Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa is the largest US DoD installation in the Indo-Pacific, and is a hub for US & international ISR aircraft flying missions ranging from monitoring UN sanctions vs the DPRK to high-end SIGINT missions. More photos breakingdefense.com/2025/10/reap...

Chinese fighters intercepted Japanese surveillance planes during carrier exercise: Official - Breaking Defense JMSDF Capt. Naoto Tabata told Breaking Defense that one time the Chinese jets came as close as 45 meters (147 feet) from the surveillance birds.

Naha AB is unique among Japanese airbases in that it is home to JASDF, JGSDF & JMSDF units. I also visited the latter's Fleet Air Wing 5, where I was told (among other things) that their P-3C Orions were "thumped" by PLAN J-15s earlier this year breakingdefense.com/2025/10/chin...

Okinawa-based F-15 squadrons responsible for nearly 60 percent of country's scrambles - Breaking Defense "We conduct surveillance of Japan's airspace in the area on a 24/7 basis and maintain readiness for any situation by utilizing all the systems and assets available to us," Col. Hideo Kiyonaga, chief o...

I spent last week in Okinawa, where I learnt during a visit to Naha Airbase that the 2 resident F-15 Hikōtai were responsible for almost 60% of JASDF scrambles last year, and 60-70% of the service's scrambles on average in recent years breakingdefense.com/2025/10/okin...

Prince of Wales! But that’s because I’m biased towards anything involved with the Malaya-Singapore campaign

OMG where is this??

What gave it away? 🤔

Breaking Defense adds Mike Yeo as new Bureau Chief for Asia and Indo-Pacific region In further global growth, Breaking Defense doubles its regional news personnel in the Indo-Pacific.

Breaking Defense adds Mike Yeo as new Bureau Chief for Asia and Indo-Pacific region
breakingdefense.com/2025/05/breaking-defense...

Finally photographed Royal Navy OPV HMS Tamar and her striking motif on Saturday. She was heading eastbound in the Strait of Johor after leaving Sembawang in Singapore

Japan stockpiling AMRAAMs with 1,200 AIM-120C-8/D-3s requested and approved

2024 has not been a bad year for aircraft photography

Elon Musk having enough money to do whatever he wants every minute of the rest of his life and he spends it being an Ian Miles Cheong reply guy at 2am, like, for all his financial corrupting and feckless cruelties, I still can’t think of a crueler hell that he deserves than the life he’s made

The first Chinese PLA Navy Type 076 amphibious assault ship was launched on the morning of Dec. 27 at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai. It was named after the province of Sichuan and has a hull number of 51.

FYI: www.csis.org/analysis/chi...

CC @brianthart.bsky.social

I’ve been told it’s unlikely

Singapore also saw 3x USN CMV-22B Osprey CODs from VRM-30 from the USS Carl Vinson arrive over Christmas, including 169459/72 using the callsign RUDY72 in this rather fetching Japan-inspired tail colours

Worth noting there was a big USN/DoD ship presence in Singapore over Christmas: sub tender USS Emory S Land, DDG USS O’Kane, USNS John Ericsson (T-AO), MV Carolyn Chouest (SpecOps mothership) in Sembawang while USS John L Canley (ESB) and 2x LCS in Changi

Two for the price of one. Looks like Shenyang unveiled its own design today. Competition for the JH-XX award, or for another program?

My initial, Captain Obvious take bsky.app/profile/theb...

I’d say it’s a next gen fighter-bomber or bomber design. Low observable, manned, with 3 engines (based on dorsal and 2 lower fuselage intakes)

Bigger than a J-20. Looks like this is the bomber/fighter-bomber that was being talked about

And the semi-annual Christmas defence surprise from China has just dropped. Seen over Chengdu today

Japan’s ATLA releases concept artwork for its Stand Off Jammer aircraft based on the C-2 airlifter. For some reason I’m getting Total Recall vibes www.mod.go.jp/atla/researc...

Awesome!

Assad denies planning to flee Syria in first comments from Moscow In a post on Telegram, an account belonging to the ousted president insists he remained in Damascus until rebel fighters arrived in the city, and then moved to a Russian air base further north, which ...

TL;DR Assad: I didn’t ask for a ride, but the Russians gave me one anyway 😂 www.abc.net.au/news/2024-12...

I mean the Hogs will be the first US combat aircraft over Hanoi since 72-73. US mil transports have been visited Hanoi in recent years

USAF A-10s and C-130J at Hanoi’s Gia Lam Airport for the VIDEX defence expo. They are the first US combat aircraft to fly over Hanoi since 1972-73, I believe?

Coming soon to another meat assault in Ukraine bsky.app/profile/nivc...

Pretty sure I’m not the 1st to suggest this but honestly haven’t seen this elsewhere but what if Assad regime collapse was due to Putin telling him Russia will no longer prop him up solo after Hezbollah got disemboweled & offered exile instead bec Ru needs the $, men & gear in Syria for Ukraine?

Pictures from rehearsal day Air Tactical Operations Evaluation - taking place on Dec 12. Photos: RTAF 🇹🇭

#Gripen D w/ LITENING III, IRIS-T, AMRAAM