The economic imperative

Advanced air power does not come cheaply

In the one hundred years since air power was first applied systematically, only a small number of countries have been able to construct balanced, high-quality air forces. Not the least of the reasons is that it is a very expensive business. It is no coincidence that advanced air power has been the province of first world nations such as the US, the UK, Germany, France, Australia, Japan, and so on, or of large command economies such as the USSR and China.

Nor is it a coincidence that when third world nations or entities have managed to apply air power successfully their chosen models have been cheap, asymmetric, and specific (as opposed to balanced). During the French and American wars in Vietnam, for example, Viet Minh and Viet Cong forces regularly gained localised control of the air through the astute use of heavy machine guns and AAA, or by ambushing landing strips and helipads, or by attacking air bases. And on September 11 2001, a handful of al-Qaeda operatives were able to assert control of the air overhead continental US through subterfuge and make one of the most stunning air strikes in history, having been trained to fly airliners to minimal standards and at minimal cost in simulators.

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