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

Nigeria's air force fields 182 active aircraft — 7.9:1 Mauritania's 23.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Mauritania MauritaniaWorld #113 2.3
AIRS Index / 100

Nigeria leads on 6 of 6 categories

Roundel of Nigeria NigeriaWorld #68 6.0
  • 4 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · generation 36
  • 4 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 73
  • 7 Transportweight ×10 21
  • 2 Special missionweight ×8 8
  • 0 UAVsweight ×10 18
  • 6 Trainersweight ×1 26
Mauritania 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
Mauritania Nigeria Ratio
Official name Mauritania Islamic Air Force Nigerian Air Force
Active aircraft 23 182 🇳🇬 7.9×
Aircraft on order 0 124 🇳🇬
Combat aircraft 4 36 🇳🇬 9.0×
Combat share of fleet 17.4 % 19.8 % 🇳🇬 1.1×
Aircraft types in service 11 31 🇳🇬 2.8×
Main supplier Brazil · 39 % Italy · 22 %
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
Helicopters 4 73 🇳🇬 18×
Transport aircraft 7 21 🇳🇬 3.0×
Special-mission aircraft 2 8 🇳🇬 4.0×
Trainers 6 26 🇳🇬 4.3×
UAVs 0 18 🇳🇬
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇲🇷 MauritaniaEMB-314 Super Tucano ×4AW109 ×2208 Caravan ×2
🇳🇬 NigeriaAW109 ×27Mi-24 Hind ×15Alpha Jet ×13
Fleet evolution · Mauritania
Fleet evolution · Nigeria
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Nigeria vsSouth AfricaEthiopiaMoroccoTunisiaEgypt

Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Mauritania or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more military aircraft with 182 active aircraft compared to Mauritania's 23, a difference of 159 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Mauritania or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more combat aircraft with 36 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Mauritania's 4.
Which country has more military helicopters, Mauritania or Nigeria?
Nigeria operates more military helicopters with 73 compared to Mauritania's 4.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Mauritania or Nigeria?
Nigeria has more transport aircraft with 21 compared to Mauritania's 7.
How do the Mauritania and Nigeria air forces compare in size?
Nigeria's air force is 3.0 times larger than Mauritania's in terms of total active aircraft (21 vs 7).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Mauritania or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 124 aircraft on order compared to Mauritania's 0.