hello again. It doesn't seem like criminal damage at all, but if your neighbour argues his version of events etc, that your husband deliberately knocked his car or whatever, then I would imagine it would be become a different issue. It depends how he argues his case that it was your husband's fault for the damage.
The fact that the man is in the RAF surely would not make a difference to how things turned out, he would be treated as any other person would, but the implications of any ruling for his future may be more serious, as he is in the RAF and he has attacked a member of the public. If found guilty I would imagine he would be instantly expelled.
I can also see this going to the court, but if the ambulance and police attended then there should be records and descriptions of the event, photos of the effects on the punches on your husband maybe? All comes down to evidence really and it may so happen that there is not enough of it and the case is dropped due to lack of evidence or something?