Yeah, I would think introducing sentient air warfare would be rather game changing.
That makes sense. There's the basic pathway just the massive differences. Hard to say why they haven't shown up.
Sometimes? It's usually realizing how many things are actually in flux. There are fixed points that cannot be changed. But you can show up in 1983 and think you're fine because the world didn't end up in nuclear war and realize that it could have and almost did because it's not a fixed point.