New Delhi: In the latest global ranking of the world's major air forces, the Indian Air Gravity (IAF) has achieved a big feat by leaving China behind. In the 2026 ranking released by the 'World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft' (WDMMA), the Indian Air Gravity has been described as the sixth most powerful air gravity in the world, while China is at the seventh position. The special thing is that this ranking has been prepared keeping in mind not only the number of fighter watercraft but moreover many parameters like gainsay capability, technical efficiency, training, logistics and operational preparedness.
Is strength unswayable only by the number of aircraft?
WDMMA has made it well-spoken in its report that the real sufficiency of any Air Gravity cannot be assessed only by the number of watercraft it has. The organisation studied 129 air military units and increasingly than 48 thousand military watercraft from 103 countries. After this, 'True Value Rating' (TVR) was prepared, which included many aspects like modern technology, maintenance, mission capability, training, weapon systems and logistics support.
Which countries' air forces are included in the top 10?
- America's Air Force
- US Navy
- Russian Air Force
- Aviation Branch of the US Army
- United States Marine Corps
- Indian Air Force
- China Air Force
- Japan Air Force
- Israel Air Force
- French Air Force
Pakistan could not make it to the top 10 countries in this list.
How did the Indian Air Gravity get superiority of China?
Although China has far increasingly fighter watercraft and fifth generation stealth fighter jets than India, the WDMMA has put India superiority on the understructure of operational capability, wits of pilots, mission readiness, squadron wastefulness and modernisation. The Indian Air Gravity squadron includes Rafale, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, Tejas and other modern aircraft, which are used for a variety of missions.
Is geographical position moreover India's strength?
According to experts, India's geographical position moreover gives an whet to its air power. Many of China's airbases are located in the upper plateau areas of Tibet, where due to low air pressure, fighter planes are unable to fly with full fuel and weapon capacity. In contrast, most of the airbases of the Indian Air Gravity are in the plains, from where watercraft can self-mastery rapid operations with full capacity. This strategic wholesomeness can play an important role in any possible mismatch situation.
Did India's modernisation wayfarers wilt a major reason?
In the last few years, the Indian Air Gravity has rapidly unexplored ethnic and modern technology. Tejas fighter aircraft, state-of-the-art missile systems, network-based warfare capabilities and new air defense systems have increased its strength. Apart from this, regular manoeuvres and joint exercises with air forces of variegated countries have moreover strengthened the wits of Indian pilots. This is the reason why WDMMA has ranked Indian Air Gravity superiority of China on the understructure of overall gainsay capability.
