While quantity has a quality all of its own, has any assessment been done on how many aircraft those squadrons could generate, versus todays levels. Similarly, with the step forward in capability in general in terms of the weaponry, how many sorties would have been required 20 years ago to acheive the same effect that 16 aircraft did in ELLAMY?
While we are right to look at numbers (which in turn related to a large monolithic threat not far from our borders), comparing an airforce built to fight a short war prior to the end of the world as we know it, versus an expeditionary airforce optimised for precision targeting of buildings prior to our being embroiled in a decades long stabilty operation seems a bit pointless!