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46 Famous Movie Scenes before and after Special EffectsBack in the day, filmmakers used matte paintings, miniature models and trick photography to achieve impossible looking cinematic effects. Today, Hollywood has nearly perfected the art and application of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in movies and TV shows. In fact, most film scenes that you think are filmed in spectacular locations are actually CGI composites shot in a studio. Here’s a list of 46 before-and-after CGI images that’ll leave you amazed.The AvengersMarvel's The Avengers (classified under the name Marvel Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom and Ireland), or simply The Avengers, is a 2012 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner as the titular Avengers team, alongside Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruits Tony Stark, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor to form a team that must stop Thor's brother Loki from subjugating Earth.The film's development began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, Marvel announced that The Avengers would be released in July 2011. With the signing of Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the original screenplay by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August and New York City in September. The film was converted to 3D in post-production.AvatarAvatar, marketed as James Cameron's Avatar, is a 2009 American epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron, and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. The film is set in the mid-22nd century, when humans are colonizing Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, in order to mine the mineral unobtanium, a room-temperature superconductor. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi – a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to a genetically engineered Na'vi body with the mind of a remotely located human that is used to interact with the natives of Pandora.Development of Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999, but, according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film. Work on the language of the film's extraterrestrial beings began in 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006. Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion.[19][20][21] The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques, and was released for traditional viewing, 3D viewing (using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats), and for "4D" experiences in select South Korean theaters. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a breakthrough in cinematic technology.Alice in WonderlandAlice in Wonderland is a 2010 American fantasy adventure film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton. The film stars Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas and Mia Wasikowska, and features the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall. Based on Lewis Carroll's fantasy novels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the film tells the story of a nineteen-year-old Alice Kingsleigh, who is told that she can restore the White Queen to her throne, with the help of the Mad Hatter. She is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, a dragon-like creature that is controlled by the Red Queen and terrorizes Underland's inhabitants.The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and shot in the United Kingdom and the United States. The film premiered in London at the Odeon Leicester Square on February 25, 2010, and was released in Australia on March 4, 2010, and the following day in the United Kingdom and the United States through the Disney Digital 3D, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats as well as in conventional theaters. It is also the second-highest-grossing film of 2010.Boardwalk EmpireBoardwalk Empire is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter and broadcast on premium cable channel HBO. The series is set in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era and stars Steve Buscemi as Nucky Thompson. Winter, a Primetime Emmy Award-winning screenwriter and producer, created the show, inspired by the book Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson about historical criminal kingpin Enoch L. Johnson.The pilot episode was directed by Martin Scorsese and produced at a cost of $18 million. On September 1, 2009, HBO picked up the series for an additional 11 episodes. The series premiered on September 19, 2010, and completed its five-season run on October 26, 2014.Captain AmericaCaptain America is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (cover dated March 1941) from Timely Comics, a predecessor of Marvel Comics. Captain America was designed as a patriotic supersoldier who often fought the Axis powers of World War II and was Timely Comics' most popular character during the wartime period. The popularity of superheroes waned following the war and the Captain America comic book was discontinued in 1950, with a short-lived revival in 1953. Since Marvel Comics revived the character in 1964, Captain America has remained in publication.The character wears a costume bearing an American flag motif, and he utilizes a nearly indestructible shield which he throws as a projectile. Captain America is the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a frail young man enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum to aid the United States government's efforts in World War II. Near the end of the war, he was trapped in ice and survived in suspended animation until he was revived in the present day. Although Captain America often struggles to maintain his ideals as a man out of his time with its modern realities, he remains a highly respected figure in his community which includes becoming the long-time leader of the Avengers.Deadly HoneymoonA wealthy couple take a honeymoon cruise in Tahiti, but the husband disappears without trace. The captain asks an FBI agent on holiday to investigate, believing he may have been murdered. Suspicion falls on his wife, who may have objected to his infidelities, but also a trio of Hungarian gamblers with shady secrets.District 9District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action horror film directed by Neill Blomkamp, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James, and was adapted from Blomkamp's 2006 short film Alive in Joburg.The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras. The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia, and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien ship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insect-like aliens is found aboard the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson tries to escape with his son and return home, crossing paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van der Merwe. The title and premise of District 9 were inspired by events in District Six, Cape Town, during the apartheid era.Game of ThronesGame of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R. R. Martin's series of fantasy novels, the first of which is A Game of Thrones. It is filmed in Belfast and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Malta, Morocco, Spain, and the United States. The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17, 2011, and its seventh season ended on August 27, 2017. The series will conclude with its eighth season premiering in 2019.Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, Game of Thrones has several plot lines and a large ensemble cast but centers on three primary story arcs. The first story arc centers on the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms and follows a web of alliances and conflicts among the dynastic noble families either vying to claim the throne or fighting for independence from the throne. The second story arc focuses on the last descendant of the realm's deposed ruling dynasty, exiled and plotting a return to the throne. The third story arc centers on the longstanding brotherhood charged with defending the realm against the ancient threats of the fierce peoples and legendary creatures that lie far north, and an impending winter that threatens the realm.GravityGravity is a 2013 science fiction thriller film directed, co-written, co-edited, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón. It stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as American astronauts who are stranded in space after the mid-orbit destruction of their space shuttle, and their subsequent attempt to return to Earth.Cuarón wrote the screenplay with his son Jonás and attempted to develop the film at Universal Pictures. Later, the distribution rights were acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures. David Heyman, who previously worked with Cuarón on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), produced the film with him. Gravity was produced entirely in the United Kingdom, where British visual effects company Framestore spent more than three years creating most of the film's visual effects, which make up over 