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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Ethiopia Ethiopia vs Flag of Sudan Sudan

Ethiopia operates 117 active military aircraft vs 219 for Sudan.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Ethiopia EthiopiaWorld #73 5.5
AIRS Index / 100

Sudan leads on 3 of 6 categories

Roundel of Sudan SudanWorld #66 6.1
  • 34 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 100
  • 31 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 96
  • 12 Transportweight ×10 17
  • 3 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 6 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 31 Trainersweight ×1 6
Ethiopia Sudan 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
Ethiopia Sudan Ratio
Official name Ethiopian Air Force Sudanese Air Force
Active aircraft 117 219 🇸🇩 1.9×
Aircraft on order 4 0 🇪🇹
Combat aircraft 34 100 🇸🇩 2.9×
Combat share of fleet 29.1 % 45.7 % 🇸🇩 1.6×
Aircraft types in service 20 25 🇸🇩 1.2×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 46 % Ex-USSR · 49 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 31 96 🇸🇩 3.1×
Transport aircraft 12 17 🇸🇩 1.4×
Special-mission aircraft 3 0 🇪🇹
Trainers 31 6 🇪🇹 5.2×
UAVs 6 0 🇪🇹
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇪🇹 EthiopiaSu-27 Flanker ×22Mi-8 Hip ×14MiG-23 Flogger ×9
🇸🇩 SudanMi-24 Hind ×35Mi-8 Hip ×24JL-8 ×23
Fleet evolution · Ethiopia
Fleet evolution · Sudan
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Military strength Armies
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Ethiopia vsEritreaEgyptTunisiaKenyaNigeria
Sudan vsTunisiaKenyaNigeriaLibyaSouth Africa

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Sudan has more military aircraft with 219 active aircraft compared to Ethiopia's 117, a difference of 102 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Sudan has more combat aircraft with 100 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Ethiopia's 34.
Which country has more military helicopters, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Sudan operates more military helicopters with 96 compared to Ethiopia's 31.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Sudan has more transport aircraft with 17 compared to Ethiopia's 12.
How do the Ethiopia and Sudan air forces compare in size?
Sudan's air force is 1.9 times larger than Ethiopia's in terms of total active aircraft (219 vs 117).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Ethiopia or Sudan?
Ethiopia has 4 aircraft on order compared to Sudan's 0.