GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Roundel of Sri Lanka air force
Air Forceยท ๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Air Force

The Sri Lanka Air Force operates 87 military aircraft in 2026 โ€” 16 combat aircraft (fighter and attack jets), 49 helicopters, 18 transport aircraft. It ranks #81 of 160 air forces worldwide.

Active aircraft
872026
Combat
16
Helicopters
49
AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength)
4.0/ 100
Global rank: #81 / 160
The score reflects a fleet of 16 combat aircraft, 49 helicopters and 18 transports out of 87 active airframes, weighted by combat effectiveness.
Combat quality 0.11 ยท enablers ร—1.00 ยท armament ร—1.00 ยท availability ร—0.99
How this score is calculated
Fleet Composition โ€” 2026
  • Helicopter 49
  • Transport 18
  • Combat 16
  • Other 4
Fleet Evolution
2020 โ€” 77 77 2020 2021 โ€” 77 77 2021 2022 โ€” 85 85 2022 2023 โ€” 91 91 2023 2024 โ€” 85 85 2024 2025 โ€” 83 83 2025 2026 โ€” 87 87 2026
Origin of Aircraft
Most Used Aircraft
Mi-17 Hip-H profile drawing Mi-17 Hip-H Helicopter ยท 20 active 206 JetRanger profile drawing 206 JetRanger Helicopter ยท 12 active UH-1N Twin Huey profile drawing UH-1N Twin Huey Helicopter ยท 12 active Y-12 profile drawing Y-12 Transport ยท 10 active JL-8 profile drawing JL-8 Combat ยท 6 active J-7 Fishcan profile drawing J-7 Fishcan Combat ยท 5 active

Full inventory in 2026

14 aircraft types

Sri Lankan Air Force

Aircraft Origin Model year Active ฮ” YoY Ordered
Combat
JL-8 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan 		1994 6 -1 โ€”
J-7 Fishcan ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China 1966 5 -1 โ€”
Kfir ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฑ Israel 1974 5 +5 โ€”
Helicopter
Mi-17 Hip-H ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ex-USSR 1977 20 +20 โ€”
206 JetRanger ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1967 12 +7 โ€”
UH-1N Twin Huey ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1970 12 -2 โ€”
Mi-24 Hind ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡บ Ex-USSR 1972 5 -4 โ€”
Transport
Y-12 ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China 1985 10 +1 โ€”
An-32 Cline ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Ukraine 1982 4 +1 โ€”
C-130 Hercules ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1956 2 +2 โ€”
421 Golden Eagle ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1968 1 โ€” โ€”
Do 228 ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ช Germany 1982 1 +1 โ€”
Other
King Air 90 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1964 2 +1 โ€”
King Air 350 ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ United States 1990 2 +1 โ€”
ActiveOn order

Overview

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) is structured as a professional military force consisting of a Regular Air Force, a Regular Air Force Reserve, and volunteer reserve components. Its command is centralized under the Commander of the Air Force, who oversees directorates for air operations, technical services, administration, and equipment. A specialized ground combat branch, the SLAF Regiment, is responsible for force protection, ground-based air defense, and airfield security.

The SLAFโ€™s strategic doctrine is fundamentally shaped by its experience during the Sri Lankan Civil War, prioritizing the support of army and navy operations. This doctrine emphasizes the forward deployment of air assets to provide rapid and decisive response. A key contemporary mission is the aerospace surveillance and reconnaissance of Sri Lanka's extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Flight Information Region. In 2022, the SLAF officially launched its "Air Power Doctrine," which codifies the operational lessons from its long internal conflict. A joint air-naval doctrine with the Sri Lanka Navy is also being developed to improve coordination in maritime security. The SLAF is also responsible for national cyber security, managing the security of key state digital infrastructure.

A primary effort was the upgrade of five IAI Kfir fighter aircraft to a 4.5-generation standard in a $50 million program with Israel Aerospace Industries, completed in June 2026. This modernization includes new radar, avionics, and communication systems, and extends the jets' service life by 15 years. The SLAF is also overhauling its two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft to revive its heavy airlift capability. To enhance maritime surveillance, the force inducted a Beechcraft King Air 360ER in October 2024 through a U.S. Department of Defense program and has received Dornier 228 aircraft from India. Other initiatives include procuring Harbin Y-12 light transport aircraft, overhauling Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, and seeking to improve its aging air defense network.

Compiled from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), official air force and government publications and dated press reports; the update journal below lists the sources of each pass. Last updated on 6 October 2026. Suggest a change

Frequently Asked Questions

How many aircraft does Sri Lanka have?
Sri Lanka Air Force operates 87 active military aircraft as of the current year. Additionally, 0 aircraft are currently on order.
How does Sri Lanka's air force rank globally?
Sri Lanka Air Force ranks #81 out of 160 air forces worldwide based on the AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength), which measures overall air power capability considering fleet size and combat effectiveness.
How many combat aircraft does Sri Lanka operate?
Sri Lanka operates 16 combat aircraft, including fighters, multirole jets, and attack aircraft. These form the core of its offensive and defensive air capabilities.
How many military helicopters does Sri Lanka have?
Sri Lanka Air Force operates 49 military helicopters, including attack, transport, and utility rotorcraft used for various combat and support missions.
What is the AIRS Index score of Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka has an AIRS Index (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) score of 4.0 out of 100. This composite score weights every active airframe by category and by generation tier (strategic bombers highest, then combat aircraft, helicopters and transports), scales the combat fleet by its enablers โ€” tankers and airborne early warning โ€” and its stand-off armament, and applies a budget-based availability proxy to the whole force.
Where does Sri Lanka get its military aircraft from?
Sri Lanka sources its military aircraft primarily from United States, Ex-USSR, and China. The fleet composition reflects both domestic production capabilities and international defense partnerships.
Compare this Air Force
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Sri Lanka vs
๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bangladesh ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ China ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ณ India ๐Ÿ‡ฒ๐Ÿ‡ป Maldives ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฐ Pakistan
Related Pages
Sri Lankan Military Ranks Chinese Aircraft Designations Chinese Fighter Aircraft Soviet and Russian Aircraft Designations C-130 Hercules Variants
Latest Data Updates
  1. OCT 62026 Updated Fleet counts revised (J-7 Fishcan)
  2. OCT 62026 Updated Fleet counts revised (An-32 Cline, Y-12); removed: Y-8
  3. SEP 232026 Updated Bell 212/412 and Mi-24/35 fleets revised down for past losses and storage; Mi-8/17/171 linked to the Mi-17 page.
  4. SEP 232026 Updated Mi-17 family fleet figure corrected; a King Air 350 maritime patrol aircraft added, handed over in 2024.
  5. SEP 232026 Updated FT-7 fleet linked to its aircraft page
  6. SEP 52026 Updated Kfir modernisation recorded as completed
  7. SEP 32026 Updated Bell 212/412 fleet reassigned to the UH-1N Twin Huey family