Thread by @steffanwatkins

Very interesting; if I'm not mistaken the #AusAirForce changed their emissions posture vis-a-vis their transponder between their 2020 and 2021 #OpARGOS missions. In 2020, either they didn't fly, or they obfuscated their patrols sufficiently to avoid open source scrutiny.

From 2020-09-22 to 2020-10-24 🇦🇺 #RAAF P-8A Poseidon A47-010 #7CF9D4 was deployed on #OpARGOS, but they were never picked up using ADS-B flying any missions over the East China sea, only transits between bases. 🤔

Then for the next #OpARGOS, 2021-02-24 to 2021-03-27 I can track ten sorties from #KadenaAB by 🇦🇺 #RAAF P-8A Poseidon A47-010 #7CF9D4, all over the East China Sea by their ADS-B transponder - a much more neighbourly and less confrontational posture than not using ADS-B.

#OpARGOS; 2021-08-11 to 2021-09-13 🇦🇺 #RAAF P-8A Poseidon A47-011 #7CF9D5 conducted patrols over the East China Sea, ten of them using ADS-B. I would note that there are multi-day gaps between flights when they could have flown additional missions more inconspicuously.

All that to say the #AusAirForce WANT you to follow their operations, their planes have changed their configuration to specifically broadcast their exact location, maybe for public transparency, but more likely to prove they are in international airspace in case of any dispute.

Here is the thread of this year's #OpARGOS deployment, which started 2023-02-08; they're about half done. There seem to be 1-2 day breaks between missions.

https://twitter.com/steffanwatkins/status/1627824278971289600?s=20