Cross-Check on Combat Aircraft Data

ABSTRACT

This paper presents our findings based on a systematic analysis of eight renowned data sources on combat aircraft data. Focusing on national combat aircraft fleets, we first investigate similarities and differences between the eight data sources. We find dissimilarities both within and between data types (inventory, production, transfer) as well as structural differences in reports and missing data. Second, derived from the data sources and our analysis, we introduce a cross-checked dataset on combat aircraft data. This dataset covers the period 1995–2021 and presents data on all types of market movements (inventory, production, transfers, and abolishment) for 127 families of combat aircraft.

KEYWORDS:

• Combat aircraft
• cross-check
• database
• datasets
• fighters
• fleet numbers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. This concerns the AV-8A/Harrier and AV-8B/Harrier II, F-5A/B Freedom Fighter and the F-5E/F Tiger II, the F-15 Eagle and the F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E Super Hornet and Tu-22 and Tu-22 M. Each is assigned to a separate weapon system family.

2. Data collected for United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty Annual Reports, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Arms Reports and the European Union’s Arms Exports Reports have not been used, due to the assumption of largely doubling reports to UNROCA. Data provided by the Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade’s World Arms Trade Statistics, Simplify Compliance’s Military Periscope Datasets, Global Data’s ADS Solution/Strategic Defense Intelligence Database have been rejected due to financial considerations. Finally, at the time of writing, Frost & Sullivan’s Aerospace and Defense Content iFrost database in the Aerospace and Defense environment was not yet available.

3. We speak of selling and buying for a clear indication of the direction of the transfer, not to imply a financial exchange.