I didn't ignore it. It just wasn't relevant to the topic of the news & it doesn't change what that missile is likely to be intended for.

More importantly, I don't think India is ignoring PLAAF airpower in the sector - in fact I think they're refocusing on just that 🧵(1/n)

https://twitter.com/someplaosint/status/1858315850840969538

If the notion of the PLAAF attacking the Andaman Islands (sovereign, undisputed Indian territory) pre-emptively or otherwise is brought up, that would also imply a wider war which would bring other Indian assets into play as well.

Andaman is not an isolated target. (2/n)

Thoughts on recent BMD test

I would describe the AD-1 as roughly equivalent to the Aster-30 Block-1NT and SM-6. It forms the lower rung of the BMD Phase-II program with regard to range & altitude, and will primarily be aimed at intercepting threats inside the atmosphere. 1/ The higher rung would be the AD-2, still in development & in the league of SM-3 with theatre-level BMD capabilities i.e. interceptions well outside atmosphere. These systems along with supporting next-gen radars form Phase-2 BMD and will likely see both land & ship-based use.

2/

Regarding the Navy's MRCBF competition, I'm of the opinion that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Block-III may be the better option, instead of the Rafale-M F3/F3R standard. While either platform would offer capabilities (both upfront & over service life) that are leagues ahead of the current MiG-29K fleet, I'm particularly concerned about the Rafale's lack of folding wings as a stumbling block.

Some thoughts on the Indian Navy's nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) program, known by different names including Project-75A, Project-76 or simply "Indian SSN".

THREAD 🧵👇

(Representative image below credit to @IndiaToday's @Nilanjandas72) There is lots of speculation on how the Indian SSN could look, what weapons it could carry & what capabilities it might possess. I'll try to go over a few technology-related possibilities that could hold great influence on how the design might ultimately turn out.

Some thoughts of mine with regard to the Indian Navy's NGD (Next-Generation Destroyer) program, unofficially referred to as Project-18.

I'll be reproducing some points from previous posts of mine on @defence_in to give an outline for what I think NGD needs to be like.

THREAD 🧵 I'll be dividing my outline into several sections, namely:

Hull
Propulsion
Superstructure
Sensors
and finally Weapons

Some interesting slides from a presentation last month by Dr. S. Somanath, Director of VSSC, regarding future of ISRO. Starting off with some slides of the Human Space-Flight mission Gaganyaan - (thread 👇) ADMIRE VTVL (Vertical take-off, vertical landing) demonstrator details: