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

Syria's air force fields 414 active aircraft — 12:1 Afghanistan's 34.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Afghanistan AfghanistanWorld #112 2.3
AIRS Index / 100

Syria leads on 4 of 5 categories

Roundel of Syria SyriaWorld #43 9.3
  • 0 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 225
  • 23 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 153
  • 9 Transportweight ×10 5
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 2
  • 2 Trainersweight ×1 29
Afghanistan Syria 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 Syria Ratio
Official name Afghan Air Force Syrian Arab Air Force
Active aircraft 34 414 🇸🇾 12×
Combat aircraft 0 225 🇸🇾
Combat share of fleet 0.0 % 54.3 % 🇸🇾
Aircraft types in service 9 17 🇸🇾 1.9×
Main supplier United States · 53 % Ex-USSR · 78 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 23 153 🇸🇾 6.7×
Transport aircraft 9 5 🇦🇫 1.8×
Special-mission aircraft 0 2 🇸🇾
Trainers 2 29 🇸🇾 14×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇦🇫 AfghanistanMi-8 Hip ×7UH-60 Black Hawk ×7208 Caravan ×6
🇸🇾 SyriaMiG-23 Flogger ×87SA340 Gazelle ×62MiG-21 Fishbed ×50
Fleet evolution · Afghanistan
Fleet evolution · Syria
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Afghanistan vsPakistanGeorgiaLaosMongoliaKyrgyzstan
Syria vsArmeniaYemenLebanonMongoliaUzbekistan

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria has more military aircraft with 414 active aircraft compared to Afghanistan's 34, a difference of 380 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria has more combat aircraft with 225 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Afghanistan's 0.
Which country has more military helicopters, Afghanistan or Syria?
Syria operates more military helicopters with 153 compared to Afghanistan's 23.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Afghanistan or Syria?
Afghanistan has more transport aircraft with 9 compared to Syria's 5.
How do the Afghanistan and Syria air forces compare in size?
Afghanistan's air force is 1.8 times larger than Syria's in terms of total active aircraft (9 vs 5).