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Air Forces comparison: Flag of China China vs Flag of North Korea North Korea

China's air force fields 6,014 active aircraft — 5.1:1 North Korea's 1,179.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of China ChinaWorld #2 74.0
AIRS Index / 100

China leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of North Korea North KoreaWorld #23 14.4
  • 234 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 80
  • 3,042 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 571
  • 1,402 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 253
  • 452 Transportweight ×10 275
  • 109 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 190 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 585 Trainersweight ×1 0
China North Korea 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 North Korea Ratio
Official name People's Liberation Army Air Force Korean People's Army Air Force
Active aircraft 6,014 1,179 🇨🇳 5.1×
Aircraft on order 73 0 🇨🇳
Combat aircraft 3,042 571 🇨🇳 5.3×
Combat share of fleet 50.6 % 48.4 % 🇨🇳 ≈
Aircraft types in service 54 21 🇨🇳 2.6×
Main supplier China · 89 % Ex-USSR · 70 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 234 80 🇨🇳 2.9×
Helicopters 1,402 253 🇨🇳 5.5×
Transport aircraft 452 275 🇨🇳 1.6×
Special-mission aircraft 109 0 🇨🇳
Trainers 585 0 🇨🇳
UAVs 190 0 🇨🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇨🇳 ChinaJ-10 Vigorous Dragon ×608J-11 Responsive Dragon ×495J-16 Qianlong ×450
🇰🇵 North KoreaAn-2 Colt ×270J-5 Fresco ×241MiG-19 Farmer ×97
Fleet evolution · China
Fleet evolution · North Korea
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, China or North Korea?
China has more military aircraft with 6,014 active aircraft compared to North Korea's 1,179, a difference of 4,835 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, China or North Korea?
China has more combat aircraft with 3,042 fighters and attack aircraft compared to North Korea's 571.
Which country has more military helicopters, China or North Korea?
China operates more military helicopters with 1,402 compared to North Korea's 253.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, China or North Korea?
China has more transport aircraft with 452 compared to North Korea's 275.
How do the China and North Korea air forces compare in size?
China's air force is 1.6 times larger than North Korea's in terms of total active aircraft (452 vs 275).
Which country has more aircraft on order, China or North Korea?
China has 73 aircraft on order compared to North Korea's 0.