Old planes and no money: Pakistan's air force is about to go into a nosedive
Global air forces have significantly reduced their fleet sizes since the end of the Cold War due to the 'peace dividend' and shifting defense priorities. While nations like India and the US have downsized, China has expanded its military aviation capabilities, prompting a renewed focus on defense spending in Europe.
Why it matters
The shift in global military aviation capacity reflects changing geopolitical tensions and the end of post-Cold War stability.
Air forces around the world have been shrinking in size since the end of the Cold War, although not necessarily in capability. The Indian Air Force (IAF), for instance, has a sanctioned strength of 42.5 squadrons but now operates fewer than 30. Its fleet peaked at around 40 squadrons in 1996, according to the New Delhi-based Council for Strategic and Defense Research.India is hardly an outlier. The United States, which has by far the world's largest defence budget, had a tactical fighter fleet of around 4,500 aircraft at the end of the Cold War. That number has since fallen to less than half, according to the official publication Air & Space Forces Magazine.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in