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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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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Oct 11, 2025

China may not have an Air Force as big or battle-tested as the U.S., but it has something the U.S. does not - a network of super-hardened underground air bases carved into mountains. Here’s a thread on these hidden fortresses, and why they matter. 1/6

From Datangshan near Beijing to Luliang, Anshan, and Lintong in the northwest, OSINT has identified around 40 underground air bases across China. Some are designed to conceal a handful of fighters, while others can handle aircraft as large as H-6 bombers. Collectively, it is estimated that these bases could shelter around 1,500 aircraft. 2/6

The idea took shape in the 1950s and 1960s when China’s young air force faced the threat of American and Soviet (nuclear) strikes. Unable to protect aircraft on open tarmacs, China went underground. Drawing inspiration from Yugoslavia’s Željava complex, the PLA buried its survival under hundreds of meters of rock. 3/6

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Sep 11, 2025

In March 2025, the U.S. ran a wargame simulating the defence of air bases against drones. As the Pentagon digested the results, Ukraine’s "Operation Spiderweb" in June made that scenario real. 117 FPV drones destroyed or damaged up to 40 Russian aircraft. Here's a 🧵 on the growing drone threat. 1/5

Ukraine’s "Operation Spiderweb" showed how small, inexpensive drones can destroy high-value targets worth millions. If Russia’s hardened airfields, thousands of miles from the front, were vulnerable, so are U.S. bases, both domestic and abroad. 2/5

Since 2022, the USArmy and RAND have run six wargames on countering drone threats, highlighting Pentagon concerns about asymmetric warfare. The March 2025 exercise tested electronic jammers, directed-energy weapons, and a critical policy gap: who has authority to act when drones enter U.S. airspace - military, law enforcement, or FAA? The lack of clarity, plus the speed of drone swarms, exposes major vulnerabilities. 3/5

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Sep 4, 2025

In Vietnam, the USArmy ran into an old problem, one that had bled the French before them: guerrillas hidden under jungle canopy, striking then vanishing. The answer was bold and colourful - and the colour was the hunter-killer pink! 1/4

The “hunter” was the OH-6 Loach. Tiny, fast, and agile, it skimmed the treetops looking for trails, bunkers, or sudden muzzle flashes. Loach crews often flew low enough to draw enemy fire - sometimes the only way to spot a hidden threat. 2/4

Overhead waited the “killer”: the AH-1 Cobra. Armed with 2.75-inch rockets, M134 miniguns, and 40 mm grenade launchers, it dived in the moment the scout marked a target. The Cobra turned fleeting ambushes into quick destruction. 3/4

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Air Power

@RealAirPower1

Sep 1, 2025

The Fairchild A-10 Warthog was born out of a Cold War problem: NATO faced thousands of Warsaw Pact tanks in Central Europe, but had no dedicated aircraft to stop them. Fighters were too fast, bombers too costly, and close support was left to outdated types. Something new was needed. So here's a 🧵 on the wondrous Warthog. 1/7

By the mid-1960s, the Pentagon wanted an aircraft that could loiter near the front, absorb punishment, and kill tanks, and kill them by the dozen. An aircraft that was better than the piston-engined A-1, but cheaper and tougher than the A-7. Requirements emphasized survivability, simplicity, and the ability to fight from rough forward fields. 2/7

In 1967, the USAF launched the A-X program, receiving 21 proposals. By 1970, the specs were clear: a 16,000 lb warload, heavy armour, redundancy to survive severe damage, and short takeoff ability from meadows or improvised strips. In the end, two finalists remained: Northrop’s A-9 and Fairchild’s A-10. 3/6

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