GlobalMilitary.net Open-source military intelligence Updated daily
Head-to-head

Air Forces comparison: Flag of China China vs Flag of Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

China's air force fields 6,341 active aircraft — 64:1 Sri Lanka's 99.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of China ChinaWorld #2 74.6
AIRS Index / 100

China leads on 7 of 7 categories

Roundel of Sri Lanka Sri LankaWorld #81 4.0
  • 234 Bombersweight ×100 · generation 0
  • 3,222 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 17
  • 1,549 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 62
  • 452 Transportweight ×10 17
  • 109 Special missionweight ×8 3
  • 190 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 585 Trainersweight ×1 0
China Sri Lanka 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
China Sri Lanka Ratio
Official name People's Liberation Army Air Force Sri Lanka Air Force
Active aircraft 6,341 99 🇨🇳 64×
Aircraft on order 130 0 🇨🇳
Combat aircraft 3,222 17 🇨🇳 190×
Combat share of fleet 50.8 % 17.2 % 🇨🇳 3.0×
Aircraft types in service 56 16 🇨🇳 3.5×
Main supplier China · 86 % Ex-USSR · 37 %
Show full breakdown · 6 more rowsHide the 6 extra rows
Bombers 234 0 🇨🇳
Helicopters 1,549 62 🇨🇳 25×
Transport aircraft 452 17 🇨🇳 27×
Special-mission aircraft 109 3 🇨🇳 36×
Trainers 585 0 🇨🇳
UAVs 190 0 🇨🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇨🇳 ChinaJ-10 Vigorous Dragon ×608J-11 Responsive Dragon ×495J-16 Qianlong ×450
🇱🇰 Sri LankaMi-8 Hip ×27UH-1N Twin Huey ×14206 JetRanger ×12
Fleet evolution · China
Fleet evolution · Sri Lanka
Explore this matchup
Go deeper · same matchup, other lenses
Military strength Navies Armies
Change opponent
China vsTaiwanUnited StatesRussiaIndiaJapan
Sri Lanka vsKazakhstanBahrainOmanTurkmenistanJordan

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more military aircraft with 6,341 active aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 99, a difference of 6,242 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more combat aircraft with 3,222 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
Which country has more military helicopters, China or Sri Lanka?
China operates more military helicopters with 1,549 compared to Sri Lanka's 62.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, China or Sri Lanka?
China has more transport aircraft with 452 compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
How do the China and Sri Lanka air forces compare in size?
China's air force is 26.6 times larger than Sri Lanka's in terms of total active aircraft (452 vs 17).
Which country has more aircraft on order, China or Sri Lanka?
China has 130 aircraft on order compared to Sri Lanka's 0.