WDMMA 2025 Rankings Report: India Surpasses China to Become the World’s Third Most Powerful Air Force
India has surpassed China to become the third-strongest aerial power in the world, as per rankings published by the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft
By R Anil Kumar
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has achieved a historic milestone by overtaking China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) to secure the third position globally in the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) 2025 rankings.
The United States Air Force (USAF) remains at the top, followed by Russia in second place, underscoring India’s growing air power prominence in the Indo-Pacific region. Israel and Japan follow suit in the rankings of the world’s most powerful air forces. The Indian Naval Aviation is ranked 27th among the most powerful air forces in the world.
According to WDMMA, the IAF has earned a TruVal Rating (TVR) of 69.4, edging past China’s 63.8. The USAF leads with a commanding 242.9, while Russia stands at 114.2. Japan (58.1), Israel (56.3), France (55.3), and the UK (55.3) follow closely behind India. Pakistan, by comparison, holds a TVR of 46.3 (Ranked 18th), significantly lower than India’s score, reaffirming the latter’s qualitative and quantitative edge in regional air superiority.
A Balanced and Modernising Fleet
The WDMMA report highlights that 31.6% of the IAF’s aircraft are fighters, 29% helicopters, and 21.8% trainers, categorizing India’s fleet as a “balanced unit.”
This contrasts China’s structure, where 52.9% are fighters and 28.4% trainers, indicating heavy combat concentration but less operational diversity. The IAF’s balanced mix enhances its multi-domain response capability, including rapid transport, training, and special mission operations.
IAF’s Evolving Combat Power
The IAF currently operates a powerful mix of 4.5-generation platforms such as the Sukhoi Su-30MKI, Dassault Rafale, and Tejas Mk1, alongside upgraded Mirage 2000 and MiG-29 fighters.
Modernization efforts are in full swing with the induction of TEJAS MK-1A, development of TEJAS MK-2, and future integration of MRFA and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). These advancements underscore India’s shift toward greater self-reliance and fifth-generation capabilities.
China’s Fifth-Generation Advantage
On the other hand, the PLAAF fields fifth-generation aircraft such as the J-20 Mighty Dragon and J-35, complemented by 4.5-generation fighters like the J-10C and J-16. However, WDMMA’s rankings suggest that despite China’s advanced aircraft count, India’s better balance between combat, training, and logistical assets enhances its overall operational readiness and efficiency.
Understanding the TruVal Rating (TVR)
The TruVal Rating is WDMMA’s proprietary metric to assess an air force’s total combat effectiveness. It factors in aircraft quantity, technological sophistication, maintenance readiness, logistical depth, and local aerospace production capacity.
Unlike simple aircraft counts, the TVR emphasizes fleet balance, modernization rate, industrial capability, and mission diversity, giving a more realistic assessment of a nation’s true aerial warfighting potential.
India’s rise to the world’s third most powerful air force underlines the success of sustained modernization, indigenous aircraft production, and improved operational efficiency. The ranking not only highlights India’s growing aerospace capability but also strengthens its strategic posture amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, projecting the IAF as a credible force in both offense and deterrence domains.
How India has overtaken China in air force rankings
India has surpassed China to become the third-strongest aerial power in the world, as per rankings published by the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft. While the country may have lesser aircraft than Beijing, its capabilities were amply displayed during Operation Sindoor when the Indian Air Force outperformed Pakistan, which is heavily dependent on Chinese military imports
Countries need a strong and mighty air force. This was amply proven during India’s Operation Sindoor that a more advanced air force could decide the outcome of a war.
And it seems that India has been paying heed to this as a new ranking reveals that the country outranks China when it comes to air superiority. As per the latest World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) rankings, the United States continues to dominate, followed by Russia. The rankings reveal that India is next with China following it.
Defence analysts note that India’s rise signals a dramatic recalibration in Asia’s strategic balance.
The rankings are…
According to the ‘World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft’ (WDMMA), which is an organisation that publishes rankings of global air forces, the United States has the most dominant air force with a TruVal Rating (TVR) of 242.9. The TVR ranking is calculated not just on the number of aircraft in the fleet, but also takes into consideration factors such as attack and defence capabilities, logistical support, modernisation and operational training.
The US is followed by Russia with a TVR of 114.2. India comes in third with a TVR of 69.4 whereas China is fourth with an evaluation of 63.8. The other countries with the most air superiority are Japan (58.1), Israel (56.3), and France (55.3).
India vs China’s air power
As per the WDMMA rankings, India is ahead of China by a slight margin — 69.4 compared to 63.8. According to WDMMA, the Indian Air Force boasts of 1,716 aircraft whereas 3,733 aircraft.
Today, India’s Air Force India operates a fleet of French-made Rafales, Mirage 2000, Russian Su30s, MiG-29, and Tejas, among others. It recently retired the last of its Soviet-era MiG-21 fighter jets, after these planes served for six decades.
In fact, inducted in the 1960s, the needle-nosed MiG-21 formed the backbone of the Indian Air Force and saw action in wars with Pakistan and China as well as in the Balakot air strikes.
India has drawn up an ambitious plan to induct more than 600 jets over the next two decades, a large number of them being Light Combat Aircraft variants. This includes 180 LCA-Mk1A, over 120 LCA-Mk2, 114 MRFA and at least 120 AMCA.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a recent interview said that India is talking to partners for the likely import of a small number of fifth gen fighters as an interim measure while the AMCA development continues. The option is between the Russian SU-57 and American F-35.
On the other hand, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) aka the Chinese air force has a vast fleet of planes such as the fifth-generation J-20 and J-35 stealth fighter jet, and a recently unveiled sixth-gen fighter jet (the world’s first), unofficially dubbed the J-36.
However, as seen during Operation Sindoor, India’s air power outperformed Pakistan’s, which is heavily dependent on Chinese imports. India’s airstrikes, for instance, successfully hit multiple targets within Pakistan, meaning the missiles penetrated Pakistani air defences reliant on Chinese surface-to-air missiles.
Moreover, Pakistan deployed Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets armed with PL-15E air-to-air missiles and HQ-9 long-range surface-to-air missile systems during the four-day fight. But this proved futile. The fighter jets launched multiple missiles at Indian targets, but it didn’t cause any damage.
The Indian Air Force’s superiority was also clearly displayed based on Pakistan’s losses. Indian Army’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO), Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai recently said that Pakistan lost over 100 military personnel, as well as a minimum of 12 aircraft during the four-day conflict.
The reason India edges ahead of China is because while Beijing continues to invest heavily in technology and fleet modernisation, it is factors such as training, close-air support, and specialised bomber units that impact its overall ranking.
Why these rankings matter
Air power remains a decisive factor in global military strategy. Recent military conflicts, be it the Russia-Ukraine war, or the Iran-Israel 12-day battle or even India and Pakistan, have highlighted the need for a country to have aerial superiority.
For instance, Russia has not achieved air superiority over Ukraine in more than three years of fighting. On the other hand, Israel’s Operation Rising Lion in June achieved air superiority over Iran in less than four days, an achievement made more impressive by the fact that Tehran is nearly 1,000 miles from Israel’s nearest airbase.
The rankings, which are different from the Global Firepower ratings, also signals a shift in power dynamics, namely in South Asia. India’s position as a growing air power will likely influence future strategic and defence planning worldwide.
