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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Laos Laos vs Flag of Thailand Thailand

Thailand's air force fields 481 active aircraft — 15:1 Laos's 32.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Laos LaosWorld #120 2.1
AIRS Index / 100

Thailand leads on 5 of 5 categories

Roundel of Thailand ThailandWorld #34 11.4
  • 4 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 84
  • 23 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 247
  • 2 Transportweight ×10 57
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 9
  • 3 Trainersweight ×1 84
Laos Thailand 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
Laos Thailand Ratio
Official name Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force Royal Thai Air Force
Active aircraft 32 481 🇹🇭 15×
Aircraft on order 6 16 🇹🇭 2.7×
Combat aircraft 4 84 🇹🇭 21×
Combat share of fleet 12.5 % 17.5 % 🇹🇭 1.4×
Aircraft types in service 6 42 🇹🇭 7.0×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 66 % United States · 63 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 23 247 🇹🇭 11×
Transport aircraft 2 57 🇹🇭 28×
Special-mission aircraft 0 9 🇹🇭
Trainers 3 84 🇹🇭 28×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosMi-17 Hip-H ×17JL-8 ×4Z-9 Haitun ×4
🇹🇭 ThailandUH-1N Twin Huey ×48F-16 Fighting Falcon ×46TH-55 Osage ×45
Fleet evolution · Laos
Fleet evolution · Thailand
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand has more military aircraft with 481 active aircraft compared to Laos's 32, a difference of 449 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand has more combat aircraft with 84 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Laos's 4.
Which country has more military helicopters, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand operates more military helicopters with 247 compared to Laos's 23.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand has more transport aircraft with 57 compared to Laos's 2.
How do the Laos and Thailand air forces compare in size?
Thailand's air force is 28.5 times larger than Laos's in terms of total active aircraft (57 vs 2).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Laos or Thailand?
Thailand has 16 aircraft on order compared to Laos's 6.