In 1995 the US offered to lease the RAF the F16 jet to replace the Tornado F3 in the Air Defence role. This offer was quickly rejected by the MOD, for reasons that make fascinating reading. Thread on why 'leasing American' can be more expensive than 'buying British'. The Tornado F3 entered service in the 1980s, intended to provide long range air defence. It was well designed for its task - namely to be a missile carrier to shoot down incoming Soviet bombers / MPA over the Atlantic, and not as a dogfighter in Germany.

This is the V Force, designed to carry out nuclear strikes on every Russian city with over 100,000 people in it in the event of WW3. How did the UK decide its target plans, and how did it plan to defeat Russia in war?

Long PSL thread on early British nuclear war plans. In 1948 the British atomic weapons programme was underway. To understand how many weapons would be needed, and why, the Chiefs of Staff directed the MOD to come up with an analysis of how best to use nuclear weapons on the Soviet Union as part of an UK/US bomber offensive.

The assumption was that war would be no sooner than 1957 and that when it began, UK and US forces would conduct nuclear strikes on the Soviet Union at the earliest opportunity. No assessment was made of Russian nuclear capability.

In 1958 the MOD conducted a detailed study on the logistics stockpiles held by all 3 armed services for wartime use. Its findings were of great concern about the shortfall of stores, equipment and ammunition for use in general war. Short thread on why logistics win wars... The goal of the paper was to set out the wartime stockpile needs for all 3 services. It began by defining what was meant by conflict - a simple question but far more complex to define. For example - the UK used 'upper, midddle and lower' thresholds.

In 1977 the German SF Unit 'GSG' stormed a hijacked Lufthansa airliner in Mogadishu, rescuing all hostages. Two SAS participated using 'flash bang' grenades.

This led to demand for SAS CT training, and to buy their grenades including from the Iranian Government...

Thread! In the aftermath of the operation, the FCO received over 20 different requests for support from different countries, keen to learn about the SAS role in the rescue, get training and assistance and learn how to conduct hostage rescue.

In 1958 the JIC circulated an MI6 memo about the subversive threat of Egyptian school teachers in the ME/Africa region - in the eyes of British intelligence, they were a front for subversion and espionage!

Now pay attention 007 and read on for a most unusual MI6 memo... The Joint Intelligence Committee is the hub of British intelligence analysis, fusing reporting together to produce coherent assessment that informs policy making at the highest levels of the British Government. Any issue considered here is of major national importance.

It is June 1983, you have just been elected to Parliament and appointed a Minister in the MOD. Your staff provide you with an induction briefing pack, including a section on Counter Terrorism. This is the actual brief Ministers had on the role of the SAS & SBS in CT operations. Ministers were told that there was a permanent SAS team ready to conduct CT Operations in the UK. On the mainland this was known as OP MINSTREL, while in NI, it was OP GASTRIC.

In 1982, the UK Government was sufficiently concerned about the threat of the Spanish attacking Gibraltar to issue covert 'Rules of Engagement' to UK forces setting out when they could open fire on Spanish forces, and brought the military to readiness for war.

PSL Thread.../ In the immediate aftermath of the invasion of the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar played a vital role supporting the UK task force. The airfield, naval base and stores were essential to support the Task Force. This piece of UK sovereign territory had to be protected at all costs.

This is the Mk3 LST, an RN landing ship In 1952 the Admiralty was tasked to develop plans to turn this into a 'catapult aircraft ship' embarking up to 4 Venom jets on a 'one use only' basis during WW3.

Thread on the 'forgotten aircraft carriers' of the 1950s. The CAM had its roots in 1941 where merchant ships carried a single 'one time only' Hurricane, launched by rocket catapult to provide air defence for a convoy to shoot down FW200 recce aircraft tracking convoys for German U Boats.

In 1947 HMS VANGUARD, the last British battleship took the King & His family to South Africa. TOP SECRET MOD files, only declassified in late 2025 reveal a very different story about how the ship came close to open mutiny - with MI5, the Admiralty and the King all involved... VANGUARD was launched by HRH Princess Elizabeth in 1944, and commissioned too late for WW2. In 1947 she was converted for service as a Royal Yacht to take the King to South Africa for the first visit by the Monarch. This was a high profile visit amid austerity of post war UK.

The photo was taken in Jan 47, just before she sailed.

In July 1990 the RAF Red Arrows visited the Soviet Union, providing displays in Leningrad and Kyiv. The trip report by the senior British Officer, Air Vice Marshal Pilkington is a fascinating insight to a time of hope, optimism and worry as the Cold War ended.

PSL Thread/ The visit was arranged initially to allow the Soviets to display in the UK, but became a solo effort. The hope to display over Moscow was cancelled for "technical reasons", so the itinerary was Leningrad and Kyiv, with a stop in Budapest on the way back.

