The US Air Force is the biggest in the world. But still not big enough.

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If the US is seriously worried about numbers they can keep producing the F15EX , block 70 F16 and block 3 super hornet.These are fine for most missions after the stealth and drone forces have whittled down the small top tier forces most potential opponents possess or for the majority of recent situations where the US was fighting opposition with no serious aerospace capability.

Worth noting that between F16s and F35s alone, the US produces ~250 per year. Lot's of these are for export, but they maintain F16 production because it's simple to manufacture, they can ramp it up approximately 400% for the F16 without needing additional floor space, just more manpower from an extensive pool of trained aerospace technicians/engineers. Always consider the defence industrial base, as it is key to the overall strategic plan for the united states in having the ability to not only supply itself, but almost any of its allies should the need arise.

U.S. air force strength is the fact that it is so large that peer adversaries don't bother to try and compete seriously, hence focus on anti-AD and ground attack rather than fighter combat.

It’s funny how in WW2 Japan was struggling to supply their boys and the only trouble the yanks had was finding out a way to ship ice cream to the boys, funniest shit you’ll ever hear.

US Airforce 's biggest competitor is US Navy

One factor not mentioned is the difference between pilot training in the US vs China. China's pilots are less trained with fewer hours of flight time. In a conflict scenario, US superior training combined with superior airframes and numbers would quickly shrink China's numbers through attrition. China's inexperience with military matters in general is a serious hurdle for them. They effectively don't even have any aircraft carriers, the first one they bought was unfinished and serving as a casino when they bought it, and the 2nd carrier is a clone of that one. Their 3rd carrier isn't operational and is really just a test platform, not a functional threat.

And this is why I laugh when people talk of Russia as the 2nd best army in the world. China has passed them many years ago, and it's growing way faster. Other than nukes, there's no field in which China cannot overmatch Russia. The real question is, what is their power ratio compared to the American coalition. Especially in this next 6 or so years before all the new 6th gen stuff comes online. I think it will take all the might of the opposition to win a decisive victory in case of conflict, it's not going to be a trivial matter if those superpowers come to blows. On the other hand, if a war doesn't happen, the armies of China and the US will be ridiculously advanced and powerful by 2040, it will be Desert Storm all over again if either of those behemoths decide to flex on some medium sized third world country.

Just to point out something else: The Chinese aircraft engines are built with materials that just don't meet the US level of Metallurgy. What that translates into is more downtime for maintenance and engine replacement. Their engines wear out a lot faster and for every hour of flight they require about 2-3 times the maintenance time that US Aircraft require. Even if they had 2x the number of aircraft, they would have a seriously difficult time keeping them in the air to meet the US Aircraft coming.

F15EX just doesn’t get enough love

China has surpassed Russia in military power, I thought this before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US is a global superpower, China is a regional superpower (at least currently and this decade). Manufacturing base of China is unmatched. While they don’t have the top quality military hardware like the US, quantity eventually triumphs. China’s stealth tech is second rate though. J-20 has a huge RCS compared to the F-22 and F-35. US started stealth research in the 1970s, 1981 F-117 launched.

The worlds second biggest airforce is the US Navy after the US Airforce.. :)

Amateurs talk strategy. Pros talk logistics. Hence the large tankers and transport fleet in USAF!

I didn't realize we had so many F-35s in the U.S. For some reason I always had this idea that there were just a few dozen or something.

The US has an an entire fleet of Jets parked in the desert waiting to be reactivated or for parts. They can build very capable AI based fighters off these legacy systems.

Can confirm. Most of our fleet (F-15, f16, fa18, b52, c130, kc-135, kc10...) qualify for antique license plates

I think one thing you should have mentioned is that the us is an expeditionary force, it has to go to the potential conflicts. Thats why the tankers and logistical capabilities. Russia, China, Iran, all have the home court advantage.

White Bat is such a cool nickname for a deep stealth drone. 🇺🇸

I like the last line. I'm in the same boat, fascinated by military history, but with no illusions about the nature of war.

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