Which Air Force is Best?

[Air Marshal]

 PAKISTAN AIR FORCE IS BEST OF ALL .............

[Viggen]

I dont want to argue, but the Swedish air force is the best. We build our own planes, suited for our purpose, weather and tactics. 

[Webmaster]

Have you voted or not? Because I added the SwAF   

[Ramon]

The swedisch airforce has absolute an beautifull airforce.
But.............

I will go for the USA airforce and navy.
They have the latest and the best equipment. And the F-14 Tomcat.........
And can overpower and overrun any airforce in this period of time in the world.

So in my humble opinion, is the USA the best airforce, from the list above.

Best Regards, Ramon.

[Viggen]

Well, i voted. Im the one who put my vote on RAF since SWAF wasen´t available. 

I see that many votes for USAF, but i dont think they really are the best. They have the tools but im still a bit skeptic about their ability overall. During Desert Storm, the tornado-pilots got the toughest assignments like taking out runways and so on.

But its their approach to the targets that impressed me. I dont think anyone flew closer to the ground in high speeds then RAF tornado-pilots and deliverd their payload on the spot.

IAF are also very good, but their targets are sitting ducks. But then SWAF has no targets at all, last time the Swedish airforce were involved in combat were in the 50´s in Congo, where four J29 took out their entire airforce.

So the problem remains despite where your heart belongs.  The only way to find out  would be to let them all have a "Go" at each other in a friendly competion. A World Championship in aircombat. 

[Webmaster]

Ok, this is probably a stupid poll anyway, but here are my comments.

PAF has a great air force if it was 1980 today. They still lack a BVR capability. They don't have force multipliers like tankers and AWACS and lack intel platforms. Their new fighter will be the JF-17, which is an equivalent of the F-16 at best.

IAF lacks AWACS as well, and those Flankers are great, but more need to enter service. They have operated the MiG-29 with R-73s that gave them an edge.

SwAF lacks tankers and transports, but of course they didn't need them until now.

RAF is getting better. Finally the Typhoon started to be delivered, giving them a air dominance fighter that it lacked for so many years. What made the RAF good in past years, was their ability to specialise in specific roles. The runway bombing of the Tornados is an example of this. But face it, if the RAF wouldn't be there, the USAF would have sorted it out from medium level with lots of bombs 

The USAF has got it all. AIM-9X now finally entering the inventory, as well as the F/A-22.

[Viggen]

It aint stupid, its just a tough subject.   

[Webmaster]

RecceJet, that's up to you. How do you want to compare these air forces?  I'm not sure what the criteria of the creator of the poll are? Maybe number of aircraft in relation to the budget?

[bazooka]

 I would have to say the United States Air Force is at the best. The US spends vast amounts of money on defense alone, and last time I checked the US spends more money on defense than any other nation. I could be wrong, if I am someone please correct me.                                             
          Furthermore, the USAF has technology on its side. Yes, other nations may have their "state-of-the-art" aircraft, but with the introduction of the F-22, new versions of the AIM-9, and now experimental UCAVs, the USAF has a lot to offer. True, the RAF has some amazing Tornado pilots, but like someone mentioned, the USAF would have come up with something to take care of the job. Not to say that the Tornado pilots' skills were not valuable and appreciated.
           Another reason for my vote to the USAF, is that they have a variety of aircraft, weapons, and tools to help in accomplishing their mission. The USAF has spy sats, AWACs, a plethora of "smart bombs", tankers, UAVs, and some of the best recon, fighter, and bomber planes around.
           Also, the USAF pilots are among the best trained in the world. Exercises such as Red Flag help sharpen their skills, and Adversary squadrons help add to the training envrionment.
           As for experience, I would say USAF pilots would come in behind Israeli pilots. As for numbers of planes and   personnel, I do not know.
           And last of all, the USAF has a variety of companies to build its aircraft. Some of the leading aircraft producing companies, with a notable amount of experience, include Boeing ,Lockheed Martin, and McDonald Douglas. USAF planes are developed, tested, and made in the US.
           In the end though, I think all the air forces contribute something special only to them. What really matters is that when a crisis comes, all the air forces mentioned above, are more than capable of defending their countries. I hope I didn't step on anyones' toes. I did not write this reply to invoke any hard feelings. I have been in conversations before where feelings were hurt and friendships broken. When people talk about whose stuff is better, nationalism plays a part in ones belief. But again in the end all the air forces have their strengths and weaknesses.         

[Joopey]

I largely agree with Bazooka. But when you’re the best for a while, you might get sloppy and get your ass kicked by the Indian Air Force (Or event the Dutch. About ten years ago the USNAVY F-14’s were slaughtered by pre-MLU F-16’s)

[Viggen]

Guys!!

It dosent matter how good jets/weapons an airforce have. It all comes down to the pilot in the end, he has to make the decisions. His mental and physical strength is what really counts.

Any one of us could "fly" an Gripen or Eurofighter but an ace/veteran pilot would take us out in a  old  F-104.

To figure out wich airforce is best , you have to see the big picture.  All airforces have the weapons, countermeasures and high tech jets so it all comes down to pilot skill now, just like in the early years of aviation. 

[Joopey]

Per capita it could be argued that a massive defence force such as the one in the US is not as smart or as capable and flexible as one of a smaller country.

But will crush the small one anyway, because they can afford to have a much lower killratio...