Air Forces comparison: Sri Lanka vs India
India's air force fields 2,217 active aircraft — 22:1 Sri Lanka's 99. The breakdown includes 17 vs 588 combat aircraft, 62 vs 993 helicopters, 17 vs 340 transport aircraft, 0 vs 290 trainers (Sri Lanka vs India). Sri Lanka has 0 aircraft on order vs 587 for India. The Sri Lanka air force is officially the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Sri Lanka Air Force 🇱🇰
| Official Name | Sri Lanka Air Force |
| Local Name | ශ්රී ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව (Sri Lanka Guwan Hamudawa) |
| Active aircraft | 99 as of 2026 |
| Aircraft on order | 0 |
| Roundel |
|
Indian Air Force 🇮🇳
| Official Name | Indian Air Force |
| Local Name | भारतीय वायु सेना (Bhāratīya vāyu senā) |
| Active aircraft | 2217 as of 2026 |
| Aircraft on order | 587 |
| Roundel |
|
Sri Lankan aircraft by type
| Aircraft type | Active | |
|---|---|---|
Combat
|
17 | |
Bomber
|
0 | |
Helicopter
|
62 | |
Training
|
0 | |
Transport
|
17 | |
Other
|
3 | |
Indian aircraft by type
| Aircraft type | Active | |
|---|---|---|
|
Combat
|
588 | |
|
Bomber
|
0 | |
|
Helicopter
|
993 | |
|
Training
|
290 | |
|
Transport
|
340 | |
|
Other
|
6 | |
Evolution of Sri Lankan Air Force fleet
Evolution of Indian Air Force fleet
Aircraft Types Radar Comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more military aircraft, Sri Lanka or India?
India has more military aircraft with 2,217 active aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 99, a difference of 2,118 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Sri Lanka or India?
India has more combat aircraft with 588 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
Which country has more military helicopters, Sri Lanka or India?
India operates more military helicopters with 993 compared to Sri Lanka's 62.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Sri Lanka or India?
India has more transport aircraft with 340 compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
How do the Sri Lanka and India air forces compare in size?
India's air force is 20.0 times larger than Sri Lanka's in terms of total active aircraft (340 vs 17).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Sri Lanka or India?
India has 587 aircraft on order compared to Sri Lanka's 0.