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Air Forces comparison: Flag of China China vs Flag of Vietnam Vietnam

China's air force fields 6,341 active aircraft — 31:1 Vietnam's 205.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of China ChinaWorld #2 74.5
AIRS Index / 100

China leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of Vietnam VietnamWorld #48 8.6
  • 234 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 0
  • 3,222 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 71
  • 1,549 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 42
  • 452 Transportweight ×10 17
  • 109 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 190 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 585 Trainersweight ×1 75
China Vietnam 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 Vietnam Ratio
Official name People's Liberation Army Air Force Vietnam People's Air Force
Active aircraft 6,341 205 🇨🇳 31×
Aircraft on order 130 0 🇨🇳
Combat aircraft 3,222 71 🇨🇳 45×
Combat share of fleet 50.8 % 34.6 % 🇨🇳 1.5×
Aircraft types in service 56 14 🇨🇳 4.0×
Main supplier China · 86 % Ex-USSR · 58 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 234 0 🇨🇳
Helicopters 1,549 42 🇨🇳 37×
Transport aircraft 452 17 🇨🇳 27×
Special-mission aircraft 109 0 🇨🇳
Trainers 585 75 🇨🇳 7.8×
UAVs 190 0 🇨🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇨🇳 ChinaJ-10 Vigorous Dragon ×608J-11 Responsive Dragon ×495J-16 Qianlong ×450
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-27 Flanker ×46Mi-8 Hip ×30Su-17 Fitter ×25
Fleet evolution · China
Fleet evolution · Vietnam
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, China or Vietnam?
China has more military aircraft with 6,341 active aircraft compared to Vietnam's 205, a difference of 6,136 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, China or Vietnam?
China has more combat aircraft with 3,222 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Vietnam's 71.
Which country has more military helicopters, China or Vietnam?
China operates more military helicopters with 1,549 compared to Vietnam's 42.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, China or Vietnam?
China has more transport aircraft with 452 compared to Vietnam's 17.
How do the China and Vietnam air forces compare in size?
China's air force is 26.6 times larger than Vietnam's in terms of total active aircraft (452 vs 17).
Which country has more aircraft on order, China or Vietnam?
China has 130 aircraft on order compared to Vietnam's 0.