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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Australia Australia vs Flag of Japan Japan

Japan's air force fields 1,299 active aircraft — 3.5:1 Australia's 374.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Australia AustraliaWorld #19 18.5
AIRS Index / 100

Japan leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Japan JapanWorld #5 28.7
  • 96 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 344
  • 80 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 427
  • 45 Transportweight ×10 114
  • 44 Special missionweight ×8 113
  • 27 UAVsweight ×10 2
  • 82 Trainersweight ×1 299
Australia Japan 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
Australia Japan Ratio
Official name Royal Australian Air Force Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Active aircraft 374 1,299 🇯🇵 3.5×
Aircraft on order 81 369 🇯🇵 4.6×
Combat aircraft 96 344 🇯🇵 3.6×
Combat share of fleet 25.7 % 26.5 % 🇯🇵 ≈
Aircraft types in service 22 36 🇯🇵 1.6×
Main supplier United States · 67 % United States · 64 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 80 427 🇯🇵 5.3×
Transport aircraft 45 114 🇯🇵 2.5×
Special-mission aircraft 44 113 🇯🇵 2.6×
Trainers 82 299 🇯🇵 3.6×
UAVs 27 2 🇦🇺 14×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇦🇺 AustraliaF-35 Lightning II ×72F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet ×24SH-60 Seahawk ×23
🇯🇵 JapanF-15 Eagle ×200UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" ×93Mitsubishi F-2 ×90
Fleet evolution · Australia
Fleet evolution · Japan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Australia or Japan?
Japan has more military aircraft with 1,299 active aircraft compared to Australia's 374, a difference of 925 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Australia or Japan?
Japan has more combat aircraft with 344 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Australia's 96.
Which country has more military helicopters, Australia or Japan?
Japan operates more military helicopters with 427 compared to Australia's 80.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Australia or Japan?
Japan has more transport aircraft with 114 compared to Australia's 45.
How do the Australia and Japan air forces compare in size?
Japan's air force is 2.5 times larger than Australia's in terms of total active aircraft (114 vs 45).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Australia or Japan?
Japan has 369 aircraft on order compared to Australia's 81.