Top ten airforces part 2

Sorry chaps I was getting a bit confused because there are two very similar threads so I thought I’d clean it up a bit by starting a new one.

Forget the top 10 airforces in Europe, this concentrates on all comers.

My run down looks a bit like this:

For equipment and technology the USAF just has to be number 1. It is also very highly trained and motivation is second to none. The recruits are also of a very high standard. On the negative side the USAF is very large and takes a great deal of effort to weald in combat. That said they do a good enough job and usually manage to overcome this small weakness.

For motivation, experience (see tactics, see low level operations) and equipment I don’t think the Israeli Air Force can be bettered. At least not by much. Its only weakness is its reliance on the USA for both political and financial support. This said, that support looks set to continue for the forseeable future and even if it doesn’t the Israeli’s are tough and determined so it probably would not be worth a potential enemy’s effort to take on the Israelis.

For training and professionalism I’d pick the RAF though I would be hard put to argue that it was better than the AdA or any other Western (and some Eastern) European air arms, the RAAF (small but perfectly formed) the CAF (cash strapped but determined to do the job they are trained to do and by Gods they are good), the Chilean Air Force (not well equipped and not very big but they are right on the tactical button.) The Argentine Air Force got unlucky in 1982, they are a good, solid, well trained force, very motivated but lack funds and modern equipment. The Omani Air Force along with (IMHO) Jordan are excellent.

There are others but far too many to mention. All have their merits and some are better than others under certain circumstances and/or some core competencies. If I was fair I would have to rate the RAF and the AdA as pretty equal. The AdA has an excellent CSAR capability and have been developing it for some time while the RAF are only just addressing this capability with spec-ops Chinooks and Merlins which are not yet in service. The AdA has a better tactical fighter, in fact until the Typhoon comes on stream the RAF doesn’t have a tactical fighter at all the Tornado F3 is an excellent stand off interceptor and now a SEAD platform but, although you wouldn’t want to underestimate it, especially at low level, this aircraft is not a dogfighter and nobody in their right minds would argue this.

On the other hand the AdA cannot match the RAFs transport capabilities which are only bettered by the CIS and th USA. This will not change even when/if the A400M comes on line because even this aircraft cannot touch the C17A Globemaster III. They have 4 leased aircraft which they now plan to buy outright and will add another 7 C17s to the fleet; deliveries of which have already begun. The RAF has one of the largest C130 Hercules fleets in the world (currently about 50 or 60 aircraft) perhaps half of which are the new ‘J’ model. They are also regarded as one of the hardest working yet best maintained Hercules fleets of any nation. The early models used as part exchange examples to help fund the new ‘J’ model aquisition are finding ready customers around the world including Austria, Mexico and I believe (amongst others) Botswana because they have been so well looked after yet they are also rcognised as having some of the highest flight times on any Hercules airframe; which is a testament to the ground crews.

The RAF has more Sentry AWACS aircraft than the AdA and an airborne stand off radar aircraft is proceeding well with the missionised Bombardier Global express. The French equivalent is a compromised helicopter platform but at least it is already in service. The RAF SEAD capability is better by far than the AdA which (it has been suggested) doesn’t actually exist, though this is in dispute. We need more information. Recce assets I think are pretty well matched. The French Air Force and Navy are roughly comparable in size to the RAF but its Army is, at present, much larger. This will change though as France is shifting away from compulsory military service requirements and although this will not improve the recruit, it will improve the training and the soldiers motivation if they actually volunteered to ‘be there’.

British comunications have always been regarded as an Achiles Heel but in truth its problems and its deficiencies are not much different to those faced by any other nation. The British do however place a greater emphasis on ‘network centric’ communications than many others so when the system is, shall we say, ‘acting up’ it can be a real problem which is where the thorough training and indoctrination of front line British soldiers, sailors and airmen really comes in handy and always has.

I can’t give you a top ten because it simply isn’t that simple.