The 10 worst Air Forces in the world

1. Syria - Its a really good thing the Syrians are being backed up in the air by Russians because, if they didnt, the Syrian Civil War would last a lot longer than it already has. Almost every other power present in the region violates Syrian sovereignty on a near-daily basis. Israel, Turkey, and even Denmark have entered Syrian airspace, with Israel and Turkey both scoring air-to-air kills against Syrian Sukhoi fighters old enough to have fought against the U.S. in Vietnam.

2. North Korea - Of course North Korea is going to be near the top of the list. The only reason the DPRK is not at the very top is because its not actively trying to fight a war right now. Usually Kim Jong-Un is talking some kind of smack about invading the South or nuking America, but, in 2018, he mostly just got praise for not doing all that stuff.

3. Saudi Arabia - Despite being at war in Afghanistan for over 17 years, the one thing the United States can be sure of is the superiority of its Air Force. In a prolonged conflict, a good Air Force positions its resources so that it has positive control over that battlespace. When Saudi Arabia fights a prolonged war, not so much. Welcome to 2019, where the Saudi-lead coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen is about ready to begin another year of abject failure.

4. Mexico - Mexico has been fighting a war against the cartels for over a decade now, and all it got them was an increase in violence that made them the Syria of North America. In all that time, not only did the Mexican government decide not to invest in its air forces, it actively allowed all of its fighter aircraft to retire. Mexico has zero fighters.

5. Pakistan - On any global list of sht-talkers, Pakistan has historically rated very high, especially toward its longtime arch-nemesis, India although new Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan seems more conciliatory. The Pakistanis see India as an existential threat, and are not likely to stop anytime soon.

6. Ukraine - Ukraine has a definite Russia problem. Not content to simply let his divorce with Ukraine happen, Russias Vladimir Putin is out to give Ukraine headaches wherever possible and Ukraine can do little about it. Russia-backed separatists operate with near-impunity in Ukraines eastern Donbass region and, when the Ukrainian Air Force is able to act, they often either kill civilians or get shot down on the way.

7. Iran - The F-14s flown by Iran these days were first introduced under President Richard Nixon. Dont get me wrong, Irans air force should be given props see what I did there for keeping the aging fleet airborne. Irans F-14s were purchased by the Shah or Iran and, when he was overthrown, the U.S. wasnt exactly keen on providing spare parts to the Islamic Republic. They were able to kick ass against Saddam Husseins Iraqi air force in the Iran-Iraq War, but that was then and this is now.

8. Greece - There are a lot of training accidents in the Hellenic Air Force. After a Greek Mirage 2000 crashed into the Aegean Sea April 2018, a look back at the incidents reported to Greek officials found 125 people died in 81 crashes between 1990 and 2018. Two of those were Greek fighter pilots trying to intercept Turkish jets.

9. China - Yeah, I know most of you are calling bullsht immediately, but hear me out. For all its talk, China isnt currently capable of global reach, and isnt expected to be until 2030. It has a relatively small number of early-warning aircraft and aerial tankers. Most of its aerial fleet are licenses or rip-offs of other, better fighting systems

10. Canada - Its still hard to see such a stalwart U.S. ally make the list, but here we are. In our last rundown of the worlds airborne worst, Canada was the least worst of those listed. Last time, we specifically mentioned how terrible the state of Canadas Ch-124 Sea King fleet was. Just to get them airborne required something like 100 hours apiece.

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