80 of its 91 minutes.Grey’s AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) as a mid-season replacement. The fictional series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attending physicians, as they develop into seasoned doctors while trying to maintain personal lives and relationships. The title is a play on Gray's Anatomy, a classic human anatomy textbook first published in 1858 in London and written by Henry Gray. Shonda Rhimes developed the pilot and continues to write for the series; she is also one of the executive producers, along with Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Krista Vernoff, Rob Corn, Mark Wilding, and Allan Heinberg. Although the series is set in Seattle (at the fictional Seattle Grace, later known as the Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital), it is filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California.The series was designed to be racially diverse and used color-blind casting. It revolves around the title character, Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompeo, first featured as an intern. The original cast consisted of nine star-billed actors: Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T. R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey. The cast has undergone major changes through the series' run, with many members leaving and being replaced by others. In its fourteenth season, the show had a large ensemble of fourteen actors, including four characters from the original cast (Meredith Grey, Alex Karev, Miranda Bailey, and Richard Webber).The HobbitThe Hobbit is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. They are based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to The Return of the King, which expand on the story told in The Hobbit, as well as new material and characters written especially for the films. Together they act as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).The screenplay was written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, who was originally chosen to direct before his departure from the project. The films take place in the fictional world of Middle-earth sixty years before the beginning of The Lord of the Rings, and follow hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to accompany thirteen dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). The films also expand upon certain elements from the novel and other source material, such as Gandalf's investigation at Dol Guldur, and the pursuit of Azog and Bolg, who seek vengeance against Thorin and his ancestors.The Hunger GamesThe Hunger Games is a trilogy of young adult dystopian novels written by American novelist Suzanne Collins. The series is set in The Hunger Games universe, and follows young characters Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.The novels in the trilogy are titled The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010). The novels have all been developed into films starring Jennifer Lawrence, with the film adaptation of Mockingjay split into two parts. The first two books in the series were both New York Times best sellers, and Mockingjay topped all US bestseller lists upon its release. By the time the film adaptation of The Hunger Games was released in 2012, the publisher had reported over 26 million Hunger Games trilogy books in print, including movie tie-in books.Iron ManIron Man is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The character made his first appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 (cover dated March 1963).A wealthy American business magnate, playboy, and ingenious scientist, Anthony Edward "Tony" Stark suffers a severe chest injury during a kidnapping. When his captors attempt to force him to build a weapon of mass destruction, he instead creates a powered suit of armor to save his life and escape captivity. Later, Stark develops his suit, adding weapons and other technological devices he designed through his company, Stark Industries. He uses the suit and successive versions to protect the world as Iron Man. Although at first concealing his true identity, Stark eventually declared that he was, in fact, Iron Man in a public announcement.Life of PiLife of Pi is a Canadian fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.The novel has sold more than ten million copies worldwide. It was rejected by at least five London publishing houses before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year. It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee.Man of SteelMan of Steel is a 2013 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is a British-American venture produced by Legendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, Syncopy Inc., and Cruel and Unusual Films, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Zack Snyder written by David S. Goyer, and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, and Russell Crowe. Man of Steel is a reboot of the Superman film series that retells the character's origin story. In the film, Clark Kent learns that he is a superpowered alien from the planet Krypton and assumes the role of mankind's protector as Superman, but finds himself having to prevent General Zod from destroying humanity.Development began in 2008, when Warner Bros. took pitches from comic book writers, screenwriters, and directors, opting to reboot the franchise. In 2009, a court ruling resulted in Jerry Siegel's family recapturing the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's copyright. The decision stated that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films, but if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Shuster and Siegel estates would be able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film. Producer Christopher Nolan pitched Goyer's idea after story discussion on The Dark Knight Rises, and Snyder was hired as the film's director in October 2010. Principal photography began in August 2011 in West Chicago, Illinois, before moving to Vancouver and Plano, Illinois.Oz the Great and PowerfulOz the Great and Powerful is a 2013 American fantasy adventure film directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Joe Roth, from a screenplay written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Mitchell Kapner. The film stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis, with Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs, Joey King, and Tony Cox in supporting roles. Based on L. Frank Baum's Oz novels and set 20 years before the events of the original novel, Oz the Great and Powerful is a spiritual prequel to the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, The Wizard of Oz. The film tells the story of Oscar Diggs, a deceptive magician who arrives in the Land of Oz and encounters three witches: Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda. Oscar is then enlisted to restore order in Oz, while struggling to resolve conflicts with the witches and himself.Kapner began developing an origin story for the Wizard of Oz after a lifelong interest of wanting to create one for the character. Walt Disney Pictures commissioned the film's production in 2009, with Joe Roth as producer and Grant Curtis, Joshua Donen, Philip Steuer, and Palak Patel serving as executive producers. Raimi was hired to direct the following year. After Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp declined the titular role, Franco was cast in February 2011, with principal photography commencing five months later. Danny Elfman composed the film's score.Pirates of the CaribbeanPirates of the Caribbean is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park attractions, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with the Pirates of the Caribbean theme ride attraction, which opened at Disneyland in 1967 and was one of the last Disney theme park attractions overseen by Walt Disney. Disney based the ride on pirate legends and folklore. As of October 2016, Pirates of the Caribbean attractions can be found at five Disney theme parks. Their related films have grossed over US$ 3.7 billion worldwide as of January 2015,[1] putting the film franchise 11th in the list of all-time highest grossing franchises and film series.Rise of the Planet of the ApesRise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 American science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt and starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, and Andy Serkis. Written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, it is 20th Century Fox's reboot of the Planet of the Apes series, intended to act as an origin story for a new series of films. Its premise is similar to the fourth film in the original series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), but it is not a direct remake of that film.Rise of the Planet of the Apes was released on August 5, 2011, to critical and commercial success. