In this article, we look at 5 countries with the most bombers and superior air force. You can read about trends in the aerospace industry by heading over to the 20 Countries with Most Bombers and Superior Air Force, where we have also discussed work being carried out on the United States’ highly classified Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
5. South Korea
Bombers: None
Advanced Fighter Jets: 215
Air Force Fleet: 890
Score: 0.392
We begin our list with South Korea whose air force has a formidable fleet comprising 890 aircraft. These include 38 F-35 fifth-generation fighter jets and 118 F-16C among other potent combat jets. Seoul’s aerial capabilities have further been boosted with the development of the locally-made KF-21 Boramae fighter jet which defense experts believe to be as good as any other fourth-generation stealth fighter. According to FlightGlobal, South Korea has 120 KF-21 in order as of 2022.
4. Israel
Bombers: None
Advanced Fighter Jets: 273
Air Force Fleet: 581
Score: 0.394
Israel is the only country in the Middle East to have F-35 fighter jets. According to FlightGlobal, it has 32 of these and has placed orders for another 17. The Israeli Air Force also has 175 F-16 and 66 F-15 in its impressive fleet of fighter jets.
3. China
Bombers: 120
Advanced Fighter Jets: 324
Air Force Fleet: 2,084
Score: Not Applicable
We finally get to the few countries that operate bombers, beginning with China – one of the most powerful militaries in the world. China has built about 230 H-6 bombers, of which 120 are still flying according to a report. Apart from bombers, the Chinese also have a formidable fleet of fighter jets which include 260 J-10, 45 J-15/16, and 19 J-20, among several other combat aircraft.
2. Russia
Bombers: 137
Advanced Fighter Jets: 616
Air Force Fleet: 3,652
Score: Not Applicable
Russia has the second highest number of strategic bombers in the world currently in operation. These include 55 TU-95, 66 TU-22, and 16 TU-160 – the most modern of the three. The Russian air force has a large fleet size of over 3,500 combat aircraft, with an impressive line-up of fighter jets such as Su-30, Su-34, Su-35, and the Su-57.
1. United States
Bombers: 141
Advanced Fighter Jets: 2,364
Air Force Fleet: 5,209
Score: Not Applicable
The United States of America has the most powerful military in the world. It also boasts the strongest and largest air force in the world, with the USAF having a fleet of over 5,000 aircraft. About 40% of these comprise advanced fighter jets. The US currently operates 450 F-35, 177 F-22 Raptor, 775 F-16, 554 F-18, and 408 F-15 fighters. It also has the most number of bombers, estimated to be 141 by the Military Embedded Systems. Bombers operated by the USAF include B-52 designed in the 1950s, B-1 Lancers built in the 1970s, and the B-2 Spirits from the 1980s.
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