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

Spain's air force fields 509 active aircraft — 3.5:1 Netherlands's 146.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Spain SpainWorld #20 18.5
AIRS Index / 100

Spain leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Netherlands NetherlandsWorld #33 11.5
  • 178 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 40
  • 178 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 67
  • 77 Transportweight ×10 4
  • 3 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 18 UAVsweight ×10 22
  • 55 Trainersweight ×1 13
Spain 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
Spain Netherlands Ratio
Official name Spanish Air and Space Force Royal Netherlands Air Force
Active aircraft 509 146 🇪🇸 3.5×
Aircraft on order 207 48 🇪🇸 4.3×
Combat aircraft 178 40 🇪🇸 4.5×
Combat share of fleet 35.0 % 27.4 % 🇪🇸 1.3×
Aircraft types in service 28 10 🇪🇸 2.8×
Main supplier United States · 39 % United States · 70 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 178 67 🇪🇸 2.7×
Transport aircraft 77 4 🇪🇸 19×
Special-mission aircraft 3 0 🇪🇸
Trainers 55 13 🇪🇸 4.2×
UAVs 18 22 🇳🇱 1.2×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Typhoon ×68H215M / AS532 Cougar ×39
🇳🇱 NetherlandsF-35 Lightning II ×40CH-47 Chinook ×20NH90 / Caiman ×19
Fleet evolution · Spain
Fleet evolution · Netherlands
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Spain or Netherlands?
Spain has more military aircraft with 509 active aircraft compared to Netherlands's 146, a difference of 363 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Spain or Netherlands?
Spain has more combat aircraft with 178 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Netherlands's 40.
Which country has more military helicopters, Spain or Netherlands?
Spain operates more military helicopters with 178 compared to Netherlands's 67.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Spain or Netherlands?
Spain has more transport aircraft with 77 compared to Netherlands's 4.
How do the Spain and Netherlands air forces compare in size?
Spain's air force is 19.2 times larger than Netherlands's in terms of total active aircraft (77 vs 4).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Spain or Netherlands?
Spain has 207 aircraft on order compared to Netherlands's 48.