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It was also nominated for five Saturn Awards including Best Director for Wyatt and Best Writing for Jaffa and Silver, winning Best Science Fiction Film, Best Supporting Actor for Serkis and Best Special Effects. Serkis's performance as Caesar was widely acclaimed, earning him many nominations from associations which do not usually recognize performance capture as traditional acting. A sequel to the film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was released on July 11, 2014, and a third film, War for the Planet of the Apes, was released on July 14, 2017.The Dark Knight RisesThe Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer.[5] Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the final installment in Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, and the sequel to The Dark Knight (2008). Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of allies: Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. The film introduces Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy). Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, merciless revolutionary Bane forces an older Bruce Wayne to resume his role as Batman and save Gotham City from nuclear destruction.Christopher Nolan was hesitant about returning to the series for a second time, but agreed after developing a story with his brother and Goyer that he felt would conclude the series on a satisfactory note. Nolan drew inspiration from Bane's comic book debut in the 1993 "Knightfall" storyline, the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, and the 1999 storyline "No Man's Land". Filming took place from May to November 2011 in locations including Jodhpur, London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, and Pittsburgh. Nolan used IMAX 70 mm film cameras for much of the filming, including the first six minutes of the film, to optimize the quality of the picture. A vehicle variation of the Batplane and Batcopter termed the "Bat", an underground prison set, and a new Batcave set were created specifically for the film. As with The Dark Knight, viral marketing campaigns began early during production. When filming concluded, Warner Bros. refocused its campaign: developing promotional websites, releasing the first six minutes of the film, screening theatrical trailers, and sending out information regarding the film's plot.The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the second part of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, starring an ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Morgan Freeman. In the film, Bruce Wayne / Batman (Bale), Police Lieutenant James Gordon (Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Eckhart) form an alliance to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City, but are menaced by a criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Ledger) who seeks to undermine Batman's influence and create chaos.Nolan's inspiration for the film was the Joker's comic book debut in 1940, the 1988 graphic novel The Killing Joke, and the 1996 series The Long Halloween, which retold Two-Face's origin. The "Dark Knight" nickname was first applied to Batman in Batman #1 (1940), in a story written by Bill Finger.[4][5] The Dark Knight was filmed primarily in Chicago, as well as in several other locations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. Nolan used IMAX 70 mm film cameras to film some sequences, including the Joker's first appearance in the film. Warner Bros. initially created a viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight, developing promotional websites and trailers highlighting screenshots of Ledger as the Joker. Ledger died on January 22, 2008, some months after the completed filming and six months before the film's release from a toxic combination of prescription drugs, leading to intense attention from the press and movie-going public.The Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby is a 2013 romance drama film based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same name. The film was co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the eponymous Jay Gatsby, with Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Debicki. Production began in 2011 and took place in Australia, with a $190 million budget. The film follows the life and times of millionaire Jay Gatsby and his neighbor Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), who recounts his encounter with Gatsby at the height of the Roaring Twenties in New York state.The film polarized critics, receiving both praise and criticism for its acting performances, soundtrack, visual style, and direction. Audiences responded more positively and Fitzgerald's granddaughter praised the film, stating "Scott would have been proud." As of 2017, it is Luhrmann's highest-grossing film, grossing over $353 million worldwide. At the 86th Academy Awards, the film won in both of its nominated categories: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.The MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by The Wachowskis (credited as The Wachowski Brothers) and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano. It depicts a dystopian future in which reality as perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality called "the Matrix", created by sentient machines to subdue the human population, while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Cybercriminal and computer programmer Neo learns this truth and is drawn into a rebellion against the machines, which involves other people who have been freed from the "dream world."The Matrix is known for popularizing a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera's viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed. The film is an example of the cyberpunk subgenre. It contains numerous references to philosophical and religious ideas, and prominently pays homage to works such as Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation and Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration for Japanese animation[8] and martial arts films, and the film's use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced subsequent Hollywood action film productions.The Secret in Their EyesSecret in Their Eyes is a 2015 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Billy Ray and a remake of the 2009 Argentine film of the same name, both based on the novel La pregunta de sus ojos by author Eduardo Sacheri. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Dean Norris, and Michael Kelly.The film was released by STXfilms on November 20, 2015. It received mixed reception from critics, who praised its performances but compared it unfavourably to the original.The Walking DeadThe Wolf of Wall StreetThe Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American biographical black comedy[3] directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter, based on the memoir of the same name by Jordan Belfort. It recounts Belfort's perspective on his career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his firm Stratton Oakmont engaged in rampant corruption and fraud on Wall Street that ultimately led to his downfall. Leonardo DiCaprio (who was also a producer) stars as Belfort, with Jonah Hill as his business partner and friend Donnie Azoff, Margot Robbie as his wife Naomi Lapaglia and Kyle Chandler as Patrick Denham, the FBI agent who tries to bring him down. Matthew McConaughey, Rob Reiner, Jon Favreau, Joanna Lumley and Jean Dujardin also star. The film marks the director's fifth collaboration with DiCaprio, after Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006) and Shutter Island (2010), as well as his second collaboration with Winter after the television series Boardwalk Empire (2010–14).TransformersTransformers is a series of American science fiction fantasy action films based on the toys created by Hasbro and Tomy. Michael Bay has directed the first five films: Transformers (2007), Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Dark of the Moon (2011), Age of Extinction (2014) and The Last Knight (2017). A spin-off entitled Bumblebee: The Movie, directed by Travis Knight and produced by Michael Bay, is scheduled for December 21, 2018. The series has been distributed by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks.The live-action film series has received mixed reception, with criticism of the plots, sophomoric humor, overuse of product placements and the lengths of the films, but praise of the visual effects, action sequences and music. It is the 11th-highest-grossing film series, with a total of $4.3 billion; two films in the series have individually grossed over $1 billion.The Twilight Saga: Breaking DawnThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (commonly referred to as Breaking Dawn: Part 1) is a 2011 American romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon and based on the novel Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The first part of a two-part film forms the fourth and penultimate installment in The Twilight Saga film series, and is the beginning of the 2012 film Breaking Dawn: Part 2. All three main cast members, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner, reprised their roles.Wyck Godfrey and Karen Rosenfelt served as producers of the film, along with the author of the series, Stephenie Meyer; the screenplay was written by Melissa Rosenberg, the screenwriter of the first three entries. It was released in theaters on November 18, 2011, and released to DVD on February 11, 2012 in the United States. The film grossed over $712 million worldwide. Though the film gained predominantly negative critical reviews, it was a box office hit.300300 is a 2006 American epic war film based on the 1998 comic series 300 by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Both are fictionalized retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae within the Persian Wars. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant. It was filmed mostly with a super-imposition chroma key technique, to help replicate the imagery of the original comic book.The plot revolves around King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian "god-King" Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his invading army of more than 300,000 soldiers. As the battle rages, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) attempts to rally support in Sparta for her husband. The story is framed by a voice-over narrative by the Spartan soldier Dilios (David Wenham). Through this narrative technique, various fantastical creatures are introduced, placing 300 within the genre of historical fantasy.Sources: 46 Famous Movie Scenes Before And After Special Effects

