Air Forces comparison: 
New Zealand vs 
Papua New Guinea
New Zealand's air force fields 44 active aircraft — 11:1 Papua New Guinea's 4.
AIRS (Air Inventory Rating of Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
New ZealandWorld #87
3.4
AIRS Index / 100
New Zealand leads on 4 of 4 categories
Papua New GuineaWorld #142
1.2
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
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
| New Zealand | Papua New Guinea | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official name | Royal New Zealand Air Force | Papua New Guinea Air Wing | |
| Active aircraft | 44 | 4 | 🇳🇿 11× |
| Aircraft on order | 7 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
| Combat aircraft | 0 | 0 | — |
| Combat share of fleet | 0.0 % | 0.0 % | — |
| Aircraft types in service | 8 | 2 | 🇳🇿 4.0× |
| Main supplier | United States · 70 % | New Zealand · 75 % |
Show full breakdown · 4 more rowsHide the 4 extra rows
| Helicopters | 18 | 1 | 🇳🇿 18× |
| Transport aircraft | 7 | 3 | 🇳🇿 2.3× |
| Special-mission aircraft | 8 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
| Trainers | 11 | 0 | 🇳🇿 |
Backbone aircraft most numerous in service
Fleet evolution · New Zealand
Fleet evolution · Papua New Guinea
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more military aircraft, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has more military aircraft with 44 active aircraft compared to Papua New Guinea's 4, a difference of 40 aircraft.
Which country has more military helicopters, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand operates more military helicopters with 18 compared to Papua New Guinea's 1.
Which air force has more transport aircraft, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has more transport aircraft with 7 compared to Papua New Guinea's 3.
How do the New Zealand and Papua New Guinea air forces compare in size?
New Zealand's air force is 11.0 times larger than Papua New Guinea's in terms of total active aircraft (44 vs 4).
Which country has more aircraft on order, New Zealand or Papua New Guinea?
New Zealand has 7 aircraft on order compared to Papua New Guinea's 0.