Rafale fighters lead as Army Technology lists ten of the most popular tweets on military and security in August 2020 based on data from GlobalData’s Influencer Platform.

Top tweets on military and security in August 2020

1. Isaac Alexander’s tweet on India’s Rafale Fighters

Isaac Alexander, chief editor at Jet City Star, a website covering aerospace and defence news, shared an article on China’s comments on India’s Rafale Fighters being no match to its stealth jets.

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B.S. Dhanoa, the former Indian Air Force chief, noted that China’s new J-20 stealth fighter is no match for the France-built Rafale Fighters. China in retaliation noted that J-20 stealth fighter jets are superior in terms of technology, capabilities, and range.

The article details that neither the Rafale Fighters or  the J-20 stealth fighter jets have been tested in battle, and their performance highly depends on pilot quality, availability of ground radar, anti-aircraft missiles, and airbase distance from the battlefield.

Username: Isaac Alexander

Twitter handle: @jetcitystar

Retweets: 1,350

Likes: 4,400

2. Tara Copp’s tweet on UH-1N Huey helicopter being shot at from the ground

Tara Copp, a Pentagon correspondent for McClatchy, a publishing company, shared an article on the UH-1N Huey, an US Air Force helicopter, making an emergency landing after being struck by a bullet fired from the ground.

The incident injured an aircrew member and damaged the aircraft. It took place when the helicopter was flying 1,000ft off the ground, approximately 10 miles northwest of Manassas Regional Airport.

FBI Washington and Air Force Office of Special Investigation are working together on investigating the details of the incident.

Username: Tara Copp

Twitter handle: @TaraCopp

Retweets: 1,244

Likes: 805

3. Nicholas Drummond’s tweet on Main Battle Tanks

Nicholas Drummond, managing director at AURA Consulting, a strategic consulting firm, tweeted on the list of countries planning to purchase new or upgrade existing Main Battle Tanks (MBT).

China stands first in the list followed by Russia, US, India, Egypt, North Korea, Germany, France, Denmark, Norway, Greece, Australia, and Poland. The UK, on the other hand, is planning to retire its existing MBT fleet.

Username: Nicholas Drummond

Twitter handle: @nicholadrummond

Retweets: 70

Likes: 312

4. Jens Stoltenberg’s tweet on informal meet of EU Defence Ministers

Jens Stoltenberg, the General Secretary of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance, tweeted on an informal meeting of defence ministers at Belarus.

The objective of the meeting was to boost cooperation and discuss on common concerns, including Belarus and prepare for a formal meeting in Brussels. Stoltenberg noted that there was no NATO build up in the region and that any attempt to crack down on peaceful protesters was wrong and unjustified.

Username: Jens Stoltenberg

Twitter handle: @jensstoltenberg

Retweets: 112

Likes: 209

5. DARPA’s tweet on AlphaDogfight Trials

DARPA, a developer of emerging technologies for military use, shared an article on the virtual AlphaDogfight Trials that took place between 18 August and 20 August at Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. A total of eight teams were selected to display state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms capable of performing visual-range air combat.

The article details that the three-day event focused on different activities each day with a goal to increase trust in AI. At the end of the event, the AlphaDogfight champion competes against a human F-16 pilot to test the AI’s potential.

Username: DARPA

Twitter handle: @DARPA

Retweets: 40

Likes: 96

6. 9DashLine’s tweet on Taiwanese air patrol missions

9DashLine, a website covering geopolitical issues affecting the Indo-Pacific region, shared an article on the Taiwanese Air Force launching a pair of F-16A Viper aircraft with live AGM-84 Harpoon missiles to defend its territory.

The aircraft were launched from the Hualien Air Force Base after reports emerged of the launch of Chinese military exercises aimed at capturing the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea. The Hualien Air Force Base is also responsible for carrying out reconnaissance patrols for vessels transiting through the Taiwan Strait.

The incident marks the first time the F-16A were equipped with AGM-84s except for fire drills. The last time the aircraft flew with live missiles was when China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier passed through the Taiwan Strait in 2016.

Username: 9DashLine

Twitter handle: @9DashLine

Retweets: 39

Likes: 61

7. Ulrike Franke’s tweet on Germany’s low priority for European Union defence structures

Ulrike Franke, a policy fellow at European Council on Foreign Relations, shared an article on a survey conducted among experts and policymakers from 27 European Union (EU) member states on the priorities of their governments. More than 60% of the members do not have defence in their top ten priorities.

The article notes that the EU has a tendency to follow the strategies adopted by Germany, which ranked defence at the 14th place. The low prioritisation is surprising considering that Germany has been a strong supporter of European defence cooperation. The article notes that Germany may already be satisfied with the steps taken by the EU towards defence.

Username: Ulrike E Franke

Twitter handle: @RikeFranke

Retweets: 15

Likes: 54

8. CSIS’ tweet on Japan deploying anti-ship and surface-to-air missiles

CSIS, a policy research organisation, shared an article on the deployment of anti-ship and surface-to-air (SAM) missiles by Japan on its Southwest Islands due to an increase in Chinese maritime forces. Chinese patrol ships were reported to have navigated within the 24-nautical mile disputed zone near Senkaku island.

Japan’s strategy is to leverage geography as an advantage and deploy the missiles near the island. It has also developed facilities and units to enable deployment in nearby islands.

Username: CSIS

Twitter handle: @CSIS

Retweets: 24

Likes: 40

9. Leo Shane’s tweet on decreasing the number of US troops in Afghanistan

Leo Shane, Congressional reporter at Military Times, a website covering military news, shared an article on US President Donald Trump’s plans to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan by half by election day.

The article added that lawmakers supported the reduction, while military leaders raised concerns against withdrawal as it could destabilise the Afghan military force. Critics of the war have noted that the US has remained in Afghanistan beyond any other mission and should not leave its troops in the country indefinitely.

Username: Leo Shane

Twitter handle: @LeoShane

Retweets: 21

Likes: 36

10. David Cenciotti’s tweet on unsafe intercept by Russian Su-27

David Cenciotti, an aviation blogger, shared an article on a Russian Su-27 fighter jet passing too close to a US Air Force B-52 bomber during the Allied Sky mission over the Black Sea, which witnessed participation from 30 NATO nations.

Footage from the onboard camera of the B-52 bomber showed that the manoeuvres made by the Su-27 fighter jet were hostile and dangerous. The US termed the intercept as unsafe and unprofessional and noted that this was not the first time such an intercept had occurred.

Username: David Cenciotti

Twitter handle: @cencio4

Retweets: 11

Likes: 33