Some of the wonderfull weapon’s made by INDIAConsidering the national wealth it commands India’s hard power shouldn’t be dismissed. As a matter of fact, as early as 1947 India possessed the best trained military in Asia. A strong British core was the rock upon which a professional institution was molded and outfitted with a proper navy and air arm.In the decades that followed a growing domestic arms industry improved this state of affairs. There was no realm Indian scientists and engineers ventured that didn’t impact its military advancement. India also cultivated its allies from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, an approach that remains profitable to this day as Delhi cuts deals with both Russia and the US.So as the 20th century surrendered to the 21st India emerged as a leading arms importer while its military-industrial complex struggled with the development of cutting-edge weapons.Glaring shortages in materials and capabilities persist in India’s massive armed forces. But new hardware, from tanks to stealth warships, are rolling out of state-owned factories with alarming frequency. This is a sure sign India is preparing for an active role in global affairs.Just like China India is arming itself to fortify its economic advancement and dominate the Asian continent. Its current path might be frustrating but the intent is clear: India is the would-be arsenal of the free world.AKMDue to circumstances whose logic is difficult to comprehend, 30 years ago India became one of the largest customers for the AK-47 and its derivatives. The twist is it ignored directly purchasing the rifles from the Soviet Union, its main military supplier, and sourced the guns from Eastern Europe instead.Unspecified numbers of AK’s have since reached India via Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, and even China. Commandos, paratroopers, entire army regiments, paramilitaries, and local police are equipped with AK’s and prefer it over the standard issue INSAS, which is patterned after the AK-47. For the sake of convenience, the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) builds unlicensed AKM’s to meet overwhelming demand from the security forces.The Indian military’s reluctance to formally adopt the AK-47 almost triggered a lawsuit by Russia’s Izhmash in 2004 and left its state-owned small arms plants in a bizarre conundrum. The AK-47 is an excellent rifle but, as in the case of the disappointing INSAS, it’s better to just borrow its parts.Even today, after exhaustive trials to find a new assault rifle, the best local alternative for Indian soldiers uses an AK-pattern receiver and firing mechanism.FN FALFrom old school revolvers to nimble Sterlings, the OFB manufactures a bewildering variety of small arms and ammunition. But India’s state-owned gun maker is unique for being the last, if not one of the last, bastions of the 7.62x51mm SLR.The SLR, which is the British designation for the Belgian FAL, became a NATO standard rifle in 1953. Photographs can be found showing Indian soldiers armed with it during the Second India-Pakistan War in 1965. Given the size of India’s military and police forces, the OFB could be the largest producer of the SLR outside Europe.Over the decades the OFB eventually built significant numbers of the Soviet AKM, its own family of indigenous rifles, and R&Ded new small arms. But the SLR hasn’t completely gone away and might never will. Why should it? It’s a perfect semi-automatic rifle.FN MAGFrabique Nationale, known today as FN Herstal, created an immortal weapon when it combined the gas operated firing mechanism of the Browning Automatic Rifle with the feed of a German MG. 34. The result was a belt-fed machine gun that’s now used in every continent and license-built by at least a dozen countries.When introduced in 1958 it was quickly adopted by the UK as the L7 GPMG and the rest of NATO soon followed. Recognizable for its extended barrel, box shaped receiver, and distinctive carrying handle, it saw widespread use in the Middle East and Asia.As a former British colony and a member of the Commonwealth, the Indian military stuck to their L7 (and the original BREN, to some extent) with its high rate of fire and impressive range, which reaches 1.5 kilometers. The OFB manufactures three variants for infantry, vehicles, and aircraft.More thank half a century since its arrival the same L7 beloved by India is still rated excellent by soldiers everywhere.NSVIn 1969 Soviet weapon designers began working on a new multipurpose 12.7mm machine gun to replace the cumbersome DShK, which dated to World War Two and was used throughout the Eastern Bloc.By 1974 the NSV (an acronym for the inventors Nikitin, Sokolov, Volkov) commenced production and was soon indispensable for the Red Army and its allies. Weighing just 50 pounds and accurate up to 1,500 meters (1.5 km), the NSV was a formidable heavy machine gun that had no equivalent in the West. Its design also reflected its possible use against low-flying aircraft.It’s unclear when India began mass-producing the NSV. But after testing the Soviet T-72 during the early 1980s the schematics for the NSV were no doubt passed on to the OFB. Since then the Indian Army no longer bothered with another machine gun and like the Russians, the NSV is a permanent fixture on the army’s tanks and vehicles.VidhwansakThe extent of India and South Africa’s commerce in weapons is difficult to ascertain. But at the turn of the last century an urgent requirement for large caliber anti-material rifles brought the Denel NTW-20 to the Indian Army’s attention.The OFB soon began manufacturing the NTW under license, renaming it the Vidhwansak. Recognizable for its large barrel, prominent muzzle brake, and squarish carrying handle that frames its scope, the bolt action NTW is known for its powerful 20x110mm round that can reach targets 1.8 km away.The only comparable rifle to the Vidhwansak is the Croatian RT-20. But the OFB does offer a degree of customization to its largest rifle–operators can choose if they want it chambered in 20mm, 14.5mm, or 12.7mm.Weighing 100 lbs and ideally carried by two soldiers, the Vidhwansak does sacrifice ease-of-use for accuracy and range. This explains why the Indian Army is looking for an alternate large caliber sniper rifle.40mm MGLIt isn’t clear how long the OFB has been manufacturing licensed copies of the Milkor multi-grenade launcher. When fully loaded, the MGL can fire a half dozen 40x46mm grenades in two seconds at targets up to 400 m away. India’s jawans certainly have a reliable grenade launcher at their disposal for years to come.The MGL’s existence dates to the early 1980s, when a South African inventor built a revolver-type grenade launcher in his workshop. Andries C. Piek’s creation was accepted by the South African Defense Force (SADF) in 1983 and its popularity soon spread all over the world, including the US where it has become a favorite of Marines and special forces operators.A terrifying force multiplier in any type of combat, the MGL is proof that simple weapons always last longest.Carl GustafCould it be the ultimate recoilless rifle?The 84mm Carl Gustaf was first used by the Swedish Army in 1948. Its simple design and powerful warhead established its sterling reputation in at least 20 militaries, including the Indian Army. In 1964 (M2) and 1991 (M3) improved variants were developed by the Swedish defense contractor Saab.Today the Carl Gustaf qualifies as a short-range anti-tank weapon although it’s just as frequently used to suppress enemy defenses and blow things up. It enjoyed a resurgence among NATO forces in Afghanistan where it helped level the battlefield against the ubiquitous RPG-7. Both weapons are evenly matched and have sufficient oomph to knock out modern armored vehicles.The OFB manufactures both the Carl Gustaf M2 and M3, which suggests it