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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Afghanistan Afghanistan vs Flag of Iran Iran

Iran's air force fields 659 active aircraft — 19:1 Afghanistan's 34.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Afghanistan AfghanistanWorld #111 2.3
AIRS Index / 100

Iran leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Iran IranWorld #28 13.5
  • 0 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 295
  • 23 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 160
  • 9 Transportweight ×10 81
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 12
  • 0 UAVsweight ×10 23
  • 2 Trainersweight ×1 88
Afghanistan Iran Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by generation tier, helicopters by era; the enabler, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Afghanistan Iran Ratio
Official name Afghan Air Force Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Active aircraft 34 659 🇮🇷 19×
Combat aircraft 0 295 🇮🇷
Combat share of fleet 0.0 % 44.8 % 🇮🇷
Aircraft types in service 9 37 🇮🇷 4.1×
Main supplier United States · 53 % United States · 50 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 23 160 🇮🇷 7.0×
Transport aircraft 9 81 🇮🇷 9.0×
Special-mission aircraft 0 12 🇮🇷
Trainers 2 88 🇮🇷 44×
UAVs 0 23 🇮🇷
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇦🇫 AfghanistanMi-8 Hip ×7UH-60 Black Hawk ×7208 Caravan ×6
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63F-5E Tiger II ×44CH-47 Chinook ×35
Fleet evolution · Afghanistan
Fleet evolution · Iran
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Afghanistan or Iran?
Iran has more military aircraft with 659 active aircraft compared to Afghanistan's 34, a difference of 625 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Afghanistan or Iran?
Iran has more combat aircraft with 295 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Afghanistan's 0.
Which country has more military helicopters, Afghanistan or Iran?
Iran operates more military helicopters with 160 compared to Afghanistan's 23.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Afghanistan or Iran?
Iran has more transport aircraft with 81 compared to Afghanistan's 9.
How do the Afghanistan and Iran air forces compare in size?
Iran's air force is 9.0 times larger than Afghanistan's in terms of total active aircraft (81 vs 9).