World Air Forces 2013
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SPECIAL REPORT WORLD AIR FORCES 2013 IN ASSOCIATION WITH FLIGHT Insight INTERNATIONAL You count on availability. We provide reliable solutions. RUAG Schweiz AG | RUAG Aviation | Military Aviation 6032 Emmen | Switzerland | Phone +41 41 268 41 11 [email protected] | www.ruag.com/aviation WORLD AIR FORCES 2013 CONTENTS ANALYSIS 4 Worldwide active fleet per region 5 Worldwide active fleet share per country 6 Worldwide top 10 active aircraft types 8 WORLD AIR FORCES World Air Forces directory 9 TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT FLIGHTGLOBAL INSIGHT AND REPORT SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT: Flightglobal Insight Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK Tel: + 44 208 652 8724 Email: insight@flightglobal.com Website: www.flightglobal.com/insight World Air Forces 2013 | Flightglobal Insight | 3 WORLD AIR FORCES 2013 The US Air Force’s F-16 strike aircraft should perform their last offensive sorties over Afghanistan in late 2014, as the NATO-led assistance force passes control to Kabul Force is to drive through a planned light air support acquisition of 20 armed turboprops for the Afghan air force. A programme should COMBAT be launched in 2013, with an earlier selection of Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano having been abandoned. The process of leaving Afghanistan will be a diffi cult one for participating nations, with a TRANSITION great deal of valuable equipment requiring ex- traction by air, and land convoys needing sig- Air arms from around the globe were in action during nifi cant protection from above. Another aspect of the Afghan drawdown 2012, while most budgets faced mounting pressure. We process will be the conclusion of major joint list the inventories and purchase plans of 160 nations coalition air operations, after more than a dec- ade of experience gained in the country. The CRAIG HOYLE LONDON removal of such an opportunity to fl y along- DATA COMPILED BY SANDRA LEWIS-RICE, JOHN MALONEY, MARC-ANTONY PAYNE side other air forces day-to-day will require & MARTIN SMITH FLIGHTGLOBAL ASCEND ONLINE FLEETS & MILICAS LONDON nations to participate in more regular large- scale exercises in order to retain the skills learned in combat and maintain links with onfl icts in Afghanistan, Syria and Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Kabul still has current partners. between Israeli forces and Hamas a long way to go before taking full control of the Despite widespread condemnation of the militants grabbed the headlines in nation. Its air force and Army Air Corps – actions of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s C2012, along with the major budget which currently operate a combined total of 98 regime in the face of a domestic opposition issues most militaries continue to face, and transport aircraft and combat helicopters – will movement, the prospect of an international the outcomes and implications of presidential also require more investment to be made in intervention similar to that seen over Libya in elections in the USA and China. equipment terms if they are to be able to cope 2011 remains remote. Although the USA and its NATO and other after the drawdown phase has concluded. With an inventory of 480 Russian-sourced allies plan to end their combat involvement in Time is tight, for example, if the US Air combat aircraft, including RAC MiG-29 4 | Flightglobal Insight | World Air Forces 2013 WORLD AIR FORCES 2013 WORLDWIDE ACTIVE FLEET PER REGION EUROPEEUREUROPO Comombmbatmmbb aircraftftt 2,618 CombatCCoComo t helicoptersptteterserseerrsrs 3,4893,489 RUSSIAUSSIAA & THEE CIS Combat aircraft 2,042 NORTH AMERICAA Transports/TankersTrans Tankaanknkersn s 767765 Combat helicopters 1,2212 Combat aircraft 2,9155 Transports/Tankerskers 3393 Combat helicopterss 5,8188 Transports/TankersTankersnkersnkerskkee 11,8451,81,848844455 MIDDLEMMIDDLLEE EASAST Combatmbatat aircaircraftcraftcrra 1,449849 CombatComCCoom t heliccoptersccoopters 1,2471211,2477 Traaanspanspopoorts/Taorts/Tanankersannkersers 333 AFRICA ASIA-PACIFIC Combat aircraftt 11,0032003 Combat aircraft 4,8077 SOUTH AMERICA Combat helicopterspterss 1,38811,3388 Combat helicopters 4,3399 CombatC aircraft 656566 Transports/Tankersnkerskerss 4444444 Transports/Tankers 87879 Combat helicopter 1,1841 84 Transports/Tankers 482 US Air Force fi ghters and Sukhoi Su-24 strike aircraft, the its possession of so-called “double-digit” being able to maintain persistent surveillance Syrian air force has been routinely called surface-to-air missile systems, also acquired cover over a potential confl ict area, including into action. Television footage has also from Russia. Assad’s forces demonstrated with unmanned air vehicles. shown Mil Mi-8/17 helicopters and armed their willingness to use such equipment in Aero Vodochody L-39 jet trainers used to June, when a Turkish air force McDonnell HAMAS TARGETS suppress the uprising. Douglas F-4E Phantom was shot down after Israeli air force combat aircraft and helicop- The Syrian military would represent a dif- violating Syrian