>>48507702You just opened Pandora's Box my friend.
While I can't say the same for ground and naval combat because there's just so many Pokemon you'd have to account for, I can safely say that air combat wouldn't actually change that much.
For starters, fighter aircraft. Modern fighter jets ( and by modern I mean anything built after the 1980's) can attain speeds of over mach 2, are capable of engaging enemy aircraft from 20+ miles away, and can travel thousands of miles during a single mission when supported by refueling aircraft. Then there's multirole fighters, which can do all of the above AND attack ground targets with precision guided bombs from 20,000+ feet. And don't even get me started on stealth, AWACS, Electronic Warfare, and strategic bomber aircraft, because we'd be here all day.
Point is, I just can't think of that many non-legendary Pokemon that would be an actual threat to a modern air force or even a single (well flown) fighter aircraft. Latios and Latias are notable exceptions, but even then you'd need to give them a suit with missiles strapped to it at the very least, and by that point they'd basically just be fighter jets with strings attached. That being said, I could definitely see them curb-stomping any planes they manage to get into a close-range dogfight, but they'd still be at risk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMSfg26YSQAlright. So Pokemon wouldn't make very good substitutes for fighter aircraft. So what would they good for? This is where it gets interesting. Imagine if you will, a plane full of paratroopers. You need seats for them and their gear, and one plane can only carry so many guys. Ok, now imagine that same plane, but it's filled to the brim with pokeballs, and those pokeballs have little parachutes.
That's only the tip of the iceberg.
cont.
