The number of military aircraft in the air forces around the world is always changing. Some nations have been growing in recent years, such as the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) of China (PRC: People’s Republic of China). Others are shrinking, like the United States and Russia. The one constant, at least since the fall of the Soviet Union, is that the USA is the undisputed world champion of air power, as data recently released by World Population Review confirms.

The good old stars and stripes, America, has more military aircraft between the US Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Army than the next nine members of the top ten combined. The closest near-peer adversary to the US Armed Forces would be Russia, but the qualitative and quantitative advantage is overwhelming. The USAF has a particularly large airlift and tanker fleet, but its number of tactical aircraft is also far greater than that of any rival.

The Leaderboard: USA Out Front

If you’re familiar with military aviation, the news that the US is still on top by quite a wide margin will not come as a surprise. The four major air corps of the Department of Defense (DOD) all rank in the top seven by fleet count if evaluated independently. The United States Air Force has 5,004 military aircraft of all types. The US Army Aviation specializes in rotary-wing operations, aka helicopters, and boasts 4,333 aircraft, making it the second-largest air force in the world.

The US Navy has a mix of different types, and while its airlift capacity is tiny by comparison, its combat aircraft count is similar to the Air Force, ranking fourth with a total of 2,504. The US Marines proudly fall into seventh in the international ranking with 1,211 tactical helicopters, jets, and transports. Below is the list of the top five air force rankings by nation:

Now, the terminology and criteria by which an air force is evaluated depend on the goal of the assessment. This analysis will break down the overall military capacity of the air forces to perform the complete strategic role of an aviation branch, which factors in airlift, medevac, tankers, and other unarmed by extremely important platforms. This analysis will also not factor in the qualitative context, as other sources like the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) attempt to do with rating systems.

Ranking By Fighter Aircraft Fleet Size

The subject of fighter jets is a contentious and controversial area, as proponents of Russian or Chinese-made aircraft may argue that the individual jets are as good or better than their American counterparts. One point is beyond any question or doubt: the United States has far more airworthy fighters than any other force on the planet. Not only is the fleet size difference not even close, but the US has far more fifth-generation aircraft than any other military.

The PLAAF likely has more stealth planes than Russia and has recently shown more prototypes through social media leaks. The Chinese J-20 has been in production long enough to amass at least one full-strength squadron, while the J-35 is potentially entering mass production any day now. The “Big Foot” style grainy photos of what are hyped up to be sixth-generation fighters on Chinese social media don’t contribute to the overall strength but do boost the PLAAF’s perception.

Russia can boast a small number of Sukhoi Su-57 Felon stealth fighters that reportedly meet the standard of fifth-generation. India has been steadily expanding and modernizing with new fighters like the French Rafale and is in talks with Lockheed Martin to potentially build F-16V jets under license, dubbed the F-21. Japan started taking deliveries of F-35 stealth fighters just this year, with plans to acquire 127 of both the land-based F-35A and F-35B naval models.

An interesting side note to this evaluation is that Russia is the only entry without a capable blue-water naval aviation force. The US Navy has a fleet of supercarriers that is far larger than any other, but China and India both have multiple big-deck carriers, and even Japan has assault carriers capable of deploying the VSTOL F-35B variant. The US Navy makes up 451 of the American count, while the US Marines own 297 of the US fighter fleet total.

Ranking By Strategic Strike Fleet Size

The arena of strategic strike is one where only three powers are currently in play. China, the US, and Russia are the only nations in the world with active bomber fleets today. Of those three, only the US has any fifth-generation platforms. The tiny fleet of 19 Northrop GrummanB-2 Spirit is one of the most precious and important strategic assets in the entire US military. Recent social media leaks have revealed pixelated images of what may be a PLAAF flying wing stealth bomber akin to the B-2 in flight, but as of yet, none are known to exist.

This comparison is one where the US is not first in total, but by type, the American inventory stands alone in possession of the B-52 as well. Even when the Soviet Union was at its peak, the air force never developed a jet-powered platform comparable to the mighty Boeing Stratofortress. The “BUFF” is nearing a century of service now and remains unchallenged.

The primary platforms of the Russian and Chinese bomber fleets are, respectively, the turboprop Tupolev Tu-95 Bear and jet-engine X’ian H-6. The Russian strategic air forces can also boast the Tu-22M Backfire and Tu-160 Blackjack, which are similar to the Boeing (formerly Rockwell) B-1B Lancer. Those supersonic bombers are in ever-decreasing numbers as they are destroyed in the invasion of Ukraine, and Tupolev struggles to make more or maintain the existing ones.

Ranking By Helicopter Fleet Size

When it comes to helo-power, don’t mess with the US Army. Not only does the US have a truly insurmountable and overwhelmingly larger rotary-wing fleet than every other military in the world, but over 4,000 of those helicopters are owned by the Army alone. The Boeing AH-64 Apache is the gunship that makes up the tip of the spear for the Army’s flying corps.

The Apache has been considered the best attack helicopter in the world since its debut in 1986. According to Boeing, the growing number of international operators has reached 22 countries as the global fleet of AH-64s has reached 1,280. The AH-64E is the latest and greatest model, representing decades of refinement and technological upgrades that its counterparts can’t compete with.

Japan and India both have the Apache as their preferred attack helo. Russia’s Mil Mi-24 Hind, Mi-28 Havoc, and Kamov Ka-52 Hokum are the closest comparative models but haven’t received significant updates in decades, like the Apache. China’s domestic aerospace industry is still in its infancy on the helicopter side, with a diminutive fleet.

When it comes to transport helicopters, Boeing takes the spotlight as the US has thousands of heavy-duty, high-speed, tandem-rotor CH-47 Chinooks. Once again, Japan and India both have these big helos in their fleets as well. However, the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk makes up the bulk of the Army’s fleet. The Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey is still the only tiltrotor aircraft in the world as well, with only one operator outside the US: Japan.

Ranking By Cargo Plane Fleet Size

This is another area where the USAF is a juggernaut in terms of sheer numbers of airframes. Out of all the fixed-wing cargo planes in the US military, the Air Force owns almost 700. That number includes the gigantic Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, which is one of the biggest planes ever built, and there are over 50 of them. The C-5 is so large and powerful that it can deliver two 75-ton M1 Abrams main battle tanks for the US Army to anywhere on the planet.

The Russian Air Force still maintains a large airlift capability owing to the vastness of Russia’s territory. Moving personnel and material across the country is best done by air for the Russian military, especially with the vast wilderness of Siberia occupying most of the land. China has been building up this area of its air force with the recently debuted X’ian Y-20 being a major step-up.

The Y-20 is similar to Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III, which both the US and India operate. Japan, meanwhile, flies many Lockheed C-130 Hercules alongside the Kawasaki C-2, a twin-engine jet transport similar to the C-17 but smaller. The Indian Air Force is unique for its combination of Western and Eastern platforms, and the transport side of the house shows that with Ilyushin Il-76s, Lockheed C-130s, and Boeing C-17s all sharing the flightline.