The 5 Most Powerful Air Forces of All Time

Although born later, air force has become an indispensable factor in modern warfare. The US and UK are among the five most powerful countries in air force.

In the 19th century, armies and navies began to make use of lighter-than-air aircraft. During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911, heavier-than-air aircraft were first used to bomb enemy positions. Just a few years later, large bombers could take off from German airfields and drop bombs on London, and even swarms of fighters and attack aircraft could fly over the Western Front of Europe.

Today air power plays a vital role in almost every military operation. Military aviation, though it has a short history, plays a very important role. This article examines five air forces that have used their power effectively as a tool to implement national strategies and ensure national survival:

Royal Air Force

A Royal Air Force aircraft. Photo: Lloyd H.

The Royal Air Force struggled with the other services for funding and attention throughout the 1920s and 1930s.

When World War II broke out, the RAF Fighter Command performed brilliantly, helping to defeat the German air campaign in the Battle of Britain. They then actively supported the recapture of Nazi-held territories. The RAF Coastal Command destroyed many German coastal shipping and assisted in defeating the German submarine offensive in the Atlantic.

Since the end of World War II, the RAF has remained a globally significant force, supporting British and allied military operations around the world. Although no longer playing the strategic role it once did, RAF fighter-bombers continue to contribute to NATO defence.

US Air Force

A US Air Force fighter jet. Photo: US Air Force.

Immediately after the war, there were fierce struggles within the US military, resulting in the Air Force being separated into an independent force. The United States Air Force was born on September 18, 1947, on the basis of merging the functions of the US Army Air Force, the US Army Aviation Organization, and the US Army signal units. From 1941 to 1945, the US Army Air Force contributed a lot to help the US win against Japan as well as Germany. The Allied forces relied heavily on the contribution of the US Army Air Force to be able to win World War II.

Despite some problems with defining its mission, the USAF played a major role in supporting American military operations in the Korean War and the Vietnam War. After the Vietnam War, the USAF developed some of its most lethal fighter aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Viper, and A-10 Warthog.

Today, the US Air Force is without a doubt the most powerful air force on the planet. America's air superiority allows it to operate anywhere in the world.

US Naval Air Force

Two US Navy jets (white) escort a B-52 (black) as it flies over an aircraft carrier. Photo: US Navy.

During World War II, U.S. naval aviators helped America win the Atlantic campaign, defending surface ships from Nazi U-boats and destroying countless German submarines. In the Pacific, U.S. naval aviators crippled the Japanese offensive from its source at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal. The U.S. Navy made its first flight from a battleship in 1911, using a makeshift flight deck attached to the destroyer USS Birmingham. Naval aviation expanded rapidly during the interwar period, taking advantage of the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty to build or convert six large aircraft carriers. The U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier program survived internal conflicts between the branches of the U.S. military.

The US Navy also spearheaded the massive offensives of 1943 and 1944 that liberated Japanese-occupied territories and brought the flames of war back to Japan. At its peak, the US Navy operated over 100 aircraft carriers of various sizes, along with numerous seaplanes, land-based aircraft, and even some strategic bombers for anti-submarine warfare.

The US naval aviation industry has played a key role in all the conflicts of the Cold War and post-Cold War, providing the US with the ability to respond quickly to crisis situations. Today, the US Navy possesses one of the most powerful air forces in the world, capable of performing almost any mission assigned to air power. The US Navy's ten nuclear aircraft carriers (along with eight light aircraft carriers) are vivid evidence of the clear military power of the US.

Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation

Zero fighter (manufactured by Mitsubishi) of the Empire of Japan during World War II. Photo: Warbirddepot.

Along with the A6M “Zero” fighter, an aircraft that blurred the line between land-based and carrier-based fighters, the pilots, aircraft, and aircraft carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy dominated the Pacific for six months, forcing the two largest navies in the world into retreat. Like the US Navy, the Imperial Japanese Navy initiated its naval aviation program in the years before World War I. In 1922, the Japanese Navy acquired its first aircraft carrier (HIJMS Hosho). They quickly built and converted several more. In the process of building naval aviation, the Japanese focused on ensuring quality at the tactical and operational levels. Intensive flight training helped the Japanese Navy have some of the best pilots in the world. The elaborately developed Japanese operational doctrine unified the carrier force into Kido Butai – a tool that clearly demonstrated Japanese power.

Japanese naval aviators effectively destroyed the US Pacific Fleet, sinking five major battleships and damaging three others. Three days later, Japanese land-based naval bombers sank the HMS Repulse and the HMS Prince of Wales off Malaya.

Kido Butai then drove the entire British Far Eastern Fleet deep into the Indian Ocean, and launched attacks from Columbo to Darwin, causing heavy damage to the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

Ultimately, the strength of the Japanese Navy's carrier fleet became its weakness. The increased need for training made recruiting pilots difficult. The destruction of four Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway reduced the destructive power of KidoButai. American aircraft and pilots steadily surpassed Japanese aircraft and pilots.

The Japanese at that time lacked the time and resources to undertake new training and build more advanced airframes. Japanese naval aviation was essentially defeated after the Battle of the Philippine Sea, in which American pilots "massacred" Japanese pilots.

Nazi German Air Force

Luftwaffe fighter plane. Photo: www.ipmsstockholm.se.

In that context, the Nazi regime established the Luftwaffe in 1935 as the air force of the German army. Although it only existed for 10 years, this force played an important role in changing the map of Europe.

With strong government support, German engineers built one of the most effective air forces in history in just a few years. After initially planning to build a strategic bomber force, the Luftwaffe wisely focused on supporting the German army's conquest of most of Europe. The Luftwaffe developed the skills to conduct ground support operations and counterattacks to establish air superiority over its opponents and facilitate the German army's advance.

The Luftwaffe then had to throw its fighters into conflict with American and British bombers in an all-out bombing campaign against Luftwaffe installations, with both sides suffering terrible losses.

Eventually, the Allies' resources caught up and surpassed Nazi Germany. The United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union all produced more aircraft than Germany. The Allies also had better planes and better-trained pilots. By the time Germany surrendered, the Luftwaffe had virtually ceased to exist.

Future Air Forces

Over the next few decades, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force could emerge and replace the aforementioned air forces. The growth in size, power and expertise of the Indian Air Force also makes it a potential candidate.

According to VOV.VN