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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Mar 16

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. So when CENTCOM’s Adm. Brad Cooper calls the new U.S. LUCAS drone “indispensable,” he is paying Iran and its cheap Shahed-136 a massive compliment. It is also a wild shift in perspective: the world’s most advanced air force, long obsessed with multi-million-dollar exquisites, embracing a $50,000 low-tech weapon. Incredible! To understand how a “lawnmower with wings” changed the game, we have to look back 40 years to a forgotten German project. 1/6

The Shahed's DNA actually tracks back to 1980s Germany and a company called Dornier. They dreamed up a throwaway drone called Die Drohne Antiradar (DAR) - a simple, 100 kg, pusher-propeller wing built to loiter over the battlefield, sniff out radar, and dive into the source. It was a simple, yet brilliant concept way ahead of its time. However, when the Cold War ended and the Soviet threat vanished, the project was scrapped. The blueprints gathered dust, but the idea of an "expendable" weapon - much like Stallone’s Expendables movie franchise - was just too good to stay dead. 2/6

While Germany walked away, Israel saw the future. In the early 1990s, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) began developing its own version of the DAR concept, resulting in the Harpy. Unlike a traditional missile that either hits or misses immediately, the Harpy could hang out in the sky for hours, waiting for an enemy SAM radar to reveal itself. It was the first real, combat-tested proof that a slow, lingering weapon could be more terrifying than a fast missile, setting the stage for every loitering weapon to follow. 3/6

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Mar 11

I’m no naval expert, but the talk of "Tanker War 2.0" is bringing up some dormant memories. We've been here before. In July 1987, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, the U.S. started Operation Earnest Will to escort tankers across the Strait of Hormuz. The very first convoy included two ships: the gas carrier Gas Prince and a 400,000 ton supertanker, SS Bridgeton. They sailed from the Gulf of Oman on July 22, escorted by three U.S. Navy warships: the destroyer USS Kidd and the frigates USS Crommelin and USS Klakring. On paper, it was a formidable force. 1/4

Two days into the journey, about 13 miles west of Farsi Island, the convoy ran into an Iranian minefield. Before anyone knew it, SS Bridgeton struck a mine. The blast ripped a 43 square meter hole in its hull and nearly crippled the ship. But here’s the kicker: since the Navy didn’t have minesweepers on hand, the U.S. Navy warships actually had to line up behind the damaged tanker to protect themselves from Iranian mines. In short, SS Bridgeton ended up "escorting the escorts" out of the danger zone because it was the only vessel big enough to survive another hit. It was a massive propaganda coup for Tehran, however, it didn’t last. 2/4

By April 1988, after USS Samuel B. Roberts was nearly sunk by a mine, the U.S. launched Operation Praying Mantis. In a single day, the U.S. Navy demolished roughly half of Iran’s surface fleet, very much like how CENTCOM sank 16 Iranian mine layers the day before yesterday. It was a clean, decisive naval victory that forced Tehran to blink.

But Operation Praying Mantis also taught Iran a lesson: it could not fight the U.S. in a traditional surface engagement. So over the next four decades, Iran focused on ensuring it would never have to fight a “fair” naval battle again. 3/4

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Mar 7

With the ongoing #IranWar, ballistic missiles are back at the top of every news and social media feed. We’ve all grown up hearing about them as ultimate doomsday weapon, and honestly, for my generation, it’s hard not to think about the Cuban Missile Crisis when they’re mentioned. But let’s put the fear and politics aside and look at their real-world military performance. Are ballistic missiles actually effective as a tool of war? 1/6🧵

The story begins in WWII with Germany’s V-2 rocket campaign, the first ballistic missile campaign in history. Germany fired over 3,200 V-2s at London, Antwerp, and Liège, hoping to disrupt Allied supply lines and hinder the Allied invasion of Europe.
In reality, the rockets were highly inaccurate and delivered almost zero military results. The German V-2 instead became a weapon of intimidation meant to crush civilian morale, much like the Blitz. That was the lesson many militaries took away: the ballistic missile as the ultimate, unstoppable weapon of terror, especially once nuclear warheads came into play. 2/6

