Christoph Bergs
@milavhis.bsky.social
Life consists of Air Power and Aircraft.
Founder: Military Aviation History.
Founder: Military Aviation History.
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
'Tactical losses to helicopters are therefore predominately symbolic of Russian strategic and operational failures' writes @milavhis.bsky.social in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Helicopters Remain a Vital Part of the Joint-Force
The helicopter has been criticised following extraordinary Russian losses in Ukraine, however the benefits of vertical lift are still obvious within the force mix.
www.rusi.org
January 29, 2026 at 11:05 AM
'Tactical losses to helicopters are therefore predominately symbolic of Russian strategic and operational failures' writes @milavhis.bsky.social in the latest RUSI Commentary.
Before this even started, there was no questioning of US military overmatch vs Venezuela. Details on resistance, US suppression of defences & helicopter operation would be interesting nevertheless. Permits evaluation of how indicative this was of US capabilities & its signalling value.
Footage from helicopters over Venezuela show what appear to be CH-47 Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks. Given available pictures, shapes are overall consistent with versions also flown by special operations units.
January 3, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Before this even started, there was no questioning of US military overmatch vs Venezuela. Details on resistance, US suppression of defences & helicopter operation would be interesting nevertheless. Permits evaluation of how indicative this was of US capabilities & its signalling value.
Footage from helicopters over Venezuela show what appear to be CH-47 Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks. Given available pictures, shapes are overall consistent with versions also flown by special operations units.
January 3, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Footage from helicopters over Venezuela show what appear to be CH-47 Chinooks and MH-60 Black Hawks. Given available pictures, shapes are overall consistent with versions also flown by special operations units.
There simply is no other choice
January 1, 2026 at 9:12 AM
There simply is no other choice
After some delay, it is now confirmed that the decision whether to continue 🇫🇷🇩🇪FCAS or not is delayed.
“Contrary to the original plan, a final decision on the continuation of the FCAS project has not yet been made at the end of the year.”
www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...
“Contrary to the original plan, a final decision on the continuation of the FCAS project has not yet been made at the end of the year.”
www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...
Entscheidung zum weiteren Vorgehen bei FCAS auf unbestimmte Zeit verschoben
Verteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius hatte angekündigt, bis Jahresende eine Lösung bei dem ins Schlingern geratenen Rüstungsprojekt für ein Future Combat Air System (FCAS) finden zu wollen.
www.hartpunkt.de
December 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
After some delay, it is now confirmed that the decision whether to continue 🇫🇷🇩🇪FCAS or not is delayed.
“Contrary to the original plan, a final decision on the continuation of the FCAS project has not yet been made at the end of the year.”
www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...
“Contrary to the original plan, a final decision on the continuation of the FCAS project has not yet been made at the end of the year.”
www.hartpunkt.de/entscheidung...
Happening today 👇
Chris and I have settled on Sunday, December 21 @ 6pm GMT / 11am MT. The stream will be on YouTube, as usual.
(Let's see if the third attempt at this doesn't have a typo in it...)
(Let's see if the third attempt at this doesn't have a typo in it...)
Finished Piegzik's _Gamble in the Coral Sea: Japan's Offensive, the Carrier Battle, and the Road to Midway_! I'll be sharing some thoughts on it along with Chris this coming Sunday during a live stream. We'll probably end up talking casually about Operation MO in general as well I suspect.
December 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Happening today 👇
IGMetall (🇩🇪 largest Union) announced they no longer trust/are willing to work with Dassault. Demand two separate NGFs. Given the intricacies of 🇩🇪 industry, IGMetall has significant linkages with companies. A soft launch for the a decision coming soon?
www.hartpunkt.de/fcas-ig-meta...
www.hartpunkt.de/fcas-ig-meta...
