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Air Forces comparison: Flag of Netherlands Netherlands vs Flag of Portugal Portugal

Netherlands operates 124 active military aircraft vs 100 for Portugal.

AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Roundel of Netherlands NetherlandsWorld #41 11.0
AIRS Index / 100

Netherlands leads on 3 of 5 categories

Roundel of Portugal PortugalWorld #49 9.8
  • 40 Combat aircraftweight ×50 · price 33
  • 67 Helicoptersweight ×10 · era 28
  • 4 Transportweight ×10 23
  • 0 Special missionweight ×8 5
  • 13 Trainersweight ×1 11
Netherlands Portugal Bars: weighted contribution to the AIRS Index (airframes × category weight; combat and bombers by unit price, helicopters by era) · figures: active airframes at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
Netherlands Portugal Ratio
Official name Royal Netherlands Air Force Portuguese Air Force
Active aircraft 124 100 🇳🇱 1.2×
Aircraft on order 44 16 🇳🇱 2.8×
Combat aircraft 40 33 🇳🇱 1.2×
Combat share of fleet 32.3 % 33.0 % 🇵🇹 ≈
Aircraft types in service 7 12 🇵🇹 1.7×
Main supplier United States · 65 % United States · 43 %
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
Helicopters 67 28 🇳🇱 2.4×
Transport aircraft 4 23 🇵🇹 5.8×
Special-mission aircraft 0 5 🇵🇹
Trainers 13 11 🇳🇱 1.2×
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
🇳🇱 NetherlandsF-35 Lightning II ×40CH-47 Chinook ×20NH90 / Caiman ×19
🇵🇹 PortugalF-16 Fighting Falcon ×28AW101 ×12C-295 Persuader ×12
Fleet evolution · Netherlands
Fleet evolution · Portugal
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Frequently Asked Questions

Which country has more military aircraft, Netherlands or Portugal?
Netherlands has more military aircraft with 124 active aircraft compared to Portugal's 100, a difference of 24 aircraft.
Which air force has more combat aircraft, Netherlands or Portugal?
Netherlands has more combat aircraft with 40 fighters and attack aircraft compared to Portugal's 33.
Which country has more military helicopters, Netherlands or Portugal?
Netherlands operates more military helicopters with 67 compared to Portugal's 28.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, Netherlands or Portugal?
Portugal has more transport aircraft with 23 compared to Netherlands's 4.
How do the Netherlands and Portugal air forces compare in size?
Portugal's air force is 5.8 times larger than Netherlands's in terms of total active aircraft (23 vs 4).
Which country has more aircraft on order, Netherlands or Portugal?
Netherlands has 44 aircraft on order compared to Portugal's 16.