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Feb 28

The war has begun. While the U.S. continues its strikes and the world braces for an Iranian response, most eyes are fixed on the skies, watching for drones and missiles. Yet, the most significant threat may emerge from a silent, unannounced direction. It lies in the Strait of Hormuz. This narrow waterway is the lifeblood of global energy, with nearly 20% of global oil and 35% of LNG exports passing through it every day. At its tightest point, the shipping lanes are barely three kilometers wide! Tehran understands the stakes; it knows it cannot win a direct confrontation with the U.S. military. But maybe it doesn't have to. To cripple the global economy and gain decisive leverage, Iran only needs to make the Strait impassable. This is where the silent threat of sea mines comes in. 1/6

Sea mines may be the most effective asymmetric weapon ever created. Cheap. Silent. Invisible. They do not warn. They do not chase. They just wait. In modern naval history, mines have damaged more ships than missiles or torpedoes. In some instances, they have proven more decisive than years of heavy bombing. Case in point: Operation Pocket Money, when U.S. naval mines shut down nearly 95% of North Vietnam’s maritime imports in just days. Yes, it was a controversial operation, but it got the job done, giving the U.S. a powerful bargaining chip at the negotiating table at a fraction of the cost and effort. 2/6

Iran reportedly maintains a massive stockpile of thousands of sea mines, ranging from simple contact types to sophisticated influence weapons. Some systems, like the Chinese EM-52, can rocket upward into a ship’s hull from the seabed. Others, like the MD-11, detect the magnetic and acoustic signatures of a vessel before firing directly beneath the keel for maximum damage. In the confined waters of the Strait of Hormuz, analysts estimate that as few as 400 to 600 well placed mines could completely choke commercial transit. 3/6

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Jan 30

In the early 1990s, both India and China were looking to modernize their air forces. In a twist of history, they both chose Russia's most capable (and available) Sukhoi Flanker as their starting point. However, from there, their journeys split. India focused on getting the best possible modern jet for its air force; China focused on learning how to build its own. Thirty years on, one is still a customer, the other is a peer competitor. This is how the Flanker shaped, or could have shaped, two nations' aviation industries 🧵 1/6

India’s Su-30MKI is a marvel of integration, blending a Russian frame with French, Israeli, and Indian tech. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's premier aerospace company, did a fantastic job achieving over 60% indigenous content by value. However, the aircraft's "design authority" remained in Moscow. Yes, India owns the assembly, but Russia still owns the DNA, and they’ve used that leverage to limit India’s ability to evolve the airframe into a new domestic platform. 2/6

China's Shenyang J-11 program, on the other hand, was a masterclass in aggressive indigenization. They didn't just assemble Su-27s from kits; they "sinicized" them. They set up parallel facilities to develop tech that eventually replaced Russian components, including airframe, radar, avionics, and source codes. Most importantly, they swapped Russia's AL-31 engine for the indigenous WS-10. In other words, they broke the proverbial umbilical cord and turned a licensed product into an independent design lineage. 3/6

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Dec 10, 2025

The shock of Pearl Harbor had barely settled before Japan launched its blitz through Malaya. Japanese forces landed at Kota Bharu and pushed inland, smashing Allied airfields and sending British and Commonwealth troops reeling. London demanded an immediate counter-punch. With the RAF crippled and the army falling back, pressure fell squarely on the Royal Navy and its local commander, Admiral Tom Phillips. 1/6

At dusk on December 8, 1941, Force Z, consisting of the battlecruiser Repulse and the battleship Prince of Wales, escorted by four destroyers, slipped out of Singapore Harbour and sped north through driving rain. Phillips knew air cover was unavailable but trusted speed, weather, and the ships’ heavy anti-aircraft batteries to offset the threat. His target: Japanese invasion convoys moving down Malaya’s east coast. 2/6

By December 9 the weather turned against Force Z. The rain stopped, the clouds broke apart, and Japanese reconnaissance aircraft began circling overhead. The IJN’s 22nd Air Flotilla had locked onto the British trail. Force Z held radio silence, but by nightfall it was clear the Japanese knew exactly where the squadron was heading - and that they were closing in. 3/6

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