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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Mali Mali vs Flag of Nigeria Nigeria

Nigeria's air force fields 189 active aircraft — 2.9:1 Mali's 66.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Mali MaliWorld #95 3.1
AIRS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 5 of 6 categories

Roundel of Nigeria NigeriaWorld #69 5.9
  • 12 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 34
  • 9 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 76
  • 10 Transportweight ×10 18
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 8
  • 22 UAVsweight ×10 26
  • 13 Trainersweight ×1 27
Mali Nigeria 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
Mali Nigeria Ratio
Official name Mali Air Force Nigerian Air Force
Active aircraft 66 189 🇳🇬 2.9×
Aircraft on order 0 106 🇳🇬
Combat aircraft 12 34 🇳🇬 2.8×
Combat share of fleet 18.2 % 18.0 % 🇲🇱 ≈
Aircraft types in service 15 33 🇳🇬 2.2×
Main supplier Turkey · 33 % Italy · 23 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 9 76 🇳🇬 8.4×
Transport aircraft 10 18 🇳🇬 1.8×
Special-mission aircraft 0 8 🇳🇬
Trainers 13 27 🇳🇬 2.1×
UAVs 22 26 🇳🇬 1.2×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇲🇱 MaliMiG-21 Fishbed ×9Mi-24 Hind ×7EMB-314 Super Tucano ×3
🇳🇬 NigeriaAW109 ×30Mi-24 Hind ×15Alpha Jet ×13
Fleet evolution · Mali
Fleet evolution · Nigeria
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Nigeria vsSouth AfricaTunisiaMoroccoEthiopiaEgypt

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more military aircraft with 189 active aircraft compared to Mali's 66, a difference of 123 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more combat aircraft with 34 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Mali's 12.
Which country has more military helicopters, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria operates more military helicopters with 76 compared to Mali's 9.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more transport aircraft with 18 compared to Mali's 10.
How do the Mali and Nigeria air forces compare in size?
Nigeria's air force is 2.9 times larger than Mali's in terms of total active aircraft (189 vs 66).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Mali or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 106 aircraft on order compared to Mali's 0.