren and cause it performed a key role in human evolution and migration.
Bonn Climate Change Conference
In News: The annual Bonn Climate Change Conference commenced in Germany, with over 5,000 government delegates and stakeholders in attendance.
- The convention will cope with key issues, along with the mobilisation of climate finance to fight climat exchange.
- Bonn Climate Change Conference is a key annual mid-year meeting under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), referred to as the Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SBs).
- Alongside the COP, it’s far one of the principal UNFCCC climate summits.
- It brings together members of the Subsidiary Bodies, Indigenous representatives, global firms, scientists, and civil society to assist the implementation and overview of climate agreements.
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