Pakistan-based social media accounts asserted that, according to the WDMMA Global Air Power Ranking (2026) and the Global Firepower Index, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) ranks second globally with a TVR score of 146.68, while the Indian Air Force (IAF) ranks 20th with a TVR score of 32.4.
An account named Hawk Eye, a Pakistan-based account, shared, “Most Powerful Military Air Forces (2026)
( TVR Scores)
- 1. U.S. Air Force — United States: 242.9 2.
- 2. Pakistan Air Force — Pakistan: 146.68 3.
- 3. U.S. Navy — United States: 142.4 4.
- 4. Russian Air Force — Russia: 114.2 5.
- 5. Chinese Air Force — China: 112.6 6.
- 6. U.S. Army — United States 85.3 7.
- 7. U.S. Marine Corps — United States: 82.3 8.
- 8. Japanese Air Force — Japan: 58.1 9.
- 9. Israeli Air Force — Israel: 56.3 10.
- 10. French Air Force — France: 55.3 11.
- 11. UK Royal Air Force — United Kingdom: 55.3 12.
- 12. S.Korean Air Force — South Korea: 53.4 13.
- 13. Italian Air Force — Italy: 51.9 14.
- 14. Australian Air Force — Australia: 51.7 15.
- 15. Chinese Navy Aviation — China: 49.3 16.
- 16. Brazilian Air Force — Brazil: 48.3 17.
- 17. Saudi Air Force — Saudi Arabia: 46.4 18.
- 18. French Navy Aviation — France: 45.9 19.
- 19. German Air Force — Germany: 46.2 20.
- 20. Indian Air Force — India: 32.4
Note: This data is synthesized from the WDMMA Global Air Power Ranking (2026) and the Global Firepower Index.
Fact Check
Upon investigation, we found the claim to be misleading.
WDMMA Global Air Power Ranking (2026): An examination of the official WDMMA rankings shows that the Indian Air Force holds a TVR score of 69.4, placing it 6th globally among individual air services. In contrast, the Pakistan Air Force is ranked 18th, with a TVR score of 46.3.
Global Firepower Index: The most recent Global Firepower Index (2025) places India at 4th position globally and 3rd within Asia. Pakistan is ranked 12th globally and 7th in Asia. These rankings further confirm that the viral claims do not align with established defense assessments.
What are these rankings?
The World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) ranks individual air services using a proprietary metric known as the TruVal Rating (TVR). At the same time, the Global Firepower Index (GFP) measures overall national military power, not air forces alone.
Because WDMMA ranks air services individually and GFP ranks entire national militaries, mixing or combining the two without explanation leads to incorrect conclusions.
Conclusion
Thus, the rankings of the Indian and Pakistani air forces in the global powers list have been misrepresented by Pakistan-based accounts. According to WDMMA, the Indian Air Force ranks 6th globally, not 20th, while the Pakistan Air Force ranks 18th, not 2nd.
Thus, the viral claim is false.
