5 US Allies Are Quietly Building Fighter Jet Fleets That Rival American Air Power In 2026

Put simply, there are no allies of the United States building air forces that will rival that of the United States Air Force. The gulf in capability is enormous, and there are none that have the plans or the capacity to come close to matching it. The only country in the world building an air force designed to match the USAF, at least at some time in the future, is the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). However, the PLAAF is not an ally of the United States and so doesn’t feature on this list. India is also excluded as it is a partner of the US, but not an ally.