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Air Forces comparison: Flag of South Korea South Korea vs Flag of Taiwan Taiwan

South Korea's air force fields 1,566 active aircraft — 2.2:1 Taiwan's 715.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of South Korea South KoreaWorld #6 28.0
AIRS Index / 100

South Korea leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Taiwan TaiwanWorld #12 22.8
  • 374 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 320
  • 868 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 239
  • 47 Transportweight ×10 26
  • 35 Special missionweight ×8 18
  • 9 UAVsweight ×10 28
  • 233 Trainersweight ×1 84
South Korea 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
South Korea Taiwan Ratio
Official name Republic of Korea Air Force Republic of China Air Force
Active aircraft 1,566 715 🇰🇷 2.2×
Aircraft on order 392 83 🇰🇷 4.7×
Combat aircraft 374 320 🇰🇷 1.2×
Combat share of fleet 23.9 % 44.8 % 🇹🇼 1.9×
Aircraft types in service 38 22 🇰🇷 1.7×
Main supplier United States · 61 % United States · 63 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 868 239 🇰🇷 3.6×
Transport aircraft 47 26 🇰🇷 1.8×
Special-mission aircraft 35 18 🇰🇷 1.9×
Trainers 233 84 🇰🇷 2.8×
UAVs 9 28 🇹🇼 3.1×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇰🇷 South KoreaMD-500 ×251KUH-1 Surion ×240F-16 Fighting Falcon ×167
🇹🇼 TaiwanF-16V Viper ×139F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo ×129AH-1W Super Cobra ×62
Fleet evolution · South Korea
Fleet evolution · Taiwan
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, South Korea or Taiwan?
South Korea has more military aircraft with 1,566 active aircraft compared to Taiwan's 715, a difference of 851 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, South Korea or Taiwan?
South Korea has more combat aircraft with 374 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Taiwan's 320.
Which country has more military helicopters, South Korea or Taiwan?
South Korea operates more military helicopters with 868 compared to Taiwan's 239.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, South Korea or Taiwan?
South Korea has more transport aircraft with 47 compared to Taiwan's 26.
How do the South Korea and Taiwan air forces compare in size?
South Korea's air force is 1.8 times larger than Taiwan's in terms of total active aircraft (47 vs 26).
Which country has more aircraft on order, South Korea or Taiwan?
South Korea has 392 aircraft on order compared to Taiwan's 83.