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Air Forces comparison: Flag of India India vs Flag of Iran Iran

India's air force fields 2,217 active aircraft — 3.5:1 Iran's 636.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of India IndiaWorld #4 34.3
AIRS Index / 100

India leads on 5 of 5 categories

Roundel of Iran IranWorld #30 14.8
  • 588 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 295
  • 993 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 160
  • 328 Transportweight ×10 81
  • 18 Special missionweight ×8 12
  • 290 Trainersweight ×1 88
India Iran Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by unit price, helicopters by era) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
India Iran Ratio
Official name Indian Air Force Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
Active aircraft 2,217 636 🇮🇳 3.5×
Aircraft on order 587 0 🇮🇳
Combat aircraft 588 295 🇮🇳 2.0×
Combat share of fleet 26.5 % 46.4 % 🇮🇷 1.7×
Aircraft types in service 38 36 🇮🇳 1.1×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 29 % United States · 52 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 993 160 🇮🇳 6.2×
Transport aircraft 328 81 🇮🇳 4.0×
Special-mission aircraft 18 12 🇮🇳 1.5×
Trainers 290 88 🇮🇳 3.3×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇳 IndiaDhruv ×287Su-30 Flanker-C ×259Mi-17 Hip-H ×222
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63F-5E Tiger II ×44CH-47 Chinook ×35
Fleet evolution · India
Fleet evolution · Iran
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, India or Iran?
India has more military aircraft with 2,217 active aircraft compared to Iran's 636, a difference of 1,581 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, India or Iran?
India has more combat aircraft with 588 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Iran's 295.
Which country has more military helicopters, India or Iran?
India operates more military helicopters with 993 compared to Iran's 160.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, India or Iran?
India has more transport aircraft with 328 compared to Iran's 81.
How do the India and Iran air forces compare in size?
India's air force is 4.0 times larger than Iran's in terms of total active aircraft (328 vs 81).
Which country has more aircraft on order, India or Iran?
India has 587 aircraft on order compared to Iran's 0.