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
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 
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 
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
Bockscar (B-29-36-MO, Sr. No. 44-27297) was built in 1944 and named after its original commander, Capt. Frederick Bock. Assigned to the 393rd BS, it arrived on Tinian in the summer of 1945 - just in time for the mission that would seal its place in history. 2/6 
Japan was caught off guard. Defending the homeland had never been a priority. But as B-29s began taking off from the Marianas, Tokyo rushed to build a “metropolitan air defense zone.” Radar stations went up. Fighters were reassigned. Flak guns were installed. Even suicide ramming squadrons were formed. 2/5
Hot on the heels of Noise Jamming, "Falsifying Distance." 2/4 
Flying at over 70,000 ft, the RB-57F penetrated deep into Indian airspace, conducting bomb damage assessment and electronic intelligence missions. It intercepted IAF radio traffic, mapped radar networks, and provided the PAF with critical insight into Indian air defences. It was Pakistan’s ace in the hole. 2/5
Strangely, the MiG recovered, stabilized, and kept flying - straight west. The pilotless MiG crossed Poland, crossed East Germany, and entered West Germany. NATO scrambled USAF F-15Cs from the 32nd TFS to intercept. When they caught up with the MiG, they saw the unthinkable... 2/4
Red Baron found 80% of US aircraft shot down in air-to-air combat never saw their attacker. Surprise, not skill or technology, was the deciding factor. The NVAF fought a guerrilla war in the sky - hide, strike, escape. Fast, slashing attacks, no dogfights! 2/7 
The F-16 stemed from Boyd’s Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory, which showed that small, fast-turning fighters could outfight heavier, tech-loaded jets like the F-4. Boyd & Co. envisaged a jet that was lean, with no heavy radar, no long-range missiles, no frills. Just focused on raw performance. 2/5
In the early 1970s, Grumman’s F‑14 Tomcat program was in trouble. Cost overruns, technical delays, and political resistance had nearly derailed the project. At Grumman’s darkest hour, Iran stepped in. Under the Shah, Iran placed a massive order: 80 F‑14As and 714 AIM‑54 AAMs, along with parts, simulators, and U.S.-based pilot training. This single $2 billion deal rescued the F-14 from potential cancellation. 2/6
It may come as a surprise to some, but India was once part of the Su-57 program. In 2008, it partnered with Russia to co-develop a variant of the Su-57 called the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft, or FGFA. A contract was signed between Sukhoi and HAL. Billions were planned. Expectations were high. BUT suddenly, in 2018, India pulled the plug and walked away - quietly, but decisively. 2/4
On August 16, 1956, a USNavy F6F-5K target drone took off from NAS Point Mugu and immediately went rogue, heading straight for Los Angeles. In mad panic, the Navy called in the USAF. Two F-89D Scorpions, America's most advanced interceptor, scrambled to take it down. 2/4 
As the ground war intensified, Patriot missiles tragically shot down an RAF Tornado and a Navy F/A-18, killing their crews. The reason? Faulty IFF technology and system automation, which struggled to distinguish allies from enemies in the fast-paced, chaotic battlefield environment. 2/4
A Warthog pilot sits in a "bathtub" of titanium armour, at places up to 38 mm thick and weighing 544 kg. This is proof against direct hits from 23-mm cannon. 2/10 #avgeeks #aviation #USAF #Warthog 
Did you know that when the F-14 stretches its wings fully forward, the fuselage slots into which the wings retracted are sealed with inflatable airbags? The airbags use bleed air from the TF30s to inflation! 2/6
On the night of Feb 5, 1991, Col. Tom Lennon, commander of #USAF's 48th FW, led a pair of F-111s on an experimental mission against dug-in units of the #Iraqi Republican Guard in the deserts north of Kuwait. 2/8 #avgeeks #aviation #DesertStorm #History 