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

Pakistan's air force fields 1,542 active aircraft — 2.3:1 Iran's 666.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Iran IranWorld #30 12.8
AIRS Index / 100

Pakistan leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Pakistan PakistanWorld #16 21.3
  • 255 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 485
  • 168 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 360
  • 94 Transportweight ×10 68
  • 6 Special missionweight ×8 43
  • 23 UAVsweight ×10 137
  • 120 Trainersweight ×1 449
Iran Pakistan 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 Pakistan Ratio
Official name Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Pakistan Air Force
Active aircraft 666 1,542 🇵🇰 2.3×
Aircraft on order 0 103 🇵🇰
Combat aircraft 255 485 🇵🇰 1.9×
Combat share of fleet 38.3 % 31.5 % 🇮🇷 1.2×
Aircraft types in service 39 50 🇵🇰 1.3×
Main supplier United States · 53 % United States · 24 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 168 360 🇵🇰 2.1×
Transport aircraft 94 68 🇮🇷 1.4×
Special-mission aircraft 6 43 🇵🇰 7.2×
Trainers 120 449 🇵🇰 3.7×
UAVs 23 137 🇵🇰 6.0×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇷 IranF-4 Phantom II ×61F-5E Tiger II ×48CH-47 Chinook ×43
🇵🇰 PakistanJF-17 Thunder ×175Mirage III / 5 / 50 ×85F-16 Fighting Falcon ×75
Fleet evolution · Iran
Fleet evolution · Pakistan
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Iran vsIsraelUnited StatesSaudi ArabiaIndonesiaUnited Arab Emirates
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan has more military aircraft with 1,542 active aircraft compared to Iran's 666, a difference of 876 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan has more combat aircraft with 485 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Iran's 255.
Which country has more military helicopters, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan operates more military helicopters with 360 compared to Iran's 168.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Iran or Pakistan?
Iran has more transport aircraft with 94 compared to Pakistan's 68.
How do the Iran and Pakistan air forces compare in size?
Pakistan's air force is 2.3 times larger than Iran's in terms of total active aircraft (1,542 vs 666).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Iran or Pakistan?
Pakistan has 103 aircraft on order compared to Iran's 0.