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

Iran operates 659 active military aircraft vs 396 for Iraq.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Iran IranWorld #29 13.5
AIRS Index / 100

Iran leads on 4 of 6 categories

Roundel of Iraq IraqWorld #36 10.4
  • 295 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 53
  • 160 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 213
  • 81 Transportweight ×10 24
  • 12 Special missionweight ×8 7
  • 23 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 88 Trainersweight ×1 99
Iran Iraq 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
Iran Iraq Ratio
Official name Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Iraqi Air Force
Active aircraft 659 396 🇮🇷 1.7×
Aircraft on order 0 18 🇮🇶
Combat aircraft 295 53 🇮🇷 5.6×
Combat share of fleet 44.8 % 13.4 % 🇮🇷 3.3×
Aircraft types in service 37 25 🇮🇷 1.5×
Main supplier United States · 50 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 160 213 🇮🇶 1.3×
Transport aircraft 81 24 🇮🇷 3.4×
Special-mission aircraft 12 7 🇮🇷 1.7×
Trainers 88 99 🇮🇶 1.1×
UAVs 23 0 🇮🇷
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63F-5E Tiger II ×44CH-47 Chinook ×35
🇮🇶 IraqMi-8 Hip ×43407 ×40F-16 Fighting Falcon ×34
Fleet evolution · Iran
Fleet evolution · Iraq
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Iraq vsBangladeshMalaysiaMyanmarKuwaitThailand

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Iran or Iraq?
Iran has more military aircraft with 659 active aircraft compared to Iraq's 396, a difference of 263 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Iran or Iraq?
Iran has more combat aircraft with 295 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Iraq's 53.
Which country has more military helicopters, Iran or Iraq?
Iraq operates more military helicopters with 213 compared to Iran's 160.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Iran or Iraq?
Iran has more transport aircraft with 81 compared to Iraq's 24.
How do the Iran and Iraq air forces compare in size?
Iran's air force is 3.4 times larger than Iraq's in terms of total active aircraft (81 vs 24).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Iran or Iraq?
Iraq has 18 aircraft on order compared to Iran's 0.