How expensive is it to feed a large air force?

The cost of maintaining combat power for a large number of fighters is something not every country can do.

According to China’s Sina site, owning an air force ready to fight requires the state to pay huge costs, something not every country can do. “Any country that intends to build its own air force must have a solid economic foundation, otherwise they will not be able to maintain a fleet of fighter aircraft,” Sina said. clear. Chinese military experts noted that the Flanker-class fighters were the main foundation of the country’s air force, and they tried to enumerate the factors that influence the cost of the flight. The first indicator to take into account is the fuel consumption, which is influenced by the fuselage weight and the weapon’s weight. Besides, there is also the flight mode (at a lower fuel consumption rate as opposed to tactical maneuvering); engine model (consumption increase is proportional to engine power); pilot skills. The Su-27 Flanker is used as an example. The total weight of fuel carried by the aircraft is 9.7 tons. At the same time an aviation fuel specific gravity of 0.85 will result in a fuel volume of 11,200 liters. “In a normal flight, the Su-27 in cruise mode, excluding maneuvers, fuel consumption per hour is 3,750 liters, its flight time is 3 hours”. If you calculate that with the current jet fuel price of 6,500 yuan per ton ($ 990), the Su-27’s one-hour flight time will cost 63,000 yuan ($ 9,590), “Sina said. just the most economic state “. If we take into account take-off time and the pilot’s tactical actions, fuel consumption increases by at least three times, or about 200,000 yuan per hour ($ 30,400), Sina said. Given this fact, the Chinese newspaper argues that average countries simply cannot have a large-scale Air Force, if one takes into account these factors. In addition to the amount of fuel consumption, the purchase of ready-made fighters abroad requires the payment of tens of millions of dollars per aircraft, possibly hundreds of millions of dollars. After solving the problem of purchasing combat vehicles (including accompanying weapons), it is necessary to continue investing in the maintenance, maintenance, construction of ground infrastructure and pilot training. “The money to maintain a large number of fighters is extremely expensive. But without its own air force, any country in the modern world could be plundered by the opponent”, Sina confirmed. However, the Chinese newspaper also noted that the flight on the Su-27 is not the culmination of costs, as an hour of flight of the F-35 stealth fighter is estimated at $ 36,000, even though it is only a single engine. The aforementioned amount is mainly calculated into the depreciation cost of machinery or the wear and tear of stealth coating, guaranteed weapons, showing that owning the fifth generation fighter is still a dream of many countries.