I would go with UK because most of russian navy is so badly maintained it isnt functional at present.

French Navy!

lol one aircraft carrier, and that one with a lot of problems on the reactors, 6 nuke attack submarines and the La Fayette frigates with no sonar...or maybe ur talking about fishing boats..

Agreed. The French have/will have a better air arm(i'm sorry, but I've heard the French naval air pilots are pretty S-H) than the UK. Training wise, I have heard the French navy air is small and elite, and they pack Rafales which obviously give more capability than the Harriers. However, the UK subs are awesome, while not as numerous as US subs, they're roughly similar in capability-better/worse in certain aspects-but roughly equivalent. Their SSNs are certainly better than the French. So I'd say UK.

Across the boards we've had many debates over which is the better over all military, UK or French, and even the pro-French,(largely French) have conceded that the one area that the UK is significantly superior to France is in the Navy. Though France does have a better air force for now than the UK, until the Eurofigther appears in greater numbers and the harriers are replaced by the F-35, but the UK pilots have more combat experience and the Tornado and Harrier are not to be underestimated

-Would you call these following reports by the BBC the makings of a capable SSN fleet that would merit 2nd place above the United Kingdom? ?Russia's nuclear-armed Northern Fleet is falling to pieces - quite literally - as scavengers plunder its ships of precious metal components. Hundreds of naval officers and civilian contractors have joined with criminal gangs in the illegal trade targeting anything containing a few dollars' worth of gold, silver or palladium. Millions of dollars are being made on smuggling the loot abroad, and naval equipment worth perhaps hundreds of millions is being ruined in the process, Russian TV reports. Such thefts cause enormous damage to the ships' military capability Vladimir Mulov, military prosecutor Warships and submarines, both decommissioned and in active service, often find themselves missing vital components, including telecommunication circuit boards, air regeneration filters and even torpedoes. "Expensive equipment is rendered inoperative as a result of these thefts," says Vladimir Mulov, the Northern Fleet's military prosecutor. "Parts, for example, are stolen from anti-aircraft systems. Such thefts cause enormous damage to the ships' military capability." Much of the trade takes place around the northern city of Murmansk, the homeport of the ill-fated submarine Kursk, which sank with the loss of all hands following an explosion during a naval exercise. The port has become the scene of fierce turf wars between rival gangs which has claimed more than 10 lives this year alone, says its police chief Viktor Pesterev. Face value One Russian Granit-class nuclear-powered submarine contains roughly a tonne of silver, more than 30 kg of pure gold and 20 kg of the precious metal palladium, experts say. Some of this potential treasure is dispersed in thousands of tiny circuit-board components throughout the ship. An air regeneration cartridge can be sold for 2,000 dollars A detailed diagram showing where such components can be found on a submarine, along with instructions on how best to dismantle them, was recently found during a police raid. But just one shoebox-sized air regeneration cartridge, for example, can yield 139 grams of palladium, worth over 2,000 dollars on the black market, the TV says. No wonder places like Murmansk are littered with booths of scrap metal dealers, and local papers are filled with advertisements offering a good price for precious metal - no questions asked. Officers and thieves Shipyards and naval bases have employed guards with metal detectors in an effort to keep the ships' components where they belong. The Northern Fleet is Russia's biggest but that does not always help. One recent victim is the nuclear submarine Kazan, which lost her air regeneration filters. Two officers who were supposed to guard them stole them. Still on trial for a similar offence is the chief of a naval garrison and a naval captain. Of the 147 people investigated for the theft of precious metals from the military last year, more than half were officers. A Russian navy captain has launched an outspoken attack on the equipment used to tow a nuclear submarine which sank in the Barents Sea in August, killing nine people. Captain Sergei Zhemchuzhnov, who was in charge of the operation, has been charged over the failed mission, but he told a Russian newspaper the operation was blighted by ancient equipment. Pontoons used to keep the mothballed K-159submarine afloat were made in the 1940s, were not airtight, and were not designed for towing, he told Kommersant newspaper. As an officer, I didn't have an opportunity to express my personal opinion and had to fulfil the order Captain Sergei Zhemchuzhnov "The devices attaching the pontoons to the sub were welded to the rust-eaten hull which in some places was as strong as foil," he said. The four pontoons themselves were being repeatedly topped up with air, he claimed, and one of the four was "absolutely wrecked" and needed constant reinflating. "They consistently bled down air pressure, and the K-159 crew was assigned to pressurize them every five hours to keep the sub afloat," the captain said. "A structure built of such components can hardly be called reliable," he said. The tragedy happened as the submarine was being towed across the Barents Sea to a scrap yard. The submarine was ripped away from some of the pontoons in rough weather. It tilted on its stern before sinking to the seabed. Click here to find out more about sunken nuclear submarines and reactors in the region Captain Zhemchuzhnov said he was aware of the dangers but was forced to follow orders from his superiors. "As an officer, I didn't have an opportunity to express my personal opinion and had to fulfil the order," he said. Even as the operation began to struggle, Captain Zhemchuzhnov claimed his commanders were slow to react. "

Tornados don't count in naval engagements. It's RN Harriers vs. Rafales with E-2 AWACS, and that's not exactly a fair fight at all. Until you bring subs in. Then the UK clearly dominates.

British navy, for overall quality and professionalism. Still, it's difficult to completely discount the sheer size of the Russian navy, and, especially, their remaining nuclear submarine force.

The second largest navy in the world is the U.S. reserve fleet. In fact, there would be enough left over to make the third largest as well. After that its the U.K. without a doubt. Its not just the equipment numbers but doctrine as well. Joint operations, damage control, logistics..all the things that really count in combat. As for the Russians.. well, how many British (or French for that matter) sailors are worried about their ships sinking or blowing up _before_ they go into battle? Northernguy

the Royal Navy for sure. way above the french in all areas except air, but with only one carrier and not much protecting it from a professional sub force i think the RN wins hands down. also more experience in all areas than the french.