Aerospace

USAFE commander: Russia catching up with Air Force

The Russian air force has come much closer to being on par with the U.S. Air Force in recent years, said Gen. Frank Gorenc, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

“The advantage that we had from the air, I can honestly say, is shrinking, not only with respect to the aircraft that they’re producing, but the more alarming thing is their ability to create anti-access area denied areas is a challenge that we’re all going to face up to and that we’re all going to have to train to,” Gorenc said Monday.

After the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, the Russians invested heavily in modernizing its air force, Gorenc said at the Air Force Association’s 2015 national convention.