Air superiority counts for as much as having a strong navy in today’s modern security world. While the days of the classic dog fight might be over, the reliance on aircraft has only grown stronger.
7. France
France has been credited with having one of the most impressive aircraft industries in the world. Going back to the days when airplanes first started being used for warfare, France has always been on the forefront of this force. France was one of the first countries to have its own professional air force and today, the country has been pushing the invention found with air crafts. The Mirage series fighters that they created, are some of the most widely praised combat aircrafts that you are going to be able to find.
6. India
India is a military force that gets its strength from both its high level of population and for its innovation with its aircraft. With a hostile boarder with a rival country that also happens to have its own strong air force, India has pushed itself to become one of the strongest forces in the modern world. While it may not have some of the most advanced fighters in the modern world, they make up for it with having one of the largest air forces that you can find in today’s modern geo-political landscape.
5. China
Like India, China also has a huge population that allows for the country to have not just a large military, but they have also been working on enhancing their overall air technology in order to keep pace with the other nations on this list.
With over 330,000 personal and having a force that has over 2500 air craft, China has a powerful air force that is able to deliver air strikes with relative ease within their own sphere of influence.
4. Israel
Israel might be one of the largest countries on this list, but the state of constant war that this tiny little country in the middle east finds itself in, makes it so they are always pushing to innovate their military forces to not only address any act of aggression, but to also make sure that they are pushing their technology to match the demands that the modern landscape demands from an air force. The weapons systems that you can find being equipped on Israel’s fighters are some of the most advanced targeting systems that you can find throughout the world. In many cases, the weapons systems that are employed can rival many of the larger nations that are on this list.
3. United Kingdom
The UK has a long standing reputation for its air force. The RAF is one of histories most respected air forces. Their pilots have developed a reputation for never backing down from an enemy, even when the numbers are not in their favor. While France might have had some of the first professional fighter pilots in the world, the RAF is the world’s oldest professional air force. Today the UK’s air force doesn’t find itself in the dog fights that first gained them famed, but they do have state of the art systems that all for them to conduct precision airstrikes in almost any theater. This combined with their state of the art navy that the UK has, makes them a powerful fighting force without having the need for the large numbers that other countries on our list have.
2. Russia
Russia is a nation that not only has the large numbers, but because of the arms race with the United States during the Cold War, they have been able to build up an air force that has advanced technology on its aircraft with the numbers that rival the bigger nations on this list. While Russia has developed some of the most sought after aircraft in the world, they also have a reputation for attempting to develop some of the strangest weapons technology out of any of the modern countries. While Russia did take a hit in its military power after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they have managed to rebuild their forces back up to the levels where they were previously.
1. The United States
The United States air force doesn’t just have some of the highest number of personal, but it is also one of the nations that have developed advanced technologies that have allowed for the air force to conduct combat without having to put its pilots in the way of danger.
The drone programs and similar programs have allowed for the United States Air Force to set the standard for military technology. When you combine the advanced combat systems such as stealth technology, drones and its strong navy, there are no other nations that come close to matching the power that you can find with the United States.