first acquired licensing rights as far back as the 1960s. The Carl Gustaf serves as the army’s entry level tank killer when soldiers don’t have to use missiles. Saab is now developing smart munitions and a fire control system for the Carl Gustaf and these may soon reach India.MO-120 mortarThis French heavy mortar from the 1950s might be an anachronism in this age of smart munitions, but it’s dependable enough to enjoy continued use. The original MO-120-RT was designed and manufactured by Thomson-Brandt. Its impressive range (up to 5 km) and ease-of-use endeared it to many foreign armies, including the US Marine Corps.In what appears to be a genuine case of historic irony, the MO-120 is used by the successor states that replaced the fabled Gunpowder Empires: Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. It deserves mention how each of these countries have enormous requirements for artillery and other crew-served weapons. It’s unknown how many MO-120’s are used by the Indian Army, but the OFB still considers it part of its product line.Light Field GunThe 105mm L118 field gun is one of the most remarkable modern artillery pieces ever produced in the UK. Barely weighing two tons and designed to be transportable by land, sea, or air, it’s used by at least 20 different countries.The L118 first entered service with the British Army in 1975 and was soon snapped up by allied countries, including a modified variant for the US Army. The L118’s biggest draw is it can be flown into any theater with difficult terrain and operated without fuss.The Indian Army is fond of it too and several hundred Light Field Guns are counted among more than 2,000 towed and self-propelled artillery pieces in its arsenal.DhanushDuring the 1980s India became the largest international customer for the Bofors FH-77B, a 155mm towed howitzer made in Sweden. A total of 410 of these guns were delivered from 1986 until 1991. In 1987, however, a convoluted scandal involving shady arms dealers and bribery erupted and forever tarnished the Bofors name in the national consciousness. Sadly, what was called the Bofors scandal slowed down India’s arms imports for decades.But the FH-77B was a very capable artillery piece and proved its mettle during the Kargil War in 1998. The problem was these Swedish guns didn’t have an indefinite service life and the Indian Army knew it badly needed more of the same rather than the familiar 105mm’s. Although Russian artillery pieces were always an option, these had neither the range nor the sophistication of their Western European counterparts.In early 2015 the OFB marked another breakthrough–one that could soothe the army’s gripes over their big guns. After successful testing from 2011 to 2014, the locally made copy of the FH-77B called the Dhanush possessed the same features but with greater range and pre-installed targeting software. (The OFB acquired the FH-77B’s schematics from a transfer-of-technology agreement.)The Indian Army expects the Gun Carriage Factory to deliver 144 guns in the next few years. A total of 414 pieces along with continuous mass-production are required by 2020. A truck mounted system utilizing the Dhanush may or may not enter service.MilanFrance has been a faithful supplier of the Indian military since the 1960s and this profitable relationship endures to this day. Besides AMX-13 light tanks and Mirage jets, France’s popular ATGM is also prized by the Indian military.India’s longstanding rivalry with Pakistan meant anti-tank weapons would have an enormous role in any conflict over the Line of Control (LoC). This was true in 1965 and 1971 and would remain so for any future showdown. The Milan was an excellent choice of missile when it was introduced by France in 1972. Its ease-of-use and ability to penetrate three feet of armor at medium-range established its reputation as a bestseller.Since then, 300,000 of its wire-guided tandem HEAT missiles have been sold around the world. The Milan is license-built in Germany, Spain, Turkey, and India by state-owned Bharat Dynamics Ltd. As recently as 2009 the Indian Army replenished its stocks of Milans by ordering 4,100 missiles from France.The Milan wasn’t the only ATGM India settled on since the military also stocks large quantities of license-built Konkurs and the lethal Kornet. In 2014 India even purchased half a billion dollars worth of Israeli Spike missiles. But the Milan isn’t disappearing any time soon.NagEven if it possesses large quantities of French, Israeli, Russian, Swedish, and US anti-tank weapons the Indian Army has yet to deploy a locally made ATGM. Beginning in the 1980s, however, the DRDO and its sister agency the DRDL launched various missile programs.Its unclear what year the Nag was first prototyped but in 2010 it was successfully tested against inert tanks at a Rajasthan firing range. The 190mm Nag missile is comparable to the US-made TOW and the Hellfire. It’s armed with a tandem HEAT warhead and has a maximum range of 4,000 meters (4 km).Its operation, however, is similar to the Russian Khrizantema or the Chinese ATF-10. A battery of Nag missiles are mounted on a tracked carrier vehicle–a modified BMP-2–and these serve as tank hunters during combined operations.On the other hand, the Nag’s performance is reminiscent of the US FGM Javelin, albeit with impressive differences. It’s a fire-and-forget missile that uses a high angle of attack to defeat its target. The Nag’s optical seeker is allegedly jam resistant and it uses a smokeless propellant to conceal its flight path.The Indian Army has already placed orders for hundreds of Nag missiles. An airborne variant of the Nag called the Helina is being tested.BMP-2The Indian Army is the second largest user of the BMP-2, which it renamed the “Sarath,” outside Russia. Since licensed production commenced in 1987, a reported 1,200 or 1,500 BMP-2’s have been made in the subcontinent. A further 363 will enter service in the coming years.Despite its questionable armor protection–a flaw that can be rectified with upgrades–and cramped interior, the BMP-2 is a robust fighting vehicle. Designed to be fully amphibious and armed with a powerful 30mm gun, the BMP-2 still qualifies as a formidable opponent in any battlefield.But the OFB and the Indian Army appear to have taken liberties with their BMP-2, using its hull and chassis for a SAM system, a self-propelled gun, a mortar carrier, a bulldozer, an engineer vehicle, a reconnaissance vehicle, and as a platform for the Nag tank destroyer armed with Namica missiles.Although Indian manufacturers can build an APC to replace the BMP-2 the Indian Army isn’t budging. The OFB’s BMP-2 is destined for extensive modernization, with a better engine and armaments, to keep it viable until and perhaps beyond 2025.ArjunThe production of tanks is a powerful indicator that a country has a strong industrial base. India reached this stage by the 1960s and after it fought three wars with Pakistan and another with China a new requirement arose for a true world-class battle tank.India already manufactured a capable modern tank, the Vijayanta, and would later build licensed T-72 and T-90S tanks. So a new MBT superior to any rival in South Asia wasn’t beyond its reach.To this day literature about the Arjun’s origin is scarce. But the Arjun does strongly resemble the original Leopard 2 and according to a profile published by the US Army’s Armor magazine in 1998, its R&D was undertaken by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE). In the period between 1983 and 1985 the Arjun was successfully prototyped and it strongly resembled the German Leopard 1 with its squarish turret, 120mm main gun, and 1,400 horsepower MTU diesel engine.But the Arjun was a flop. Where other countries–Israel and Japan, for example–successfully launched MBT programs from scratch it took the Arjun three decades before it finally reached the Indian Army in 2011. With its performance characteristics lagging behind the DRDO enlisted Israeli defense contractors to upgrade it thereby creating the Arjun Mark II.Having thousands of Russian tanks means the Indian Army needs just 242 Arjuns. Since there are no plans for exporting it the Arjun remains a promising MBT that never got to prove itself.K9 VajraFor the first time ever India has turned to an East Asian country for help with developing an advanced weapon system. Renamed the Vajra, the 155mm self-propelled gun is a license-built K9 Thunder with Indian production run by the conglomerate Larsen & Toubro with the help of South Korea’s Samsung Techwin.Larsen & Toubro are also collaborating with France’s Nexter on a towed artillery piece.When the expected 100 K9 Vajra’s are delivered they replace the army’s aging batteries of British 105mm Abbots and Russian 122mm Gvozdikas. Previous attempts to develop and mass-produce an indigenous self-propelled gun begat systems that fell short of modern standards, including a repurposed Arju tank chassis mounted with a crew-served artillery piece.With the Vajra, however, the Indian Army receives a world-class product that surpasses its peers in NATO and even Russia. But the Vajra won’t satisfy the Indian Army’s enormous appetite for maximum firepower. According