The World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) has ranked the Indian Air Force (IAF) third in the Global Air Powers Ranking for 2022 after examining the air strength of various countries around the world.
The report assessed the total combat capabilities of various air services worldwide and rated them accordingly.
The Indian Air Force was ranked higher than its regional rival China and placed above the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the Israeli Air Force, and the French Air and Space Force.
The WDMMA employs a formula that considers values associated with the total combat strength of various countries’ air forces.
The formula generates the ‘TrueValueRating’ (TvR), which aids WDMMA in separating each power based on its overall strength and elements such as modernization, calculated help, assault, and guard abilities.
In this method, a country’s tactical air force is broken down not merely by the number of planes it has but also by the quality and diversity of its stock.
In any event, the WDMMA notes that the TvR is a work in progress that is constantly updated in accordance with the requirements. Special emphasis is placed on classifications that are generally overlooked by various powers, such as extraordinary mission, devoted plane power, CAS, preparation, and on-request units.
The US Air Force (USAF) had the highest TvR score of 242.9 in the Worldwide Air Powers Positioning (2022) assessment. It has a diverse fleet of aircraft, and numerous components are sourced domestically from the country’s extensive industrial base.
The USAF has specialized strategic bombers, CAS aircraft, a sizable helo and fighter force (many of which are multirole types), and hundreds of transport aircraft, with hundreds more on order.
Interestingly, the top 2 places were taken by the US Air Force and US Navy, followed by the Russian Air Force, US Army Aviation, and US Marine Corps. The list is followed by the Indian and Chinese (PLAAF) Air Force.
Meanwhile, according to the report, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has a total of 1,645 active aircraft in its inventory.
Chinese Netizens Not Happy
While the Indian media welcomed the rankings, Chinese netizens questioned the capabilities of the Indian Air Force and WDMMA rankings.
Chinese netizens stated that the Indian Air Force is placed sixth, and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force is listed seventh because the website lacks such information on the Chinese Air Force.
Moving on, the Chinese article on social media read: for a long time, India has depended on foreign imports to boost its military capability.
In 2016, India paid nearly $8.7 billion for 36 upgraded Rafale fighter planes from France. At the moment, these fighter jets have also been deployed to the China-India and India-Pakistan border areas to gain a competitive advantage over the J-16 and J-20.
The article further reads – the Indian government has always insisted on promoting “Made in India,” but looking at India’s LCA Tejas, it is a disappointment.
The post claims – when the Chinese J-10 fighter jet was launched, the LCA was also hurriedly launched; when the J-10 was flight tested, LCA was in the testing stage; the J-10 fighter was inaugurated, the LCA was testing stage; the enhanced J-10B was launched, the LCA was still in the testing stage; when the J-20 stealth fighter was tested, the LCA was still being tested.
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