FCAS: IG Metall bricht mit Dassault und will zwei Kampfjets
Wenige Tage vor der in der kommenden Woche erwarteten Entscheidung zum weiteren Vorgehen beim kriselnden französisch-deutsch-spanischen Future Combat Air
www.hartpunkt.de
December 10, 2025 at 6:21 PM
IGMetall (🇩🇪 largest Union) announced they no longer trust/are willing to work with Dassault. Demand two separate NGFs. Given the intricacies of 🇩🇪 industry, IGMetall has significant linkages with companies. A soft launch for the a decision coming soon?
www.hartpunkt.de/fcas-ig-meta...
www.hartpunkt.de/fcas-ig-meta...
That’s Sunday 1800/1900 UK/Continental Europe for those living in the civilised world and not…you know….Canada
Just a heads up that @milavhis.bsky.social and I plan on streaming this Sunday at 11AM-ish MT.
November 28, 2025 at 6:07 PM
That’s Sunday 1800/1900 UK/Continental Europe for those living in the civilised world and not…you know….Canada
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
Here's the German part of the discussion on four-engine bombers. I smile, nod, ask an occasional question, and then absolutely rock the outro while @milavhis.bsky.social lays the info down.
youtu.be/dpNsIDn6KhE?...
youtu.be/dpNsIDn6KhE?...
Why Luftwaffe Strategic Bombers Never Happened
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
September 25, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Here's the German part of the discussion on four-engine bombers. I smile, nod, ask an occasional question, and then absolutely rock the outro while @milavhis.bsky.social lays the info down.
youtu.be/dpNsIDn6KhE?...
youtu.be/dpNsIDn6KhE?...
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
Here's part 1 of a chat that Chris and I originally envisioned as a quick'n'easy one. Then we talked for an hour each. For my part, I used this common internet question as a Trojan horse of sorts to explore elements that aren't discussed as often as dry technical details of the aircraft themselves.
Mistake or Calculated Risk? Why Japan Did Not Build Strategic Bombers during World War 2 - Join a fascinating chat w/ @justinpykehistory.bsky.social on why Japan went hot & cold on long-range strategic bombers.
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
Mistake or Calculated Risk? Why Japan Did Not Build Strategic Bombers
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
September 11, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Here's part 1 of a chat that Chris and I originally envisioned as a quick'n'easy one. Then we talked for an hour each. For my part, I used this common internet question as a Trojan horse of sorts to explore elements that aren't discussed as often as dry technical details of the aircraft themselves.
Mistake or Calculated Risk? Why Japan Did Not Build Strategic Bombers during World War 2 - Join a fascinating chat w/ @justinpykehistory.bsky.social on why Japan went hot & cold on long-range strategic bombers.
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
Mistake or Calculated Risk? Why Japan Did Not Build Strategic Bombers
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
September 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Mistake or Calculated Risk? Why Japan Did Not Build Strategic Bombers during World War 2 - Join a fascinating chat w/ @justinpykehistory.bsky.social on why Japan went hot & cold on long-range strategic bombers.
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
youtu.be/nstaj1mHFHU
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
I really enjoyed this video @milavhis.bsky.social just put out on the complex discussion of air support during the Second World War. He focuses on the Luftwaffe, but some of what he covers gave me food for thought in my area of study too.
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
The Complicated Luftwaffe Air Support Problem
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
August 28, 2025 at 6:14 PM
I really enjoyed this video @milavhis.bsky.social just put out on the complex discussion of air support during the Second World War. He focuses on the Luftwaffe, but some of what he covers gave me food for thought in my area of study too.
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
I really enjoyed this video @milavhis.bsky.social just put out on the complex discussion of air support during the Second World War. He focuses on the Luftwaffe, but some of what he covers gave me food for thought in my area of study too.
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
youtu.be/7fxfp_xGfUg?...
The Complicated Luftwaffe Air Support Problem
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
August 28, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
How can military aircraft be used to gain influence in other nation-states?
Piers Register spoke to @milavhis.bsky.social to examine a shift in the military aircraft export market & whether attitudes around aircraft supply & development need to change.
Watch 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVg...
Piers Register spoke to @milavhis.bsky.social to examine a shift in the military aircraft export market & whether attitudes around aircraft supply & development need to change.
Watch 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVg...
August 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
How can military aircraft be used to gain influence in other nation-states?
