Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub was a Soviet World War II fighter ace. Credited with over 62 victories. He was the highest scoring Soviet and Allied fighter pilot of World War II. He is one of the few pilots to have shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet. He was made a Hero of the Soviet Union on three occasions (4 February 1944, 19 AugustContinue reading “Air Ace Ivan Kozhedub the Highest Scoring Allied and Soviet fighter pilot of World War II”
Author Archives: Anil Chopra
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region – Ethnic Strife And The Chinese Iron Hand
Xinjiang is officially called the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). It is an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China, located in the northwest of the country. Being the largest province-level division of China and the 8th-largest country subdivision in the world, Xinjiang spans over 1.6 million km² (640,000 square miles). The Aksai Chin region, administered by China mostly as part of Xinjiang’s Hotan Prefecture, was once aContinue reading “Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region – Ethnic Strife And The Chinese Iron Hand”
80 Years of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – The Only Use of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict
The United States detonated two nuclear weapons over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9, 1945, respectively, with the consent of the United Kingdom, as required by the Quebec Agreement. The two bombings killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians, and remain the only uses of nuclear weapons in armed conflict ever. Continue reading “80 Years of Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – The Only Use of Nuclear Weapons in Armed Conflict”
Chinese Communist Party’s Military- Xi Jinping’s Absolute Control
The near 100 million member Communist Party of China (CPC) continues to closely run China. Very tightly government controlled China suffers from a wide-range societal complexities. Among them, the one that has direct impact on foreign relations and internal dynamics are Communist Party’s full control over military. Dissent of any kind is snubbed with an ironContinue reading “Chinese Communist Party’s Military- Xi Jinping’s Absolute Control”
Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War
Nguyễn Văn Cốc is a former North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter ace of the Vietnamese People’s Air Force’s (VPAF) 921st Fighter Regiment. Van Coc was shot down before scoring his first kill on Jan. 2, 1967 in Operation Bolo, a U.S. aerial ambush. He ejected and survived, and then went on to destroy an F-105 in an attack out of theContinue reading “Vietnamese Fighter Ace Nguyễn Văn Cốc – The Highest Scoring Pilot in Vietnam War”
Sinicization of Tibet
Sinicization of Tibet is a phrase which is used for Chinese rule in Tibet in reference to the cultural assimilation which has occurred in Tibetan areas of China (including the Tibet Autonomous Region and surrounding Tibetan-designated autonomous areas) and has made these areas resemble mainstream Chinese society. The changes, which have been evident since the incorporation of Tibet into the People’s Republic of China in 1950–51, have beenContinue reading “Sinicization of Tibet”
Chinese Communist Party Control Over Media – A Comprehensive Assessment
Very tightly government controlled China suffers from a wide-range societal complexities. Three that have impact on foreign relations and internal dynamics are Communist Party of China’s (CPC) full control over military and media and fragile social balance. In the last seven decades China has gone through serious cultural shocks, and the ‘One Child Policy’ has hadContinue reading “Chinese Communist Party Control Over Media – A Comprehensive Assessment”
Huawei 5G and Security Implications – A Comprehensive Assessment
India has decided to ban 47 more Chinese Apps. This is in addition to the 59 banned in June 2020. Meanwhile Huawei laid off staff in India, and cut revenues up to 50% amid calls to boycott Chinese goods. President Trump thinks Huawei is a threat to national security. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saysContinue reading “Huawei 5G and Security Implications – A Comprehensive Assessment”
COVID-19 and the Future of the Civil Aviation Sector
The doomsday scenario for civil aviation occurred in Feb-March 2020 when it was seen that many countries had to go into lockdown. The spread of the Covid-19 virus became almost uncontrolled and the only way to prevent a nation from being overwhelmed by it appeared to be stopping its people from going out, and notContinue reading “COVID-19 and the Future of the Civil Aviation Sector”
German Ace – Hans-Ulrich Rudel – Eagle of the Eastern Front – Greatest Fighter Pilot and Most Decorated German in WW II
Hans-Ulrich Rudel was a German ground-attack pilot, and the most decorated German serviceman of World War II, being the sole recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Post-war, he was a prominent neo-Nazi activist in Latin America and West Germany. During the war, Rudel was credited with the destruction of 519 tanks, as well as one battleship, one cruiser,Continue reading “German Ace – Hans-Ulrich Rudel – Eagle of the Eastern Front – Greatest Fighter Pilot and Most Decorated German in WW II”
Air Power Asia 