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

Vietnam's air force fields 216 active aircraft — 6.8:1 Laos's 32.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Laos LaosWorld #120 2.0
AIRS Index / 100

Vietnam leads on 5 of 5 categories

Roundel of Vietnam VietnamWorld #46 9.0
  • 4 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 70
  • 23 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 42
  • 2 Transportweight ×10 20
  • 0 UAVsweight ×10 9
  • 3 Trainersweight ×1 75
Laos Vietnam 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 Vietnam Ratio
Official name Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force Vietnam People's Air Force
Active aircraft 32 216 🇻🇳 6.8×
Aircraft on order 6 18 🇻🇳 3.0×
Combat aircraft 4 70 🇻🇳 18×
Combat share of fleet 12.5 % 32.4 % 🇻🇳 2.6×
Aircraft types in service 7 17 🇻🇳 2.4×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 62 % Ex-USSR · 55 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 23 42 🇻🇳 1.8×
Transport aircraft 2 20 🇻🇳 10×
Trainers 3 75 🇻🇳 25×
UAVs 0 9 🇻🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇱🇦 LaosMi-17 Hip-H ×17JL-8 ×4Z-9 Haitun ×4
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-30 Flanker-C ×35Mi-8 Hip ×30Su-17 Fitter ×25
Fleet evolution · Laos
Fleet evolution · Vietnam
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has more military aircraft with 216 active aircraft compared to Laos's 32, a difference of 184 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has more combat aircraft with 70 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Laos's 4.
Which country has more military helicopters, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam operates more military helicopters with 42 compared to Laos's 23.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has more transport aircraft with 20 compared to Laos's 2.
How do the Laos and Vietnam air forces compare in size?
Vietnam's air force is 6.8 times larger than Laos's in terms of total active aircraft (216 vs 32).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Laos or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 18 aircraft on order compared to Laos's 6.