Since World War II, when aircraft technology developed leaps and bounds compared to the aircraft used in World War I, air forces have become an instrumental part of a country’s military, which includes forces across the globe....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Naturally, there is little surprise that the United States Air Force (USAF) was ranked the most powerful air force by the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA).
Explaining its ranking, the WDMMA detailed that it uses a ‘TrueValueRating’ formula, which not only considers fleet size but also modernization, logistical support, attack, defense, and other capabilities. As such, the ranking assesses the quality and general mix of the branches’ inventories.
First up is the United States Marine Corps (USMC), which has over 1,200 aircraft in its fleet, with the large majority of them being helicopters, 58.9%.
According to the branch’s site, the only fixed-wing aircraft, including an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or a drone, aircraft operated by the USMC is the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier, Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Lockheed Martin KC-130 Hercules, and AAI RQ-2 Pioneer.
However, interestingly, WDMMA pointed out that the USMC has only two F-35s in its fleet, with the remaining 528 fighters being either the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet or the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, two iconic fighter jets that have served with the United States Navy (USN) and the USMC.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet will be eventually replaced with the F/A-XX, which the Navy officially announced in 2012.
Next is another United States service unit, namely the United States Army (USA). However, unlike the other units within the list, the USA has no active fighter jets, with its fleet mostly consisting of helicopters.
The branch also has some transport, trainer, and special mission aircraft, which includes such aircraft as the MC-12W, a turboprop dedicated to providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to forces on the ground.
The majority of its fleet is composed of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, which entered service in 1979. According to Lockheed Martin, which is the parent company of Sikorsky, the Black Hawk serves with the US military and armed forces, as well as with units of 34 other countries globally, proving itself to be a tough and reliable aircraft.
The only non-US-based unit on the list is the Russian Air Force (Военно-воздушные силы России, VVS), with the branch boasting a fleet of 3,649 aircraft, which includes fighter jets, bombers, tankers, and others.
However, during the current war in Ukraine, when Russia launched an unprovoked invasion of the country in February 2022, the VVS has lost plenty of aircraft, including such prized possessions as the Beriev A-50. In fact, the branch has lost two of these airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) systems, with the latest being shot down in February 2024.
Overall, Oryx tracked down 600 Russian aircraft that have been shot down or damaged during the war, including 88 combat aircraft and three strategic bombers, two of which were damaged.
However, Russia has continued using its air superiority to bomb civilian targets within Ukraine, increasing the death toll of innocent Ukrainian civilians as it continues its campaign based on false premises.
Ukraine Claims Shoot Down Of Russian Beriev A-50 & Ilyushin Il-22
Taking us back to the US is the USN, which has over 2,600 aircraft in its fleet, including 530 fighters. Similarly to the USMC, the USN has three fighter types: the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, in addition to plenty of other fighters.
This includes the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Northrop F-5, as well as numerous trainers, such as the McDonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk.
Nevertheless, the branch also uses the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, which it had to ground temporarily following a fatal accident off the coast of Japan in November 2023.
The aircraft returned to service on March 8, 2024, after the US Department of Defense (DoD) announced that the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) cleared the V-22 Osprey to return to service. The DoD quoted a Navy official as saying,
V-22 Osprey Fleet Set To Be Ungrounded 3 Months After Japan Crash
With little fanfare and surprise, the United States Air Force (USAF) has topped WDMMA, with 5,189 aircraft in its inventory. While it might be surprising, but the largest portion of the fleet belongs to trainer aircraft, 29.7%, with fighter jets trailing close in second place with 29.1% of the share of the fleet.
Over the years, the service branch has operated plenty of iconic aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin SR-71 Blackbird, Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and others, becoming one of the most formidable air forces in the world since it was established in 1947..CONTINUE READING>>
