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

India's air force fields 2,256 active aircraft — 23:1 Sri Lanka's 99.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of India IndiaWorld #4 34.8
AIRS Index / 100

India leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Sri Lanka Sri LankaWorld #81 4.0
  • 588 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 17
  • 993 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 62
  • 325 Transportweight ×10 17
  • 21 Special missionweight ×8 3
  • 39 UAVsweight ×10 0
  • 290 Trainersweight ×1 0
India 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
India Sri Lanka Ratio
Official name Indian Air Force Sri Lanka Air Force
Active aircraft 2,256 99 🇮🇳 23×
Aircraft on order 631 0 🇮🇳
Combat aircraft 588 17 🇮🇳 35×
Combat share of fleet 26.1 % 17.2 % 🇮🇳 1.5×
Aircraft types in service 43 16 🇮🇳 2.7×
Main supplier Ex-USSR · 29 % Ex-USSR · 37 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 993 62 🇮🇳 16×
Transport aircraft 325 17 🇮🇳 19×
Special-mission aircraft 21 3 🇮🇳 7.0×
Trainers 290 0 🇮🇳
UAVs 39 0 🇮🇳
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇮🇳 IndiaDhruv ×287Su-30 Flanker-C ×259Mi-17 Hip-H ×222
🇱🇰 Sri LankaMi-8 Hip ×27UH-1N Twin Huey ×14206 JetRanger ×12
Fleet evolution · India
Fleet evolution · Sri Lanka
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more military aircraft with 2,256 active aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 99, a difference of 2,157 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more combat aircraft with 588 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
Which country has more military helicopters, India or Sri Lanka?
India operates more military helicopters with 993 compared to Sri Lanka's 62.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, India or Sri Lanka?
India has more transport aircraft with 325 compared to Sri Lanka's 17.
How do the India and Sri Lanka air forces compare in size?
India's air force is 19.1 times larger than Sri Lanka's in terms of total active aircraft (325 vs 17).
Which country has more aircraft on order, India or Sri Lanka?
India has 631 aircraft on order compared to Sri Lanka's 0.