dundonrl

how can Israel and the UK be ahead of the US? With the F-22A Raptor in front line service, there's not an enemy it can't easily destroy.. now you combine that ability with the quality of pilots in it, and the training they get and you have by far the most lethal aircraft in history..

killabee

the combat record of IRAAEL air force puts it in 1 place

killabee

sorry ...ISRAEL

gf0012-aust

combat stats are subject to temporal flux.

whens the last time that the israelis engaged in air combat on contemp platforms? (and thats not meant to trivialise the efforts of the Israelis)

its an issue of combat participation and relevance. the most exposed persistent airforce at theatre level in the world are the americans - nobody else has their diversity and mass across the strategic, operational and tactical spectrum.

the israelis may well be a supremo regional air power - but when you start looking at real issues such as breadth, depth and systems footprint at a theatre level - they just don't have the same footprint.

"top 10" questions invariably are dick waggling exercises.

gunnut

There's the USAF.

Then there's the USN Aviation.






And then there's everyone else.

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"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

Officer of Engineers

The US performance in WWII alone puts Israeli entire combat record to shame.

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Chimo

glyn

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Semper in excretum. Solum profunda variat.

entropy

The Luftwaffe record does the same to USAF.

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If memory serves...

killabee

ISRAEL`s use of the Mirage III in combat should give anyone a clue about the strenght of IDF/IAF.
IT`s not just about aircraft ,it`s also about pilots, tactics and combat experience.
ISRAEL has now the best aircraft in the MIDLE EST but it was not allways like that.

Officer of Engineers

Show me anywhere, anytime Israel came close to the bombing and escourt campaigns of WWII.

Show me anywhere that Israel did anything resemebling LINEBACKERS I and II.

Show me anywhere that Israel did over 400 sorties a day (I won't go to the 2000 sorties a day of the Kuwait War).

Show me anywhere that Israel clobbered an entire regiment in one day (Khe Sanh).

Show me anywhere Israel did a 1000 plane raid.

Show me anywhere that Israel managed to fight two wars at the same time entire continents away from home.

As I stated, American WWII experience alone puts ALL of Israel's combat record, tactics, pilots to shame.

Those with military experience here knows the value of the Israeli war machine but we also know that it has not been tested nor designed to fight the wars we fight.

Officer of Engineers

They lost.

Officer of Engineers

It is more than fair. I will admit that Israel has done good and has come up with a few things to teach us but there is no way in hell that an Israeli could do my job better than I can.

killabee

if luftwafe lost in WWII is not fair to say USAF lost the war in VIETNAM?
And how about the carpet bombing`s in ww2? or LINEBAKER for that matter?
As far as i know usaf changed this tactic because it was inefective.
it`s very easy to fight a war when u have superior numbers but the hard thing comes when you do not...
if only numbers count China is top 3
but it`s not even top 10 in my list.

Officer of Engineers

Apples to apples comparisons.
The luftaffe is an airforce and they lost the air war.

The USAF won the air war in both cases.

That's even a better measurement for the USAF. The measure of any good army is not when things go right but when things go wrong.

The only measure that counts is who controls the skies. There is no way in hell Israel can control the skies the USAF and the USN controls. China is not even in the same league here.

Archer

Not really.

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