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

Japan operates 1,410 active military aircraft vs 714 for Taiwan.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Japan JapanWorld #5 29.2
AIRS Index / 100

Japan leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Taiwan TaiwanWorld #13 23.2
  • 341 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 319
  • 533 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 239
  • 110 Transportweight ×10 26
  • 127 Special missionweight ×8 18
  • 3 UAVsweight ×10 28
  • 296 Trainersweight ×1 84
Japan Taiwan 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
Japan Taiwan Ratio
Official name Japan Air Self-Defense Force Republic of China Air Force
Active aircraft 1,410 714 🇯🇵 2.0×
Aircraft on order 343 95 🇯🇵 3.6×
Combat aircraft 341 319 🇯🇵 1.1×
Combat share of fleet 24.2 % 44.7 % 🇹🇼 1.8×
Aircraft types in service 34 21 🇯🇵 1.6×
Main supplier United States · 67 % United States · 63 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 533 239 🇯🇵 2.2×
Transport aircraft 110 26 🇯🇵 4.2×
Special-mission aircraft 127 18 🇯🇵 7.1×
Trainers 296 84 🇯🇵 3.5×
UAVs 3 28 🇹🇼 9.3×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇯🇵 JapanF-15 Eagle ×199UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" ×114UH-60 Black Hawk ×101
🇹🇼 TaiwanF-16V Viper ×138F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo ×129UH-60 Black Hawk ×63
Fleet evolution · Japan
Fleet evolution · Taiwan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more military aircraft with 1,410 active aircraft compared to Taiwan's 714, a difference of 696 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more combat aircraft with 341 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Taiwan's 319.
Which country has more military helicopters, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan operates more military helicopters with 533 compared to Taiwan's 239.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has more transport aircraft with 110 compared to Taiwan's 26.
How do the Japan and Taiwan air forces compare in size?
Japan's air force is 4.2 times larger than Taiwan's in terms of total active aircraft (110 vs 26).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Japan or Taiwan?
Japan has 343 aircraft on order compared to Taiwan's 95.