The Indian Air Force has once again established dominance in terms of airpower. The Indian Air Force has occupied the third position, leaving behind its traditional enemies China and Pakistan. The armies of both countries do not stand anywhere in front of the Indian Air Force. Whether it is the case of fighter planes or their active use. The biggest thing is that the Chinese Air Force did not fight any war.
The Pakistani Air Force does not stay anywhere in front of the Indian Air Force. Not even capable enough to make it to the top ten. China has made a place in this list but that too is one notch below India. Although China has more fighter aircraft than the Indian Air Force in terms of numbers, the efficient use of the Indian Air Force has left them behind.
According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA), the Indian Air Force (IAF) is third in the ‘Global Air Power Ranking’ for the year 2022 after testing the air power of countries around the world. In this ranking, the IAF ranks above its regional rivals China, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the Israeli Air Force, and the French Air Force. The report assessed the total combat capabilities of various air services in the world. Indians are happy with this report, while China has denied this report.
Rating Formula of the WDMMA
WDMMA has used a formula for estimating global wind power. In this, he considers the total combat power of the air forces of different countries. In this, the rating is prepared by basing the air force power of a country on the basis of many other factors including modernization, attack capability, and security capabilities.
Fighting capability, not the number of aircraft, is the most important thing in this method the strength of a country’s strategic air force is measured not only by the number of aircraft it has but also by the quality and variety of the stock. This is the reason that despite India having fewer fighter aircraft, it has more air power capacity than China.
Indian Air Force Strength
Indian Air Force has 1645 aircraft. It has 384 fighter aircraft, 266 helicopters, 152 transport aircraft, 185 tankers with trainers, and special mission aircraft. At present, Tejas, Sukhoi, and Rafale remain the biggest forces in the Air Force fleet. Whereas Dhuvr ALH (Helicopters), Mi 17, Apache, and Chinook HJT-16 Light Jet Trainer have become the backbone of the Indian Air Force. This is also the reason for qualifying in third place.
World’s top 10 air forces
1. US Air Force 5209
2. Russian Air Force 829
3. Indian Air Force 1645
4. Chinese Air Force 2040
5. Japan Air Self Defense Force 779
6. Israeli Air Force 581
7. French Air Force 658
8. British Royal Air Force 4759
9. South Korean Air Force 890
10. Italian Air Force 506
