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

Spain's air force fields 509 active aircraft — 5.1:1 Portugal's 100.

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

Spain leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Portugal PortugalWorld #63 6.7
  • 178 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 33
  • 178 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 28
  • 77 Transportweight ×10 23
  • 3 Special missionweight ×8 5
  • 18 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 509 100 🇪🇸 5.1×
Aircraft on order 207 16 🇪🇸 13×
Combat aircraft 178 33 🇪🇸 5.4×
Combat share of fleet 35.0 % 33.0 % 🇪🇸 1.1×
Aircraft types in service 28 12 🇪🇸 2.3×
Main supplier United States · 39 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 178 28 🇪🇸 6.4×
Transport aircraft 77 23 🇪🇸 3.3×
Special-mission aircraft 3 5 🇵🇹 1.7×
Trainers 55 11 🇪🇸 5.0×
UAVs 18 0 🇪🇸
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇪🇸 SpainF/A-18 Hornet ×81Typhoon ×68H215M / AS532 Cougar ×39
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28AW101 ×12C-295 Persuader ×12
Fleet evolution · Spain
Fleet evolution · Portugal
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Portugal vsDenmarkBelgiumSwedenBulgariaFinland

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has more military aircraft with 509 active aircraft compared to Portugal's 100, a difference of 409 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 178 compared to Portugal's 28.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has more transport aircraft with 77 compared to Portugal's 23.
How do the Spain and Portugal air forces compare in size?
Spain's air force is 3.3 times larger than Portugal's in terms of total active aircraft (77 vs 23).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Spain or Portugal?
Spain has 207 aircraft on order compared to Portugal's 16.