Every South Korean Military Aircraft in Service (2026)
South Korea operates 1,552 aircraft across 39 distinct types as of 2026 — fighters, bombers, helicopters, transports, trainers and unmanned systems.
Fleet size by branch4 branches
1,552 active airframes across 39 types
Fighters & Combat Aircraft
374 active · 140 on order
F-16 Fighting Falcon
Active167 BranchAir Force Service entry1979
FA-50 Fighting Eagle
Active60 BranchAir Force Service entry2014
F-15E Strike Eagle
Active59 BranchAir Force Service entry1986
F-5E Tiger II
Active48 BranchAir Force Service entry1976
F-35 Lightning II
Active40 BranchAir Force Service entry2013
KF-21 Boramae
Active0 BranchAir Force Service entry2026Military Helicopters
856 active · 246 on order
MD-500
Active251 BranchArmy +1 Service entry1967
KUH-1 Surion
Active240 BranchArmy +1 Service entry2013
UH-60 Black Hawk
Active122 BranchArmy +1 Service entry1979
AH-1 Cobra
Active60 BranchArmy Service entry1967
CH-47 Chinook
Active43 BranchArmy +1 Service entry1962
AH-64 Apache
Active36 BranchArmy Service entry1984
505 Jet Ranger X
Active27 BranchArmy +1 Service entry2017
Westland Lynx
Active24 BranchNavy Service entry1978
HH-60 Pave Hawk
Active17 BranchAir Force Service entry1987
MBB Bo 105
Active12 BranchArmy Service entry1970
AW159
Active8 BranchNavy Service entry2014
Ka-27 Helix
Active7 BranchAir Force Service entry1982
Bell 412
Active3 BranchAir Force Service entry1981
H215M / AS532 Cougar
Active3 BranchAir Force Service entry1978
S-92 Superhawk
Active3 BranchAir Force Service entry2004
H155 / EC155 Dauphin 2
Active0 BranchArmy Service entry1999Transport & Tanker Aircraft
46 active · 7 on order
CN-235
Active18 BranchAir Force Service entry1988
C-130 Hercules
Active16 BranchAir Force Service entry1956
F406 Caravan II
Active5 BranchNavy Service entry1985
Airbus A330 MRTT
Active4 BranchAir Force Service entry2011
Falcon 2000
Active2 BranchAir Force Service entry1995
Commander 500
Active1 BranchAir Force Service entry1952
C-390 Millennium
Active0 BranchAir Force Service entry2019Special Mission Aircraft
34 active
Trainers
233 active · 17 on order
Unmanned Aircraft
9 active
Other National Fleets
National fleets — aircraft in service by country
- 🇺🇸 United States · all-time
- 🇷🇺 Russia · all-time
- 🇨🇳 China · all-time
- 🇮🇳 India · all-time
- 🇰🇷 South Korea · all-time
- 🇯🇵 Japan · all-time
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan · all-time
- 🇰🇵 North Korea · all-time
- 🇪🇬 Egypt · all-time
- 🇹🇷 Turkey · all-time
- 🇫🇷 France · all-time
- 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · all-time
- 🇮🇹 Italy · all-time
- 🇹🇼 Taiwan · all-time
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · all-time
- 🇮🇷 Iran · all-time
- 🇬🇷 Greece · all-time
- 🇩🇿 Algeria · all-time
- 🇩🇪 Germany · all-time
- 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · all-time
- 🇮🇱 Israel · all-time
- 🇧🇷 Brazil · all-time
- 🇪🇸 Spain · all-time
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia · all-time
- 🇵🇱 Poland · all-time
- 🇮🇶 Iraq · all-time
- 🇦🇺 Australia · all-time
- 🇨🇦 Canada · all-time
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine · all-time
- 🇦🇷 Argentina · all-time
Frequently Asked Questions
How many aircraft does the South Korea military operate in 2026?
South Korea operates 1,552 aircraft across 39 distinct types as of 2026, split between 4 service branches.
Which South Korea service branch has the most aircraft?
The Republic of Korea Air Force operates the largest fleet with 731 active airframes across 25 types.
What is the most numerous South Korea military aircraft?
The Hughes MD-500 is the single most numerous airframe in South Korea's inventory, with 251 active units.
Does this page include retired or stored aircraft?
No. Counts reflect airframes on active inventory in the most recent fleet snapshot. Retired, stored and test-only aircraft are excluded.