GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

The United States Air Force (USAF) has once again sent their B-1B Lancers and an array of other defence machinery to participate in the Aero Show 2023 held in Bengaluru.

What is B-1B Lancer?

• B-1B Lancer, also known as ‘Bone’ (for B-one), carries the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the USAF.
  • It is considered the backbone of America’s long-range bomber force.
  • This is the second time that the long-range, supersonic, heavy bomber is participating in Aero India.
    • The aircraft performed a fly-by on the inaugural day of Aero India 2021, escorted by an Indian Air Force Tejas fighter.
• The long-range, supersonic heavy bomber which is dubbed Bone (for “B-one”) carries the largest conventional payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the USAF.
  • Apart from the B-1s, the US lineup at the biennial air show includes the USAF’s newest fifth-generation fighters – the stealthy, supersonic, multirole F-35A Lightning II and F-35A Joint Strike Fighter. 
• An F-16 Fighting Falcon duo has been conducting daily aerial demonstrations, while the US Navy F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet multirole fighters are on static display.

Significance

• Strategic partnership: The return of the long-range, supersonic, heavy bomber to India to participate in Aero India 2023 underscores the importance the United States places on the growing strategic partnership with India.

Though the recent discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of inferred resources of lithium in Jammu & Kashmir, by the Geological Survey of India is a game-changer in India’s impending transition to a green economy. However, the development of these reserves needs to be conducted sustainably – both in terms of the environment and equity 

Why is the finding a big deal?

• Usage: The soft, shiny grey metal is an extremely important one in today’s world. It is used, among other things, to build the batteries that electric vehicles cannot do without. Hence the name ‘white gold’.
• Self-reliance in the LIB [lithium-ion battery]: If India has its own sources of lithium, it would not have to rely too much on imports for its lithium needs, as it currently does.
  • In 2020-21, India imported Rs 173 crore worth of lithium and Rs 8,811 crore worth of lithium ions. India’s lithium needs are also likely to rise, given the push for electric vehicles.
• Rare: Lithium reserves are also rare.
  • There are 98 million tonnes of lithium globally, said Rishabh Jain, senior programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Now India has found 5.5% of these resources

Impact on Environment

• Water-intensive: The process of extracting lithium from its ore is also extremely water-intensive; as per one estimate, it takes approximately 2.2 million litres of water to produce one ton of lithium. And the demand for lithium is only increasing. 
• Extensive mining: Extracting Li from hard rock mines entails open-pit mining followed by roasting the ore using fossil fuels.

Apple is currently working on shifting to microLED display technology and plans to implement the same on future watch models starting in 2024.

What is microLED display technology?

• The basis of microLED technology is sapphires. A sapphire can shine on its own forever. A microLED screen is filled with such small but strong light.
• The picture in a microLED screen is generated by several individual light-emitting diodes.
• A microLED is as small as cutting a centimetre of hair into 200 smaller pieces. Each of these micro LEDs is a semiconductor that receives electric signals.
• Once these micro LEDs are gathered, they form a module. Several modules are then combined to form screens.

• MicroLED displays are brighter, have better colour reproduction and provide better viewing angles.
• MicroLEDs have limitless scalability, as they are resolution-free, bezel-free, ratio-free, and even size-free.
• The screen can be freely resized in any form for practical usage.