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

Iran's air force fields 659 active aircraft — 4.9:1 Kuwait's 134.

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

Iran leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Kuwait KuwaitWorld #37 10.2
  • 295 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 50
  • 160 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 70
  • 81 Transportweight ×10 2
  • 12 Special missionweight ×8 3
  • 23 UAVsweight ×10 3
  • 88 Trainersweight ×1 6
Iran Kuwait 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 Kuwait Ratio
Official name Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Kuwait Air Force
Active aircraft 659 134 🇮🇷 4.9×
Aircraft on order 0 66 🇰🇼
Combat aircraft 295 50 🇮🇷 5.9×
Combat share of fleet 44.8 % 37.3 % 🇮🇷 1.2×
Aircraft types in service 37 11 🇮🇷 3.4×
Main supplier United States · 50 % United States · 40 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 160 70 🇮🇷 2.3×
Transport aircraft 81 2 🇮🇷 40×
Special-mission aircraft 12 3 🇮🇷 4.0×
Trainers 88 6 🇮🇷 15×
UAVs 23 3 🇮🇷 7.7×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×63F-5E Tiger II ×44CH-47 Chinook ×35
🇰🇼 KuwaitF/A-18 Hornet ×33H225M / EC725 Caracal ×30Typhoon ×17
Fleet evolution · Iran
Fleet evolution · Kuwait
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Iran or Kuwait?
Iran has more military aircraft with 659 active aircraft compared to Kuwait's 134, a difference of 525 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Iran or Kuwait?
Iran has more combat aircraft with 295 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Kuwait's 50.
Which country has more military helicopters, Iran or Kuwait?
Iran operates more military helicopters with 160 compared to Kuwait's 70.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Iran or Kuwait?
Iran has more transport aircraft with 81 compared to Kuwait's 2.
How do the Iran and Kuwait air forces compare in size?
Iran's air force is 40.5 times larger than Kuwait's in terms of total active aircraft (81 vs 2).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Iran or Kuwait?
Kuwait has 66 aircraft on order compared to Iran's 0.