A series of F-16 Fighting Falcons sit on the tarmac at Joe Foss Field, South Dakota, in July 2025 ahead of an “elephant walk.” The United States is far and away the world’s greatest air power. (US Air National Guard/Master Sgt. Luke Olson)

These Five Air Forces Are by Far the World’s Largest

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All five nations on this list have tremendous airpower relative to the global average—but one is larger than the next four combined.

The global distribution of military air power resembles a cliff rather than a gradual slope. Nearly all nations in the world, from the poorest to the wealthiest, have an air force with a handful of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Conversely, the largest and strongest nations in the world tend to operate airfleets with thousands of cutting-edge planes, both frontline fighter jets and the support aircraft—electonic warfare aircraft, surveillance planes, tankers, and so on—required to give the frontline aircraft an edge in the sky.

The vast majority of air forces exist for humble purposes: sovereignty patrols, interception, disaster relief, transportation, and border security. Many nations can defend their own airspace, but few can deploy far from home and sustain combat operations. The world’s five largest air forces are true outliers, enjoying a staggering gap in quantity and capability relative to the rest of the world. And one nation above all remains an outlier, with numerical superiority and the logistical infrastructure to conduct worldwide operations.

A Caveat: Air Force Size and Airpower Aren’t the Same Thing

Measuring a nation’s airpower is inherently tricky from numbers alone. Nearly all countries have a dedicated air force, but some also have aircraft assigned to other service branches, particularly those with air wings linked to aircraft carriers in their navies. Many have surplus aircraft stockpiled in reserve areas—such as the US Air Force’s “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, and the Russian Aerospace Forces’ similar facility at Lipetsk Air Base in Russia’s western Lipetsk Oblast—which are not in operable condition and hence cannot be included on this list, but could be of use in an emergency.

Lumping all aircraft together, regardless of age or type, can also muddle the picture of a nation’s airpower. Some air forces, notably the Israeli Air Force, have tiny airfleets that can nevertheless punch far above their weight due to advanced aircraft and intensive pilot training. Even so, the total number of planes and personnel in service is a useful indicator of how strong a nation........

© The National Interest