Piers Register spoke to @milavhis.bsky.social to examine a shift in the military aircraft export market & whether attitudes around aircraft supply & development need to change.
Watch 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVg...
Piers Register spoke to @milavhis.bsky.social to examine a shift in the military aircraft export market & whether attitudes around aircraft supply & development need to change.
Watch 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVg...
Great to speak to NatGeo and bring my history airpower ramblings to the mainstream. Release 2026 alongside an excellent cast of experts.
August 22, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Great to speak to NatGeo and bring my history airpower ramblings to the mainstream. Release 2026 alongside an excellent cast of experts.
If Spain is serious about investing 85% of defence spending (2%) into Europe, this will have left ~5bn for an F-35 deal and not much else. It leaves Spain without a fixed-wing carrier post Harrier retirement however and maybe a gap to other European partners until FCAS (if and when).
Spain Drops F-35 Plans, Looks to European Alternatives
Despite the need to modernize, Spain shelves F-35 plans, leaving its Navy without a STOVL replacement.
Story: theaviationist.com/2025/08/06/s...
Despite the need to modernize, Spain shelves F-35 plans, leaving its Navy without a STOVL replacement.
Story: theaviationist.com/2025/08/06/s...
Spain Drops F-35 Plans, Looks to European Alternatives
Despite the need to modernize, Spain shelves F-35 plans, leaving its Navy without a STOVL replacement. The purchase of F-35 Lightning II aircraft, the
theaviationist.com
August 6, 2025 at 1:42 PM
If Spain is serious about investing 85% of defence spending (2%) into Europe, this will have left ~5bn for an F-35 deal and not much else. It leaves Spain without a fixed-wing carrier post Harrier retirement however and maybe a gap to other European partners until FCAS (if and when).
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
My chat with Jon and Seth over at the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast is now live! It was a lot of fun. I know a couple of the tangents ended up being a bit ramble-y. You'll have to forgive me there.
youtu.be/ZLKHzhthUEE?...
youtu.be/ZLKHzhthUEE?...
The Air War Over China 1937-40 with Justin Pyke - Episode 514
YouTube video by Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast
youtu.be
August 5, 2025 at 2:15 PM
My chat with Jon and Seth over at the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast is now live! It was a lot of fun. I know a couple of the tangents ended up being a bit ramble-y. You'll have to forgive me there.
youtu.be/ZLKHzhthUEE?...
youtu.be/ZLKHzhthUEE?...
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
Just published via RUSI... I suspect this one may generate some strong opinions but I think it's an important set of factors for military planners especially in the Land domain to engage with:
NATO Should Not Replace Traditional Firepower with ‘Drones’
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
NATO Should Not Replace Traditional Firepower with ‘Drones’
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
NATO Should Not Replace Traditional Firepower with ‘Drones’
Over-reliance on uncrewed aerial systems or ‘drones’ is leading to significant problems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and is not something Western militaries should attempt to replicate
www.rusi.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Just published via RUSI... I suspect this one may generate some strong opinions but I think it's an important set of factors for military planners especially in the Land domain to engage with:
NATO Should Not Replace Traditional Firepower with ‘Drones’
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
NATO Should Not Replace Traditional Firepower with ‘Drones’
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...
This 🧵👇 by @crusaderproject.bsky.social
- The Ju 87 (as any plane of its approximate type) required a permissive air environment which can be limited in time and space. Screening fighters to punch a hole and maintain the window long enough for bomb drop, then covering retreat. That was the… 1/2
- The Ju 87 (as any plane of its approximate type) required a permissive air environment which can be limited in time and space. Screening fighters to punch a hole and maintain the window long enough for bomb drop, then covering retreat. That was the… 1/2
@alanallport.bsky.social has disabled quote posts so this will have to do, but this is the only hard disagree in his long and very informative list of options I have. 1/🧵
@balloons2drones.bsky.social @navalairhistory.com @rafhistory.bsky.social @airminded.org
@balloons2drones.bsky.social @navalairhistory.com @rafhistory.bsky.social @airminded.org
July 31, 2025 at 5:38 PM
This 🧵👇 by @crusaderproject.bsky.social
- The Ju 87 (as any plane of its approximate type) required a permissive air environment which can be limited in time and space. Screening fighters to punch a hole and maintain the window long enough for bomb drop, then covering retreat. That was the… 1/2
- The Ju 87 (as any plane of its approximate type) required a permissive air environment which can be limited in time and space. Screening fighters to punch a hole and maintain the window long enough for bomb drop, then covering retreat. That was the… 1/2
where is the ISD?
