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

Russia's air force fields 4,300 active aircraft — 5.8:1 Italy's 743.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Italy ItalyWorld #13 24.5
AIRS Index / 100

Russia leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Russia RussiaWorld #3 48.0
  • 0 Bombersweight ×100 · price 120
  • 190 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 1,524
  • 387 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 1,604
  • 30 Transportweight ×10 514
  • 5 Special missionweight ×8 96
  • 131 Trainersweight ×1 442
Italy Russia Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by unit price, helicopters by era) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Italy Russia Ratio
Official name Italian Air Force Russian Air Force
Active aircraft 743 4,300 🇷🇺 5.8×
Aircraft on order 98 677 🇷🇺 6.9×
Combat aircraft 190 1,524 🇷🇺 8.0×
Combat share of fleet 25.6 % 35.4 % 🇷🇺 1.4×
Aircraft types in service 27 49 🇷🇺 1.8×
Main supplier United States · 34 % Ex-USSR · 77 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Bombers 0 120 🇷🇺
Helicopters 387 1,604 🇷🇺 4.1×
Transport aircraft 30 514 🇷🇺 17×
Special-mission aircraft 5 96 🇷🇺 19×
Trainers 131 442 🇷🇺 3.4×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇹 ItalyNH90 / Caiman ×114Typhoon ×93UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" ×59
🇷🇺 RussiaMi-8 Hip ×789Su-27 Flanker ×468Mi-24 Hind ×325
Fleet evolution · Italy
Fleet evolution · Russia
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Italy or Russia?
Russia has more military aircraft with 4,300 active aircraft compared to Italy's 743, a difference of 3,557 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Italy or Russia?
Russia has more combat aircraft with 1,524 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Italy's 190.
Which country has more military helicopters, Italy or Russia?
Russia operates more military helicopters with 1,604 compared to Italy's 387.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Italy or Russia?
Russia has more transport aircraft with 514 compared to Italy's 30.
How do the Italy and Russia air forces compare in size?
Russia's air force is 17.1 times larger than Italy's in terms of total active aircraft (514 vs 30).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Italy or Russia?
Russia has 677 aircraft on order compared to Italy's 98.