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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Israel Israel vs Flag of Japan Japan

Japan's air force fields 1,299 active aircraft — 2.2:1 Israel's 594.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Israel IsraelWorld #9 24.8
AIRS Index / 100

Japan leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Japan JapanWorld #5 28.7
  • 336 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 344
  • 130 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 427
  • 15 Transportweight ×10 114
  • 38 Special missionweight ×8 113
  • 9 UAVsweight ×10 2
  • 66 Trainersweight ×1 299
Israel Japan 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
Israel Japan Ratio
Official name Israeli Air Force Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Active aircraft 594 1,299 🇯🇵 2.2×
Aircraft on order 126 369 🇯🇵 2.9×
Combat aircraft 336 344 🇯🇵 ≈
Combat share of fleet 56.6 % 26.5 % 🇮🇱 2.1×
Aircraft types in service 20 36 🇯🇵 1.8×
Main supplier United States · 89 % United States · 64 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 130 427 🇯🇵 3.3×
Transport aircraft 15 114 🇯🇵 7.6×
Special-mission aircraft 38 113 🇯🇵 3.0×
Trainers 66 299 🇯🇵 4.5×
UAVs 9 2 🇮🇱 4.5×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇱 IsraelF-16 Fighting Falcon ×122F-16I Sufa ×100UH-60 Black Hawk ×49
🇯🇵 JapanF-15 Eagle ×200UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" ×93Mitsubishi F-2 ×90
Fleet evolution · Israel
Fleet evolution · Japan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Israel or Japan?
Japan has more military aircraft with 1,299 active aircraft compared to Israel's 594, a difference of 705 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Israel or Japan?
Japan has more combat aircraft with 344 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Israel's 336.
Which country has more military helicopters, Israel or Japan?
Japan operates more military helicopters with 427 compared to Israel's 130.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Israel or Japan?
Japan has more transport aircraft with 114 compared to Israel's 15.
How do the Israel and Japan air forces compare in size?
Japan's air force is 2.2 times larger than Israel's in terms of total active aircraft (1,299 vs 594).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Israel or Japan?
Japan has 369 aircraft on order compared to Israel's 126.