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Air Forces comparison: Flag of India India vs Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

India's air force fields 2,353 active aircraft — 27:1 Sri Lanka's 87.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of India IndiaWorld #4 35.4
AIRS Index / 100

India leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Sri Lanka Sri LankaWorld #81 4.0
  • 588 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 16
  • 987 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 49
  • 331 Transportweight ×10 18
  • 22 Special missionweight ×8 4
  • 52 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 373 Trainersweight ×1 0
India Sri Lanka 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
India Sri Lanka Ratio
Official name Indian Air Force Sri Lanka Air Force
Active aircraft 2,353 87 🇮🇳 27×
Aircraft on order 691 0 🇮🇳
Combat aircraft 588 16 🇮🇳 37×
Combat share of fleet 25.0 % 18.4 % 🇮🇳 1.4×
Aircraft types in service 47 14 🇮🇳 3.4×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 27 % United States · 36 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 987 49 🇮🇳 20×
Transport aircraft 331 18 🇮🇳 18×
Special-mission aircraft 22 4 🇮🇳 5.5×
Trainers 373 0 🇮🇳
UAVs 52 0 🇮🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇳 IndiaDhruv ×287Su-30 Flanker-C ×258Mi-17 Hip-H ×222
🇱🇰 Sri LankaMi-17 Hip-H ×20206 JetRanger ×12UH-1N Twin Huey ×12
Fleet evolution · India
Fleet evolution · Sri Lanka
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more military aircraft with 2,353 active aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 87, a difference of 2,266 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more combat aircraft with 588 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 16.
Which country has more military helicopters, India or Sri Lanka?
India operates more military helicopters with 987 compared to Sri Lanka's 49.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more transport aircraft with 331 compared to Sri Lanka's 18.
How do the India and Sri Lanka air forces compare in size?
India's air force is 27.0 times larger than Sri Lanka's in terms of total active aircraft (2,353 vs 87).
Which country has more aircraft on order, India or Sri Lanka?
India has 691 aircraft on order compared to Sri Lanka's 0.