ABSTRACT
The majority of NATO member states operate small air forces, with limited fleets of older third- or fourth-generation fast jets, alongside rotary-winged assets for search and rescue as well as army-cooperation duties. During the early Cold War, most smaller countries in Europe still fielded combat aircraft, often as part of the Warsaw Pact or NATO depending on which side of the Iron Curtain they were on. NATO’s smaller air forces today tend to field lightweight multirole fighters which offer the most flexible and affordable type of fast jet but have traditionally been outclassed in high-intensity warfighting by twin-engine air superiority types. The only other European aircraft type of note for small air forces is the Swedish Gripen, which is operated not only by Sweden as an officially non-aligned NATO partner state, but also by Hungary and the Czech Republic.
