An interesting series of msgs that coincided with the earliest reports of the IDF strikes in Iran. A USAF C-17 that was offloading at one of the US's few bases in Northern Syria was told to expedite its offload & takeoff at 22:48 UTC, @manniefabian's post was at 22:47 UTC. 1/3 🧵

https://twitter.com/manniefabian/status/1849945981338505567

The order to expedite and leave was followed with some advice "YOU MAY NEED TO HUG THE SOUTH BOARDER TO EGRESS", which referred to the southern border of Syria. Also, an alternative destination in Jordan was suggested if they couldn't make it to Kuwait. 2/3

Earlier this month, Reuters reported the Biden administration is moving forward with a plan to transfer 500$ million in military aid to Taiwan using the same Presidential Drawdown authority that has been used repeatedly for military aid for Ukraine. I'm interested in finding out if this planned aid shipment will be trackable by monitoring flights from US cargo planes to Taiwan. I think it's unlikely the USAF will directly fly a C-17 or other military cargo plane to transfer military aid, as it might seem too provocative.

Recently, the volunteer "Kraken" regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces released a lengthy video showing scenes from the liberation of Balakliya. There are quite a lot of interesting details in the video so I've collected some for this thread. 1/x First thing to share is the eclectic mix of military equipment documented in the video which was used during the battle. Here's what I noticed in use by Ukrainian forces (with timestamps).
🇬🇧FV103 Spartan 00:47
🇨🇦Roshel Senator APC 00:54
☭🟥BMP-2 00:30
🇬🇧Snatch Land Rover 00:33

GMLRS rockets fired from #HIMARS rocket artillery systems have been making a big splash on Twitter (and on 🇷🇺 ammunition depots) recently. This has created some speculation that 🇺🇦 may eventually receive the larger, longer-range ATACMS munitions. Long🧵so buckle in. 1/11 ATACMS, short for Army Tactical Missile System, is an alternative munition that can be fired in lieu of the pods of 6 guided rockets the HIMARS being currently fielded by Ukraine is using. ATACMS would be a significant upgrade to 🇺🇦's deep strike capabilities if fielded. 2/11

Lots of folks have heard of the 'ebola jet' a Gulfstream jet operated by Phoenix Air which has a specially made ward for infectious pax in need of airlift, but the idea of moving sick pax in a purpose-built box is actually older. This 🧵 is about that obscure bit of history. 1/12 In the late '60s and early 70's the US Air Force contracted McDonnell Douglas to build the 'SAMCU' (Special Airborne Medical Care Unit), a flying ICU ward whose purpose was to transport seriously injured soldiers out of combat zones. 2/12

🧵Yesterday, 🇸🇴Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency @HSNQ_NISA seized 6 drones at Aden Adde International Airport which were accompanied by two Turkish nationals. The purchaser, former Somalian MP, Zakariye Haji claimed the UAVs were for his agriculture company. Using the images that were posted by the Somalian security agency, we can try to figure out the model and source of these drones. The disassembled parts bear a strong resemblance to those sold commercially by a company out of China calling itself MuginUAV.

Hearing rumors that the ZIM KINGSTON, the container ship that lost ~40 containers off the coast of Vancouver is currently fighting a fire that was caused by 2 hazmat containers that were hanging on the side of the ship. Its currently anchored by Victoria. A🇨🇦 CG vessel is nearby. According to radio traffic, 2 tug boats with fire fighting capability and fire fighting equipment on board have been tasked with helping put out the fire.

On September 3rd, 2018, A USAF MQ-9 Reaper drone was destroyed in an accident at an undisclosed location. The following will be an instructive thread on using #OSINT to determine where this event occurred. One year after the accident, the USAF released an unclassified accident report that described the events of the mishap and the investigation that followed. The report, however, fails to say where the event happened but buried inside are the clues needed to find out.