20 Strongest Air Forces in the World: 2017 Rankings

Fighting and surveillance by air are needed now, more than ever, so we came up with a list of the strongest air forces in the world: 2017 rankings.

With the current state of affairs in the United States and around the world, having a strong military seems necessary, in order to protect the rest of us. Hopefully, no war will break out in the near future where we would have to put these military forces to the test. I (and I’m sure many others) are perfectly fine with the latter. These days, it seems like every country wants to hold the title of the most powerful military. However, when it came to the most powerful military in the world in 2016, the U.S. took the crown, which is really no surprise as they also ranked number one for the strongest army in the world 2016. The United States has also been in the lead for years when it comes to the most powerful navy in the world. The U.S.’s rankings in these categories are not shocking since hundreds of billions of dollars are put into the budget. We can’t hold a candle to the top contenders for education around the world, but we have a big, strong military. For more on navies head on to our article about strongest navies in the world: 2017 rankings.

The introduction of aircraft forever changed the way we fight wars both defensively and offensively. Today, air power is one of the most dominant factors in a modern battlefield. Though the U.S. Air Force has been around for about a century, it became its own branch of the military in 1947. No wonder we already dealt with this topic in our article about largest air forces in the world. Moreover, we were writing about fastest US air force fighter planes and biggest air force bases in the world as well.

For determining the strength of a country’s air power to come up with our list of world Air Force ranking, we took into account the total aircraft strength of a country, including fixed wing and rotary-wing (helicopters) aircraft in service across all branches of the military for 2017. We took help from several online sources for this purpose, including Global Firepower, IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies) and the U.S. Department of Defense.

When it came down to ranking the strongest air forces in the world we went with the total aircraft strength of a country. This includes every aircraft a country has in active service with branches of its military, so we ranked the strongest air force in terms of total aircraft strength; the higher the number of aircraft a country boasts the higher it has been ranked in our list. Thankfully, we had workable data for the year 2017, thus making our list the most up to date.

Now that everything is said and done, there is no point in stalling, let’s get our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings started.

20. Thailand

Total aircraft strength: 555

We are starting off our list with Thailand, a southeast Asian country with considerable aircraft strength. Of the 555 aircraft in service, 76 are fighters, 95 are attack aircraft, and 7 are attack helicopters. The rest are transports, trainers, and general purpose helicopters.

19. Greece

Total aircraft strength: 600

The first European power to be featured in our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings is Greece, but you can rest assured that there are going to be quite a few European countries in the list as we continue. With a total military aircraft strength of 600, Greece takes the 19th spot on our list.

18. Israel

Total aircraft strength: 652

Comparing to the other countries that made it into our list, Israel is a relatively young country. Israel was formed on May 14, 1948 (shortly after the U.S. Air Force became a separate branch), however, Israel has already fought several wars and achieved victory against incredible odds — all thanks to Israel’s highly capable military.

17. Brazil

Total aircraft strength: 697

The only South American country to be featured on this list is Brazil. Brazil has 697 military aircraft at its disposal, which is quite a lot compared to other countries in the region. Brazil has taken part in several conflicts, including the second world war and its armed forces have a pretty decent track record.

16. Germany

Total aircraft strength: 698

Once Germany was the most powerful country in Europe, but we all know how that ended. However, things have changed in Germany for the better, and the German air force now represents freedom and democracy.

15. Saudi Arabia

Total aircraft strength: 790

Saudi Arabia has a pretty significant air force consisting of 790 military aircraft. With 177 fighters, 245 attack aircraft, and 21 attack helicopters Saudi Arabia’s offensive capabilities are remarkable. Although a peaceful nation, given the regions turbulent condition, if necessary Saudi Arabia is certainly capable of holding its own against the enemy.

14. Italy

Total aircraft strength: 822

With 822 military aircraft at its disposal, Italy takes the 14th spot on our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings. Like Germany, Italy has a dark past, but the country has emerged from that and now represents the forces of freedom for the better, having one of the strongest air forces in the world.

12. Taiwan

Total aircraft strength: 850

For its size, and total population Taiwan has pretty big air force, consisting of 850 military aircraft. Of these 850 military aircraft, over 600 are offensive aircraft including fighters, ground attack planes, and attack helicopters.

12. United Kingdom

Total aircraft strength: 850

The heroism of the RAF once save the United Kingdom from the Nazi War machine, and their legacy continues to this day. Although we ranked the UK at the twelfth position due to a relatively small number of military aircraft, most of its air force is high tech and consists of very advanced aircraft.

11. North Korea

Total aircraft strength: 944

One of the most controversial countries to make a list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings is North Korea. The North Korean air force may boast a large number of aircraft, but it is definitely lagging behind in technology. The most advanced aircraft at its disposal is the Soviet era Mig 29.

10. Pakistan

Total aircraft strength: 951

Pakistan’s military is considered to be highly efficient and well trained and so is its air force. We are halfway through our list of 20 strongest air forces in the world: 2017 rankings and Pakistan deserves a spot on this list. The Pakistani air force has a wide range of aircraft at its disposal from various countries including the United States.

9. Turkey

 Total aircraft strength: 1,018

Turkey is the first country featured on our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings with a total aircraft strength of over a thousand. The Turkish air force is pretty advanced as well. Along with battle proven designs, the Turkish Airforce also relies on new and innovative aircraft from friendly countries.

8. Egypt

Total aircraft strength: 1,132

The first country on the continent of Africa to be featured on the list is Egypt. Egypt has a lot of military aircraft at its disposal, and like the Turkish Air Force, the Egyptian air force also has quite a few modern aircraft like the MiG 35 and French-made Dassault Rafale.

7. France

Total aircraft strength: 1,305

At number 7 on our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings we have one of the world’s superpowers, France. France has over 1,300 military aircraft at its disposal, and most of those aircraft are very modern and high tech. French made aircraft is not only used by the France, but they export to friendly foreign countries as well. France is prepared to take on any foe in a modern war.

6. South Korea

Total aircraft strength: 1,477

The conflict between South and North Korea did not formally end, and South Korea is under constant threat from the North. As North Korea maintains a really large and capable military force, so does South Korea. South Korea has one of the largest air forces in all of Asia.

5. Japan

Total aircraft strength: 1,594

Up next on the list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings is Japan that operates a massive air force, well, it’s actually termed as a self-defense force, but it is definitely quite capable. As one of United States closest allies in the region, Japan is in a pretty favorable position. Japan mostly operates the US made aircraft and those are quite advanced.

4. India

Total aircraft strength: 2,102

Over 1.324 billion people call India home, and you can imagine a large air force is necessary to protect such a huge country. India is also an emerging power in the region both militarily and economically.

3. China

Total aircraft strength: 2,955

The third place on our list of strongest Air Forces in the world: 2017 rankings goes to China that has come a very long way regarding the economy and also military power. China is considered to be the newest superpower of the world. The country also has incredible production capabilities, and it even produces military hardware like fighter jets.

2. Russia

Total aircraft strength: 3,794

Thankfully the cold war never turned hot. Who knows what would have happened if it did. The Soviet Era is long gone, but Russia still operates the second largest air force in the world. Historically, Russian aircraft were behind in technology, but things have changed and Russia not only operates a large air force, but its inventory of aircraft is also quite advanced.

1. United States

Total aircraft strength: 13,762

We did not make a typo, and you are not seeing things. The United States has about 10,000 more aircraft than its closest competitor. There is no doubt that the United States is the most powerful country in the world when it comes to the military. The U.S. air force is superior in terms of technology as well, and not just in numbers.

This wraps it up for our list of 20 strongest air forces in the world: 2017 rankings.