In Dec 1987 Mikhail Gorbachev landed at RAF Brize Norton for meetings & lunch with British PM Margaret Thatcher, enroute to Washington.

While positive, he also directly attacked Thatcher for her sending missiles to Afghanistan.

A short thread on an incredible meeting. During 1987 the UK/Soviet relationship was tentatively improving, despite Cold War issues. Both leaders had a desire to improve their working relationship, so when the opportunity came, with Gorbachev flying to DC, the UK invited him to call in for a bilateral and lunch.

In May 1990, the RAF Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) visited Russia for defence talks with senior military leaders. His visit report is a fascinating insight into Russian fears of German unity, Soviet airpower and the "airborne ballet" display.
Short thread on his visit as latest The visit was intended to build confidence and links between senior military figures. It was seen overall as a success, marking openness in engagement, and with questions, often on military issues, answered. This was notable for being so unusual!

As the Cold War ended, senior British officers visited the Soviet Union and sent back powerful visit reports, capturing their experiences and engagements with the Russians. This is the first of several tweet thread, about when ACM Craig, CDS visited in December 1990. CDS visited from 9-14 Dec, as the guest of his Soviet opposite number (Gen Moiseev). The visit took him to Moscow, Leningrad and Murmansk.

Do you know the difference between a "special operation" a "sensitive operation" a "clandestine operation" and a "deniable operation"

Pinstripedline thread on 1970s SAS, MI6 and GCHQ operations and how the Govt tried to conceal their existence from official records... In 1973 Cabinet Secretary Sir Burke Trend was alarmed to see reports of deniable operations involving the SAS in Oman in wider public documents. He sent a formal admonishment to the head of the FCO and to the MOD over concerns about poor information security.

This is HMS ARK ROYAL in 2008. In 1992 the Royal Navy made serious plans to permanently convert her to an LPH in place of ordering HMS OCEAN.

Thread on the 'LPH that never was'... Throughout the 1980s the RN wanted to buy two Aviation Support Ships (ASS) to replace HMS HERMES and BULWARK to support the Royal Marines if they moved to Norway during wartime.

These ships would have supported the 3 INVINCIBLE class, and the 2 LPDs.

This is the Argentine Navy aircraft carrier 25 De Mayo.

On 29 April 1982, during the early stages of the Falklands War the MOD met to discuss a paper setting out the 'rules of engagement' under which the Royal Navy would be authorised to sink her.

Thread/ The carrier, a former Royal Navy Colossus class, was seen as one of the biggest threats to the task group.

The MOD analysis of her capabilities credited here with around 11-14 fixed wing jets (Skyhawk and Etendard) as well as Tracker recce aircraft.

This is the USS PALM BEACH, sister ship to the USS PUEBLO, a spy ship captured by North Korea. In 1967 the US Navy sought British permission to base her in the UK to carry out top secret intelligence missions against Russia.

A short PSL thread on Cold War spy ships! She was built in 1944 as a US Army aircraft repair ship, seeing service in WW2. Post war she carried out survey work in the West Indies before being put in reserve in the 1950s.

In 1966 she was taken over by the US Navy and converted into an intelligence collector.

In late 1961 the British Cabinet debated what, if any, military support the UK would provide to the Netherlands in the event of Indonesia attacking the colony of Dutch New Guinea.

Short thread on a forgotten military crisis... After the independence of Indonesia in 1949, the Netherlands retained control of Western New Guinea as a colony, and began preparing it for independence. In Dec 1961 President Sukarno called for the seizure of the colony by military force.

In the 1980s, the US Government wanted to purchase Royal Navy Polaris missiles to use them to test the effectiveness of the SDI missile defence system. This was seen as both an opportunity, and serious threat to UK nuclear security concerns.

Short thread on SDI & Chevaline... For almost 30 years the Polaris SSBN force was the backbone of the UK's strategic nuclear arsenal. 4 submarines, carry 16 missiles with 3 warheads were available to deliver an overwhelming nuclear attack on any aggressor if required.

In August 1983, Ministers were concerned that the Argentine military planned to carry out a surprise Exocet attack on a Royal Navy warship off the Falkland Islands. The RN assessed Seawolf only had a 35% chance of intercepting any inbound missile...

Thread on Exocet 1983. In Aug 83, Minister Armed Forces sought advice from the Royal Navy about the risk of Argentine military forces carrying out a sneak attack using Exocet in certain domestic political circumstances.

In 1982 Maj Gen Jeremy Moore RM took the surrender of Argentine Forces on the Falkland Islands. He was signatory to the original surrender document.

In 1983 the MOD launched a formal investigation about rumours that more than one document existed, and was being kept by him... In 1983, the MOD identified that a 2nd surrender possibly document existed, and may have been kept by Maj Gen Moore.

The Secretary of State was sufficiently concerned to order a formal investigation to find, and recover this document.