to its Field Artillery Rationalisation Plan, a total of 2,820 pieces need to be acquired before decade’s end.DhruvA peculiar feature of India’s sprawling military-industrial complex is despite abundant time and resources, it struggles to accomplish its own self-appointed goals. A stark contrast is nimble Israel, which achieved tenuous independence a year after India. Within six decades Israel leapfrogged from the Uzi to cyberwarfare and is recognized today as a world-class arms exporter.India’s lazy approach to militarization does eventually succeed and proof of this is the Dhruv. Although designated an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), the Dhruv performs the same role as the German Bo-105 or the US UH-1. It’s a twin engine utility helicopter designed to ferry troops and supplies. The Dhruv also qualifies as one of the oldest programs initiated by state-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).Originally conceived in 1984, production of the Dhruv only began in 2001 and by 2007 several dozen had been delivered to the army. The Dhruv is now flown by each branch–including the Coast Guard–and HAL has so far developed four variants, the last is ALH Mark IV Rudra attack helicopter. In a remarkable first, the Dhruv enjoyed limited export success from 2009 to 2010.The Indian military expects to operate 200 Dhruvs and 76 Rudras before 2020.LCHAlthough India will spend an estimated $4 billion on Boeing Apaches and Chinooks for its air force, HAL is busy with the finishing touches for its vaunted Light Combat Helicopter.The LCH’s origins date to 2006, when a requirement was determined for a high altitude gunship that surpassed the performance of the dependable Mi-35 Hind. By 2007 a prototype was unveiled during an air show in Bengaluru. The LCH’s Technology Demonstrator 1 or TD-1 variant underwent its first flight test in 2010. The improved TD-2 flew again in 2011.Weighing 5.5 tons and powered by twin turboshaft engines, the LCH’s appearance is typical among current generation attack helicopters. Its armaments consist of a nose-mounted cannon and four hardpoints for rockets and missiles.From 2012 until 2015 the LCH underwent further testing and its TD-3 variant can fly at subzero temperatures in the Himalayas–a feat most helicopters aren’t designed for. The first batch of LCH’s are expected to enter service by 2017. Its current production orders are large, with 65 helicopters for the air force and 114 for the army.Su-30MKIThe Indian Air Force bridged the air-superiority divide in the late 1990s when HAL acquired licensed manufacturing rights to the Russian twin-seater Su-27UBK.The investment has paid off in strategic dividends and since production commenced in 2002, the IAF have received 205 of the 270 Su-30MKI’s it ordered. As a twin engine aircraft with canards and Western European avionics, an Su-30MKI’s performance characteristics are superior to most third and even fourth-generation fighters.The Su-30MKI’s capabilities are so impressive, from superb range, maneuverability, and armaments, that it altered the IAF’s total war strategy in case of a future conflict with either Pakistan or China.Even the Russians were awed by it and the Sukhoi Company is now building its own Su-30MK based on the Indian variant.Tejas Light Combat AircraftThe IAF always wanted its own indigenous fighter jet. Take it from the decorated Air Marshall M.S.D. Wollen, who oversaw the development of what became the Tejas LCA during his time as HAL‘s chairman.As early as 1969 the Indian government began planning for an advanced fighter jet that used a proven jet engine. It took 20 years before consultants from Dassault Aviation helped establish the design features of the LCA from 1987 to 1988–hence its delta wing configuration–but a viable prototype wasn’t ready until 1995.In the meantime, the IAF made do with an estimated 260 Soviet MiG-21 and MiG-27’s, which served as the branch’s ordained dog fighters since the days of Indira Gandhi. Since the IAF already flies a vast fleet of fourth-generation Su-30MKI’s, the LCA was meant to replace the aging MiGs.Like many Indian defense projects, the LCA had a protracted development across 40 years. Its first flight was in 2001 and testing continued until 2011. The IAF have an initial order for 40 Tejas LCA Mark I’s and 250 additional Mark II’s are expected by 2020. The Indian Navy also needs at least 56 carrier-based Tejas LCA’s within the same time frame.After decades of development hell, the Tejas LCA could be the next Mirage III and prove itself the ultimate cheap fighter jet.PinakaLike many countries that acquired rocket artillery from the former Soviet Union, India moved away from its aging Grads and began developing its own system in 1986. Unfortunately, where countries like Israel, China, South Korea, Turkey, Iran and even North Korea succeeded, the Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) tasked by the DRDO with developing an indigenous MLRS struggled for years.The Pinaka was already tested and viable in the period from 1994-1995 but it wasn’t operational until 2000. The Pinaka marked a departure from the BM-21 it was meant to replace. Its launcher is armed with two containers holding a dozen 214mm rockets. The entire system is mounted on an 8×8 truck and could bombard targets 40 km away with unguided rockets.Its laborious development and low-rate production forced the Indian Army to acquire large numbers of the BM-30 Smerch in 2006. Today less than a hundred Pinaka Mark I’s are in service. A new variant with a longer range, the Pinaka Mark II, is undergoing tests. Even with its sluggish progress the Pinaka deserves a place next to current multi-launch rockets systems.AgniIndia is a latecomer in the ballistic missile game. Despite access to both Western and Eastern Bloc technology during the Cold War, acquiring a long-range missile arsenal wasn’t a pressing concern for its military. Even when the DRDO initiated its Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) during the 1980s, the fruits of this ambitious effort didn’t arrive until almost a quarter century later.So it is with the Agni. Rather than a name for a single missile, the Agni represents a lineage of launch systems produced after India’s successful nuclear tests in 1998. The Agni I is a conventional short-range road mobile ballistic missile that can deliver a large payload 1,200 km away. The Agni II is an improved variant of its predecessor with an even greater range.The Agni III, IV, and V are intermediate-range systems capable of delivering nuclear warheads to anywhere in South and Central Asia. The Agni V in particular is currently being developed to launch multiple nukes over a rival country’s major cities. But a lot of work remains to be done and India’s full second strike capability won’t be in place until the 2020s.BrahMosIt’s the deadliest conventional missile in the world. Or is it?Untested in combat, the supersonic BrahMos represents a rare success in multinational defense cooperation outside Europe. In 1998, the governments of Russia and India launched a $250 million joint venture to manufacture a next-generation cruise missile based on proven technology, i.e. the P-800 Yakhont.The BrahMos, a combination of the names Brahmaputra and Moskva, proved a sound investment that wasn’t cursed by the Indian defense industry’s endemic delays. Several years of testing led to actual production by 2004. The Indian Navy inducted it the following year and the ground-launched version was accepted by the army in 2007.The BrahMos is a single warhead ramjet-driven system meant to operate from ground-based launchers, aircraft, warships, and submarines. Its range is between 300 and 500 km depending on the variant. Its payload, which can be armed with an 800 lb high explosive warhead, supports submunitions as well.To further emphasize the BrahMos potential lethality–it’s considered superior to anything used by NATO or the US.PrithviGiven its sterling bilateral ties with Russia, India never acquired ballistic missile technology from the Eastern Bloc. As its nuclear weapons program advanced, however, a requirement arose for a modern delivery system, i.e. a missile.Beginning in 1983, the IGMDP sought to produce a road mobile surface to surface weapon for delivering conventional payloads. Its envisioned role was to degrade and destroy vital enemy infrastructure during a ground offensive.This doctrine made the forthcoming missile analogous to the Soviet Scud-series or the US-made ATACMS.By 1988 testing commenced for what became the Prithvi I, a nine-meter tall conventional rocket with a 2,200 pound payload and a modest range of 150 kilometers. Production commenced in 1994 and the Indian Army maintains a small arsenal of Prithvi’s today. An improved variant, the Prithvi II, is still undergoing tests in the Bay of Bengal.The Prithvi II has more than twice the range of its predecessor and can be armed with a nuclear warhead. Once operational, it will be capable of ground, air, and sea launches. A naval variant of the Prithvi called the Dhanush is believed to already be in service since 2010.AkashThe medium-range Akash surface-to-air missile (SAM) is another successful offspring of the IGMDP.The Akash is so far the most potent air-defense system ever developed by India’s military-industrial complex. Its performance is comparable to the Russian Buk and the US Hawk but Indian sources claim it’s superior to Western SAMs.After 20 years in development the Akash entered production by 2006 with orders being fulfilled until the present. The Akash deploys in batteries of 12 missiles and is designed to guard sensitive facilities, mechanized formations, and national airspace. Although India lags behind China when it comes to its air-defense network it compensates by having a large selection of foreign suppliers who can either sell or jointly develop new systems. The Akash, however, is touted for being completely Indian–96% of it, at the most.The success of the Akash laid the groundwork for future programs that improve on the original. Rather than agree to a license-built variant of a Russian or French system, the Akash is tailor-made for its ultimate customer: the Indian military. A total of 3,000 Akash missiles are deployed with the army and air force.Kalvari-class SSKFor a country that commands an entire ocean the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet is a modest one, numbering less than 15 boats. This shortcoming in the face of China’s rapid naval expansion is now being addressed with a commensurate blue water build up. At the forefront of this effort are, naturally, submarines.In the mid-2000s India partnered with France for the acquisition of half a dozen Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines. These were to be constructed at the facilities of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. over a 10 year period. The boats are locally made but the weapons and equipment inside are Franco-German systems.The Scorpene is a small submarine that packs a serious punch and can launch torpedoes and anti-ship missiles. Since it entered service in 2005 Chile, Malaysia, and Brazil have acquired their own Scorpenes. But India is its largest international customer so far.The first of its class the INS Kalvari, which took its name from the original Kalvari submarine from the previous century, was commissioned in April, 2015, and begins operations in September, 2016. If there are no delays its sisters will join the fleet each year at Kadamba naval base until 2019 or 2020.Arihant-class SSBNIndia and China are the only Asian countries actively building nuclear submarine forces. With the latter’s efforts shrouded in secrecy and speculation, the Indian Navy’s first Arihant-class SSBN comes with a refreshing amount of hype and genuine transparency.India’s need for a nuclear submarine arose in 1971 but like other ambitious defense programs it wasn’t until the cusp of the 21st century before work on the Arihant began. (In 1998, to be specific.) When finally launched in 2009, it took several years and considerable assistance from Russia before its nuclear reactor was prepared. This breakthrough was followed by grueling sea trials.India’s experience operating Russian submarines had a great influence on the Arihant, which displaces at 6,000 tons and is powered by an 83 megawatt reactor. The navy’s only nuclear-powered submarine, INS Chakra, is a massive Soviet-era Typhoon SSBN on lease until the advent of the Arihants, which externally resemble their Western European counterparts.Once commissioned in 2015, the first of six Arihant-class SSBN’s serve as 1/3rd of India’s nuclear triad. This ensures a second strike capability should an apocalyptic war erupt in the near future.Shivalik-class frigateAs early as the 1970s India was far ahead of most Asian countries–except Japan–when it came to warship construction. With its experience operating British and Russian vessels, making the leap to local shipbuilding was inevitable.A trio of Godavari-class guided missile frigates were commissioned during the 1980s and their success later inspired a requirement for newer advanced warships. These begat another trio of Brahmaputra-class frigates commissioned from 2000-2005.But with the advent of stealth features and complex supply chains the navy still needed cutting edge assets that were just as capable as their Western European peers. Capabilities like deploying land attack cruise missiles, i.e. BrahMos, were essential too. During the 1990s plans were readied for the navy’s next-generation frigates armed with a combination of Russian and Israeli systems.Only three 4,900 ton Shivalik-class frigates were built and commissioned from 2010 to 2012. The Indian Navy is now preparing to commission a quartet of its upcoming stealth corvettes, the Kamortas.Delhi-class destroyerUntil the launch of its new aircraft carriers the largest warships ever deployed by the Indian Navy were the 6,700 ton Delhi-class destroyers: the INS Delhi, Mysore, and Mumbai.Each of these destroyers are a complete package armed with torpedoes, anti-ship and cruise missiles, and able to repel any airborne threat. Crewed by 390 sailors and officers the Delhi-class are fitting actors in any show of force. But their origins are quite colorful.A recurring theme in modern India’s rise as a military power is the unpredictable course that bedevils its weapons manufacturing. Whether it’s assault rifles or aircraft carriers, what the Indian government and its partner agencies begin have a startling tendency to meander, bog down, diverge, and complexify before the outcome arrives.This is the experience of the Delhi-class guided missile destroyers. Conceived as a hybrid design combining the best aspects of Soviet surface combatants the Delhis were supposed to be furnished in Ukraine before their launch in India. What happened was years of delays and changing requirements altered its function and appearance.But the Delhis came out alright and in 1993, 1996, and 2001 each of the vessels received their commissions. With 70% of their parts supplied by local contractors to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd., the Delhi-class are truly made in India.Kolkata-class destroyerWith its long experience building surface combatants, it should come as no surprise the Indian Navy wants them faster, larger, and deadlier. Hence the 7,500 ton Kolkata-class that have supplanted the older Delhis in every possible metric.But the Kolkatas were also a success for Israel, i.e. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI), who not only supplied its MF-STAR radar but the Barak 8 SAMs, which is the navy’s favorite anti-aircraft system after its trusted 30mm AK-630 CIWS’.The Kolkatas were also designed to deploy the naval version Brahmos and like the Delhis, their hangars fit two Dhruv helicopters.The Indian Navy intends to commission the last of its three Kolkata destroyers by 2016. These will then serve alongside a quartet of newer destroyers that share the same hulls–the Visakhapatnam-class.INS VikrantSince India and China are poised to become rival powers state-owned shipyards from both countries are actively building next-generation warships. With two PLAN Liaoning-class carriers reportedly under construction in Dalian the Indian Navy isn’t letting itself fall behind.In 2013 it received its long-delayed Vikramaditya, which underwent a decade of expensive rebuilding in Russia. A second aircraft carrier’s hull was completed at Cochin Shipyard Ltd. that same year. This was the INS Vikrant named after India’s first British-made carrier.Today the Vikrant is mostly complete with its runway and island installed. By the time it’s commissioned it deploys 30 MiG-29K’s and anti-submarine helicopters along with 1,600 crew members. Once at sea the Vikrant’s appearance and operation resemble its sibling Vikramaditya. It’s worth noting the PLAN’s upcoming carriers share the same short takeoff design of their Indian counterparts.The irony here is not very subtle since both navies will deploy ships based on Soviet-era Kiev-class STOBAR carriers.Qr-SAM (Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile)At the Integrated Test Range in Chandipur, Odisha, the Defence Research and Development Organisation test-fired a pair of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missiles.Here’s what we do know about the QRSAM missile system:The range is between 25 and 30 kmThe missile uses a solid-fuel propellantIt has a dual-thrust propulsion stage, much like a two-stage missileThe QRSAM can also target and shoot down sea-skimming low-altitude anti-ship missiles (the best ones include the Exocet, the P-700/1000 and the Harpoon missiles, to name a few)They can be operated in all weather conditionsThe test was conducted using a mobile truck launcher in Complex 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, OdishaThe missiles were canister launched, like the Russian S-400The mobile launch vehicle will have all-terrain capabilityThis system was first tested on July 14, 2018, and was said to have multiple-target capabilityThe first test of the QRSAM was held on June 4, 2017, at the ITR in ChandipurThis is the sixth such test since 2017The previous iteration of the missile also included Bharat Dynamics Limited and Bharat Electronics Limited as co-developers.The QRSAM is designed to replace the Russian 9k33 OSA (NATO code-SA-8 Gecko) and the 2K12 Kub (NATO Code SA-6 Gainful) missiles which have a range of 2 to 9 km and 6–22 km respectivelyThe missiles will be mounted on a 6-wheeled Tata truckThe truck will have multiple axles allowing a maximum load-carrying capacity of 8.5 tons, a maximum range of 500 km, a top speed of 80 kmph and a 36-degree maximum angle of approach.The Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) has certified it for use in all combat environments as the truck successfully passed all tests it was subjected toFrom the video, the drone seems to be the Banshee, a remotely-piloted unmanned aerial vehicle developed by UK-based Meggitt Defence Systems Limited, a company that also supplies UAVs to NATO forcesThe drone has passive and active radar enhancement, radar chaffand infrared decoy dispensing pods, a daylight surveillance package, pyrotechnic visual and infrared enhancements, plus a variety of black-body infrared augmentation devices, depending on the mission requirementsThe QRSAM, if successfully deployed, will be used to build an air defense shield alongside the Akash and the Prithvi anti-aircraft missile systems