WHERE is the ISD?
WHERE IS THE ISD?
😡
WHERE is the ISD?
WHERE IS THE ISD?
😡
July 31, 2025 at 4:42 PM
where is the ISD?
WHERE is the ISD?
WHERE IS THE ISD?
😡
WHERE is the ISD?
WHERE IS THE ISD?
😡
Worthwhile to consider that during WW2, it is likely that most fighter pilots never saw the plane that “got them”. Beyond ground attackers and bombers, armour was an expensive feature that was balanced to offer the realistically achievable protection to pilot and vital systems, and nothing more.
This video from @milavhis.bsky.social does a great job introducing aircraft protection in more detail than I can get into here. As Chris says, armour was a "saving throw." It was a last ditch tool. Something else had gone badly wrong if you were relying on your armour.
youtu.be/TZ9Ip1TyWJ4?...
youtu.be/TZ9Ip1TyWJ4?...
Aircraft Armor and Fuel Tank Protection 1914-1941
YouTube video by Military Aviation History
youtu.be
July 31, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Worthwhile to consider that during WW2, it is likely that most fighter pilots never saw the plane that “got them”. Beyond ground attackers and bombers, armour was an expensive feature that was balanced to offer the realistically achievable protection to pilot and vital systems, and nothing more.
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
Given the imminent release of a chat I had with Seth and Jon for the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast, where one of the tangents was me rambling semi-coherently about aircraft protection, I've decided to update a thread I did on it related to Japanese aircraft from many years ago.
July 30, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Given the imminent release of a chat I had with Seth and Jon for the Unauthorized History of the Pacific War Podcast, where one of the tangents was me rambling semi-coherently about aircraft protection, I've decided to update a thread I did on it related to Japanese aircraft from many years ago.
After recently posting my @rusi.bsky.social commentary on how high profile mishaps with F-35 could play a role in shaping public perception, it’s fascinating to see how the point I made is reflected in the comments…
July 26, 2025 at 7:07 PM
After recently posting my @rusi.bsky.social commentary on how high profile mishaps with F-35 could play a role in shaping public perception, it’s fascinating to see how the point I made is reflected in the comments…
Reposted by Christoph Bergs
An RAF F-35B stranded in Kerala has attracted attention just as the UK seeks to declare full operational capacity for the fleet.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
The Combat Air Public Relations Problem
An RAF F-35B, stranded at an airport in Kerala province for several weeks, casts a pall over the image of the UK's air combat power in the midst of Highmast, an operation intended to declare full oper...
www.rusi.org
July 24, 2025 at 12:10 PM
An RAF F-35B stranded in Kerala has attracted attention just as the UK seeks to declare full operational capacity for the fleet.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
From yours sincerely, my first commentary at RUSI.
And now I know how it feels like when I am not the one choosing the title 😅
And now I know how it feels like when I am not the one choosing the title 😅
An RAF F-35B stranded in Kerala has attracted attention just as the UK seeks to declare full operational capacity for the fleet.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
Read our latest RUSI Commentary from Christoph Bergs - @milavhis.bsky.social how such mishaps can be exploited to erode trust in the UK’s armed forces and equipment.
The Combat Air Public Relations Problem
An RAF F-35B, stranded at an airport in Kerala province for several weeks, casts a pall over the image of the UK's air combat power in the midst of Highmast, an operation intended to declare full oper...
www.rusi.org
July 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
From yours sincerely, my first commentary at RUSI.
And now I know how it feels like when I am not the one choosing the title 😅
And now I know how it feels like when I am not the one choosing the title 😅