How India overtook China in air force rankings to become 3rd most powerful
China has been eliminated from the list of the top three countries with the strongest air forces and India has made a spectacular entry.
Until now, when the world’s most powerful air forces were discussed, the top three were the USA, Russia and China. However, this order has changed. China has been eliminated from the list of the top three countries with the strongest air forces and India has made a spectacular entry.
WDMMA, the organization that ranks all the world’s air forces, has published its new list. India surpassed China in the 2025 list. The US Air Force received the highest score with 242 points. Russian Air Force received 114 points and Indian Air Force received 69.4 points. India is followed by China, whose Air Force has a score of 63.8. Japan ranks fifth, with its Air Force scoring 58.1. It is important for you to understand the criteria that led to India being ranked above China.
First factor; fighting experience and fighting skills
In 2019, the Indian Army bombarded the Pakistani city of Balakot. This operation was carried out by infiltrating Pakistani airspace. Targets allocated to the Air Force were destroyed. This year, when the Indian Air Force participated in Operation Sindoor, it hit all its targets. The enemy did not damage any IAF aircraft during the entire operation. Indian Air Force showed its strength. On the other hand, the Chinese Air Force has not participated in any major wars or conflicts for a long time. This is why IAF ranks higher than China.
second factor
WDMMA describes the Indian Air Force as a balanced unit. Of the IAF’s total aircraft, 31.6 percent are fighter jets and 29 percent are helicopters. 21.8 percent of the total aircraft are training aircraft, and 17.6 percent are drones and reconnaissance aircraft. Of the total number of aircraft in the Chinese Air Force, 52.9 percent are combat aircraft, 28.4 percent are training aircraft, and the remaining 18.7 percent are helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and reconnaissance aircraft.
third factor
The IAF’s most modern combat aircraft is the Rafale, purchased from France. In addition to the Rafale, the Indian Air Force also has the Mirage-2000, also purchased from France. Another deadly aircraft of the Air Force is the Sukhoi-30. Initially, this aircraft was purchased from Russia. India now produces the Sukhoi-30 itself. The IAF also has helicopters such as Apache and Chinook purchased from the US. This means that the Indian Air Force is not dependent on any single country for maintenance or equipment.
