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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Belgium Belgium vs Flag of Netherlands Netherlands

Belgium operates 114 active military aircraft vs 159 for Netherlands.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Belgium BelgiumWorld #37 10.9
AIRS Index / 100

Netherlands leads on 3 of 5 categories

Roundel of Netherlands NetherlandsWorld #32 12.4
  • 67 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 52
  • 16 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 67
  • 9 Transportweight ×10 5
  • 3 UAVsweight ×10 22
  • 19 Trainersweight ×1 13
Belgium Netherlands 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
Belgium Netherlands Ratio
Official name Belgian Air Force Royal Netherlands Air Force
Active aircraft 114 159 🇳🇱 1.4×
Aircraft on order 62 49 🇧🇪 1.3×
Combat aircraft 67 52 🇧🇪 1.3×
Combat share of fleet 58.8 % 32.7 % 🇧🇪 1.8×
Aircraft types in service 9 11 🇳🇱 1.2×
Main supplier United States · 61 % United States · 72 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 16 67 🇳🇱 4.2×
Transport aircraft 9 5 🇧🇪 1.8×
Trainers 19 13 🇧🇪 1.5×
UAVs 3 22 🇳🇱 7.3×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇧🇪 BelgiumF-16 Fighting Falcon ×52F-35 Lightning II ×15AW109 ×10
🇳🇱 NetherlandsF-35 Lightning II ×52CH-47 Chinook ×20NH90 / Caiman ×19
Fleet evolution · Belgium
Fleet evolution · Netherlands
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Netherlands vsPolandRomaniaSpainSwedenGreece

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Belgium or Netherlands?
Netherlands has more military aircraft with 159 active aircraft compared to Belgium's 114, a difference of 45 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Belgium or Netherlands?
Belgium has more combat aircraft with 67 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Netherlands's 52.
Which country has more military helicopters, Belgium or Netherlands?
Netherlands operates more military helicopters with 67 compared to Belgium's 16.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Belgium or Netherlands?
Belgium has more transport aircraft with 9 compared to Netherlands's 5.
Which country has more aircraft on order, Belgium or Netherlands?
Belgium has 62 aircraft on order compared to Netherlands's 49.