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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Italy Italy vs Flag of Portugal Portugal

Italy's air force fields 778 active aircraft — 7.8:1 Portugal's 100.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Italy ItalyWorld #12 23.2
AIRS Index / 100

Italy leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Portugal PortugalWorld #63 6.7
  • 190 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 33
  • 387 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 28
  • 37 Transportweight ×10 23
  • 5 Special missionweight ×8 5
  • 32 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 127 Trainersweight ×1 11
Italy Portugal 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
Italy Portugal Ratio
Official name Italian Air Force Portuguese Air Force
Active aircraft 778 100 🇮🇹 7.8×
Aircraft on order 112 16 🇮🇹 7.0×
Combat aircraft 190 33 🇮🇹 5.8×
Combat share of fleet 24.4 % 33.0 % 🇵🇹 1.4×
Aircraft types in service 32 12 🇮🇹 2.7×
Main supplier United States · 36 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 387 28 🇮🇹 14×
Transport aircraft 37 23 🇮🇹 1.6×
Special-mission aircraft 5 5 —
Trainers 127 11 🇮🇹 12×
UAVs 32 0 🇮🇹
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇹 ItalyNH90 / Caiman ×114Typhoon ×93F-35 Lightning II ×50
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28AW101 ×12C-295 Persuader ×12
Fleet evolution · Italy
Fleet evolution · Portugal
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Portugal vsDenmarkBelgiumSwedenBulgariaFinland

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Italy or Portugal?
Italy has more military aircraft with 778 active aircraft compared to Portugal's 100, a difference of 678 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Italy or Portugal?
Italy has more combat aircraft with 190 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Portugal's 33.
Which country has more military helicopters, Italy or Portugal?
Italy operates more military helicopters with 387 compared to Portugal's 28.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Italy or Portugal?
Italy has more transport aircraft with 37 compared to Portugal's 23.
How do the Italy and Portugal air forces compare in size?
Italy's air force is 1.6 times larger than Portugal's in terms of total active aircraft (37 vs 23).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Italy or Portugal?
Italy has 112 aircraft on order compared to Portugal's 16.