Constructing a combat aircraft airpower score: incorporating temporal dynamics

This article proposes a widely applicable measuring instrument for quantifying airpower of combat aircraft, based on publicly available data. The method has been developed for application to attack aircraft, bombers, (multi-role) fighters, and light combat aircraft. The measurement encompasses the (potential) technological performance of an aircraft, the degree of market acceptance, and an assessment of the applied technology. The unique characteristic of this methodology is its consideration of the time-bound measure of airpower, acknowledging that both the continuous evolution and the inevitable technological obsolescence of combat aircraft are of influence on the airpower an aircraft can produce.