Russian Air Force vs. U.S. Air Force: A Summary of Strengths For Global War

A summary comparison of some of the main differences in the capabilities of the United States Air Force and Russian Air Force, including the statuses of their top fighter programs, the number of fourth and fifth generation fighters each fields, and how their investment strategies and the kind of capabilities they have prized have diverged drastically. What are the advantages of Russia’s strategy of investing in smaller numbers of much larger longer ranged fighters, and why has this allowed the U.S. to gain a huge numerical advantage? Why are America’s ground based anti aircraft capabilities limited, and how will its new AIM-260 air to air missile help enhance its fighter units? Are today’s fifth generation fighters actually useful - and how far behind is Russia in fielding them? What proportion of each fleet is new, and what portion was built before 2010?