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

Iraq's air force fields 393 active aircraft — 36:1 Syria's 11.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Iraq IraqWorld #39 10.2
AIRS Index / 100

Iraq leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Syria SyriaWorld #146 1.1
  • 53 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 2
  • 205 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 6
  • 25 Transportweight ×10 0
  • 7 Special missionweight ×8 0
  • 4 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 99 Trainersweight ×1 3
Iraq Syria 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
Iraq Syria Ratio
Official name Iraqi Air Force Syrian Arab Air Force
Active aircraft 393 11 🇮🇶 36×
Aircraft on order 37 0 🇮🇶
Combat aircraft 53 2 🇮🇶 26×
Combat share of fleet 13.5 % 18.2 % 🇸🇾 1.3×
Aircraft types in service 27 5 🇮🇶 5.4×
Main supplier United States · 40 % Ex-USSR · 55 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 205 6 🇮🇶 34×
Transport aircraft 25 0 🇮🇶
Special-mission aircraft 7 0 🇮🇶
Trainers 99 3 🇮🇶 33×
UAVs 4 0 🇮🇶
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇶 IraqMi-8 Hip ×47Bell 407 ×37F-16 Fighting Falcon ×34
🇸🇾 SyriaMi-24 Hind ×2Mi-8 Hip ×2SA340 Gazelle ×2
Fleet evolution · Iraq
Fleet evolution · Syria
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has more military aircraft with 393 active aircraft compared to Syria's 11, a difference of 382 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has more combat aircraft with 53 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Syria's 2.
Which country has more military helicopters, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq operates more military helicopters with 205 compared to Syria's 6.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has more transport aircraft with 25 compared to Syria's 0.
How do the Iraq and Syria air forces compare in size?
Iraq's air force is 35.7 times larger than Syria's in terms of total active aircraft (393 vs 11).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has 37 aircraft on order compared to Syria's 0.