The ShortWhat is SOPA: a bill designed to stop online piracy, seen by many in the tech world as taking a sledgehammer to internet infrastructure and breaking our way of life, seen by many in the Hollywood world as being the only tool to stop sales from continuing to bleed out and saving their way of life.Who are the sides: The bill is seen as Hollywood vs. Silicon ValleyWhy is it controversial: Charitably speaking, both sides feel that the passage or lack of passage of the bill represents an existential threat to their business models.As the bill is written by people with little experience, except negative, in what they're trying to change, those with a lifetime of experience working with the Internet find Hollywood's incompetence in drafting this bill unsurprising but awful.The Background - RIAA/MPAA impetusThe Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261), the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 (S.968) were created this year based on years of fears by content creators, led by Hollywood music and movie executives, as their revenue streams have been disrupted by the rise of internet music sharing beginning in the late '90s.Beginning with the rise of Napster, the music industry tried again and again to respond to illegal file sharing, led by their lobbying group, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Increasingly in past years, the movie industry's lobbyist Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) saw the RIAA's past experience as their future, as bandwidth limitations fell away. The two are now fully aligned allies, meaning the efforts of one in DC are supported by the other.One result of the RIAA struggles in the early 2000s was the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which fostered the development of 'user-generated content' (UGC) sites by allowing sites to act as platforms and passing through liability for copyright infringement to their users rather than being taken on by the sites themselves, as was traditional for early internet copyright lawsuits. The provision in the DMCA that allowed this pass-through is known as the 'safe harbors' provision.However, even with the massive rise of legal pay structures for buying music on the internet, there is a nearly decade-long gap in which the music industry was being disrupted by online file-sharing software with no response. The fall-off in CD sales is not yet matched by the rise of online sales, so the RIAA is seeing a decline in overall revenues, with the MPAA afraid of similar trends.Some unknown amount of sales are lost to online piracy. Numbers being put forth by the RIAA/MPAA or the FBI as quoted by the former are not seen as rigorously tested, as mentioned by Stephen Colbert: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111202/09361816954/colbert-takes-sopa.shtmlBut the awesomest part? He quotes the famous $200 to $250 billion in losses claim that always gets thrown around... but then immediately says:That is a shocking number. Especially when you realize the FBI admits it has "no record of source data or methodology for generating the estimates and that it cannot be corroborated." Now folks, that's what happens when the FBI buys bootleg reports off a card table in Chinatown.All the same, the RIAA/MPAA believe that stricter punishments than those allowed by the DMCA are needed to deal with the problem. Additionally, they feel that the balance of the law is tilted too much against speedy action with regards to internet actors.Legislative HistoryThe result: COICA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combating_Online_Infringement_and_Counterfeits_Act COICA is the intellectual immediate predecessor to first PIPA and then SOPA. It was introduced too late in 2010, around the time of the elections, to pass through Congress, but it is notable for the speed in which it made progress through the Senate before running out of time.Similarly, others have begun mentioning the Pro-IP Act of 2008: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PRO-IP_Act Which is the law underlying the ability of the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department to seize domains: http://www.dotweekly.com/list-of-government-ice-seized-domain-names/ Those seizures and the process by which they are done are the basis of much opposition on the part of the tech community. Ian explains the technical opposition very well in his answer.Growing OppositionFrom the time COICA was introduced, Mike Masnick of TechDirt and a few technically savvy politicos like Patrick Ruffini began trying to rouse the tech world to see the threat these bills posed. In time, PIPA was introduced and rushed through committee, with Sen. Ron Wyden, solely responsible for preventing it from moving forward from April until just recently, when Sen. Harry Reid pressed to move forward with PIPA.It wasn't until the stacked hearing on SOPA in which Google was the sole opposition testimony and compelled to testify to serve as the target of blame by the other five supportive testifiers as well as many of the lawmakers on the committee. That hearing woke the tech world up, and since then, the world has been changing.Traditionally, the tech world doesn't pay attention to politics, except to express disgust. The political world operates incredibly slowly in comparison and is 10x larger than the largest corporate dinosaur that the tech world hopes to disrupt. The two worlds are generally diametrically opposed on anything from temperament to life philosophies.In the case of both PIPA and SOPA, the bills are seen as existential threats to the tech world's way of life. As it's been said, startups should be two folks in a garage, not two folks and four lawyers, which is the world SOPA/PIPA presages.And so the tech world is acting, organizing as it has never done before. Reddit raised $15k for Rep. Paul Ryan's opponent based on his supposed support for SOPA and his confirmed support for the indefinite detention bill/NDAA. Notably, Ryan came out against SOPA a few days later. Tumblr delivered 90,000 phone calls to DC based on SOPA, and other actors cumulatively are approaching or have already passed 1,000,000 contacts with DC.HOWEVER, recent discussion has indicated another twist on the SOPA/PIPA debate: the bill specifically targets medicine resellers, with additional detail focusing on Canadian sales of generic prescription drugs used by seniors to save money. This aspect of the bill seems to have quietly slipped by until the past two days, at which point word began trickling in. It's unclear what impact this legislative front will have on the debate, but the implications of the medicine reselling provisions are certainly being actively discussed as a way to broaden the opposition front.The Current State of PlayThe Internet has won the Internet: activists are fully mobilized on this issue, from the non-political tech world, to the online right (RedState), to the online left (DailyKos). Alliances are being forged, and for the first time, a primarily online culture is translating their energy on an issue into offline political activism.DC is increasingly realizing how controversial the bill is and how serious a threat the bill is seen as by Silicon Valley and the startup and tech communities. Their traditional heuristic on a bill like this was to note that big business (US Chamber of Commerce) and big labor (AFL-CIO) both support the bill, making it a common sense, non-partisan obvious thing to pass. The divide here is unusual, so DC was slow to react, but they're realigning on this issue, which completely cuts across party lines.Hollywood has gone inside game at this point, moving on both the House and Senate to get the bill through as quickly as possible at this point. The key upcoming dates are Jan 18th (Congressman Issa's OPEN hearing, blackout day as led by Reddit, and possibly a resumption of the Judiciary Committee markup on the bill) and Jan 24th (last chance to stop PIPA in the Senate).