The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD, also known as the Quad) is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, Australia and India that is maintained by semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills between member countries. The forum was initiated as a dialogue in 2007 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, with the support of Vice President Dick Cheney of the US, Prime Minister John Howard of AustraliaContinue reading “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue -The Quad – Anti-China Alliance? – Where Does India Stand?”
Author Archives: Anil Chopra
Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time
Lieutenant Junior Grade Tetsuzō Iwamoto was one of the top scoring aces among Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) fighter pilots. He joined the Imperial Navy in 1934 and completed pilot training in December 1936. His first combat occurred over China in early 1938. He emerged as one of the top aces of the Imperial Japan during WWII, credited with at least 94Continue reading “Japanese “Zero” Fighter Air Ace Tetsuzō Iwamoto “Tiger Tetsu”- 94 Aerial Victories – Greatest Japanese Fighter Ace of All Time”
Chengdu J-20 Overhyped or Reality – A Comprehensive Story
The Sino-Indian face-off in Ladakh continues towards the harsh forthcoming winter. As the excitement of Rafale induction into Indian Air Force (IAF) settles, it is time to have a fresh look at China’s J-20 which has started becoming operational in sizeable numbers. Is it overhyped or a reality that India must try and fully understandContinue reading “Chengdu J-20 Overhyped or Reality – A Comprehensive Story”
Messerschmitt – The Great German Aircraft Maker of World War II – Bf 109, Bf 110 and Me 262
Messerschmitt AG was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in particular the Bf 109 and Me 262. The company survived in the post-war era, undergoing a number of mergers and changing its name from Messerschmitt to Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm before being bought by Deutsche Aerospace (DASA, now part of Airbus) inContinue reading “Messerschmitt – The Great German Aircraft Maker of World War II – Bf 109, Bf 110 and Me 262”
China’s Growing Defence Exports in Asia – Implications India
The Chinese arms industry is the world’s second-largest producer of munitions, a clear shift from a decade ago when China was a major arms importer, says a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It has overtaken Russia in arms production, a country that was once a major supplier of arms to China.Continue reading “China’s Growing Defence Exports in Asia – Implications India”
Understanding Chinese Belligerence and India’s Strategic Options
The 10 hours of talks at the Corps Commander level on 02 Aug 2020 seem to have made no further progress in the disengagement process, as there appear to be a total lack of trust, as also, varying perceptions between the two sides. On 28 Jun 2020, the Chinese side had claimed that the “processContinue reading “Understanding Chinese Belligerence and India’s Strategic Options”
Air Ace Ivan Kozhedub the Highest Scoring Allied and Soviet fighter pilot of World War II
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”
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”
Air Power Asia 