airspace. ters, along with ground artillery and naval ferent challenge to coalition air forces than November’s eight-day confl ict between Is- vessels, attacked more than 1,500 targets dur- during the UN-mandated and NATO-led mis- rael and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip ing the “Pillar of Defense” operation. These sion to protect Libyan civilians, because of underscored the importance of an air force included not only launchers for the rockets which were being fi red into Israeli territory, but also previously identifi ed sites, such as weapons stores, resupply tunnels and even Hamas leaders. Despite its military might and the impres- sive performance of its “Iron Dome” anti- rocket shield, Israel’s vulnerability to non- traditional attack had already been highlighted in early October, when a UAV launched in Lebanon entered its airspace, before being de- stroyed by a Lockheed Martin F-16I. For the fi rst time, this year’s World Air Forces directory uses information sourced from Flightglobal’s Ascend Online Fleets and MiliCAS databases. Completed in 2011, the Israeli pilots were merger of Flightglobal and Ascend has result- called into action ed in an enhanced product, including im- over the Gaza Strip proved information on the equipment in use Rex Features in nations such as China and Russia. gg World Air Forces 2013 | Flightglobal Insight | 5 WORLD AIR FORCES 2013 gg This year’s directory contains almost stealth fi ghters from the company, versus an 51,800 aircraft listed in the active duty in- original goal of acquiring 750 of the fi fth- ventories of air arms from 160 nations. This generation type. represents an overall reduction of fewer than The emergence of several developmental 200 airframes since our 2011-2012 snapshot Russian and Chinese fi ghters within the past of the worldwide fl eet. A further 6,100 air- two years has focused minds within the USA craft are shown as the subject of fi rm orders, and other nations as to the capabilities that with more than 5,700 others pending con- potential future adversaries could purchase. tract signatures. While Western types such as the F-35, Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Washington’s numerical Eurofi ghter Typhoon and Saab Gripen E will strength is unlikely to be be technologically superior to Chinese models such as the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31, overturned by Russia or the latter could eventually prove overwhelm- growing military power China ing if fi elded in suffi ciently high numbers. Beijing’s continuing major investment in defence aerospace was highlighted by the fi rst fl ight of the stealthy-looking J-31 in October, Notable major deletions from our previous and by Shenyang’s J-15 derivative of the listing for Soviet-era equipment have includ- Sukhoi Su-33 performing trials from the deck ed the removal of almost 500 aged Mi-24 as- of the Chinese navy’s newly-introduced air- sault helicopters from the Russian air force’s craft carrier, the Liaoning. China’s admission inventory, along with 220 obsolete Mi-2s. to the elite carrier club – which in 2013 will As with previous listings, the USA domi- also include India – was one of the most sig- nates the directory in the number of aircraft in nifi cant military developments of the year. use and on order, with its air force, army, Ma- rine Corps and navy together accounting for MOSCOW MODERNISATION 27% of all active aircraft. Moscow, meanwhile, has continued to make a While Washington’s numerical strength is substantial investment in modernising its mili- unlikely to be overturned by former rival Rus- tary machine. Major recent commitments sia or growing military power China, the end have included orders for 92 Su-34 bombers, 30 of its combat commitment in Afghanistan and Su-30SM fi ghters and 24 carrierborne The Joint Strike Fighter has been on budget reductions will have a major near-term MiG-29K/KUBs, along with 39 improved target during weapons release trials impact. Unless averted by early January, a Il-76MD transports. It also has advanced a long- Congressionally-threatened sequestration planned project with India to develop a new measure could wipe about $500 billion from Medium Transport Aircraft – up to a combined der status in late January, when it awarded a the Department of Defense’s budget during a 145 of which could be acquired – and on pro- Dassault-led team so-called L1 vendor status 10-year period, with this to come on top of ducing a version of Sukhoi’s T-50/PAK-FA with the Rafale, following a battle with the Eu- planned reductions of $487 billion already in fi ghter. Questions remain, however, over rofi ghter Typhoon. However, New Delhi has the USA’s planning cycle. whether Russia will be able to sustain its recent yet to sign a contract for the 126-unit deal. While the US Air Force says it remains spending spike, and particularly on its ability Switzerland’s government and air force committed to acquiring 1,763 Lockheed and desire to develop a proposed new-genera- continue to pursue a deal to acquire 22 next- F-35A Lightning II combat aircraft, sequestra- tion bomber dubbed PAK-DA.