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Air Forces comparison: Flag of China China vs Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

China's air force fields 5,662 active aircraft — 65:1 Sri Lanka's 87.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of China ChinaWorld #2 71.9
AIRS Index / 100

China leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of Sri Lanka Sri LankaWorld #81 4.0
  • 234 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 0
  • 2,842 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 16
  • 1,263 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 49
  • 444 Transportweight ×10 18
  • 102 Special missionweight ×8 4
  • 192 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 585 Trainersweight ×1 0
China Sri Lanka 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
China Sri Lanka Ratio
Official name People's Liberation Army Air Force Sri Lanka Air Force
Active aircraft 5,662 87 🇨🇳 65×
Aircraft on order 73 0 🇨🇳
Combat aircraft 2,842 16 🇨🇳 178×
Combat share of fleet 50.2 % 18.4 % 🇨🇳 2.7×
Aircraft types in service 53 14 🇨🇳 3.8×
Main supplier China · 89 % United States · 36 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 234 0 🇨🇳
Helicopters 1,263 49 🇨🇳 26×
Transport aircraft 444 18 🇨🇳 25×
Special-mission aircraft 102 4 🇨🇳 26×
Trainers 585 0 🇨🇳
UAVs 192 0 🇨🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇨🇳 ChinaJ-10 Vigorous Dragon ×608J-16 Qianlong ×450JL-8 ×366
🇱🇰 Sri LankaMi-17 Hip-H ×20206 JetRanger ×12UH-1N Twin Huey ×12
Fleet evolution · China
Fleet evolution · Sri Lanka
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more military aircraft with 5,662 active aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 87, a difference of 5,575 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more combat aircraft with 2,842 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 16.
Which country has more military helicopters, China or Sri Lanka?
China operates more military helicopters with 1,263 compared to Sri Lanka's 49.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more transport aircraft with 444 compared to Sri Lanka's 18.
How do the China and Sri Lanka air forces compare in size?
China's air force is 65.1 times larger than Sri Lanka's in terms of total active aircraft (5,662 vs 87).
Which country has more aircraft on order, China or Sri Lanka?
China has 73 aircraft on order compared to Sri Lanka's 0.