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

Spain's air force fields 525 active aircraft — 5.1:1 Portugal's 102.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Spain SpainWorld #18 18.5
AIRS Index / 100

Spain leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Portugal PortugalWorld #58 7.3
  • 178 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 33
  • 188 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 29
  • 78 Transportweight ×10 24
  • 3 Special missionweight ×8 5
  • 23 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 55 Trainersweight ×1 11
Spain Portugal 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 Portugal Ratio
Official name Spanish Air and Space Force Portuguese Air Force
Active aircraft 525 102 🇪🇸 5.1×
Aircraft on order 291 18 🇪🇸 16×
Combat aircraft 178 33 🇪🇸 5.4×
Combat share of fleet 33.9 % 32.4 % 🇪🇸 ≈
Aircraft types in service 28 13 🇪🇸 2.2×
Main supplier United States · 39 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 188 29 🇪🇸 6.5×
Transport aircraft 78 24 🇪🇸 3.2×
Special-mission aircraft 3 5 🇵🇹 1.7×
Trainers 55 11 🇪🇸 5.0×
UAVs 23 0 🇪🇸
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Typhoon ×67H215M / AS532 Cougar ×43
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28AW101 ×12C-295 Persuader ×12
Fleet evolution · Spain
Fleet evolution · Portugal
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Spain vsItalyMoroccoGreecePolandNetherlands
Portugal vsDenmarkBelgiumNorwayBulgariaFinland

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has more military aircraft with 525 active aircraft compared to Portugal's 102, a difference of 423 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has more combat aircraft with 178 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Portugal's 33.
Which country has more military helicopters, Spain or Portugal?
Spain operates more military helicopters with 188 compared to Portugal's 29.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has more transport aircraft with 78 compared to Portugal's 24.
How do the Spain and Portugal air forces compare in size?
Spain's air force is 5.1 times larger than Portugal's in terms of total active aircraft (525 vs 102).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has 291 aircraft on order compared to Portugal's 18.